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Memory painting is a great skill and quite admirable. I think there are many pitfalls from working entirely from memory. When working from nature there are always little nuances that one could never imagine and quite often that by including these in our paintings we can capture the tiny but quintessential aspects that bring something to life.
By working from one's mind one faces the distinct possibility of being mechanical or repetitious. This may be sufficient in certain types of decorative applications but for maximizing realistic illusion I believe it falls short.
The great master's mantra was always work from nature (life) as opposed to making things up. Nature, however is merely the starting point, for the true artist reveals himself in the interpretation of and the selection within her subject matter. Nature creates and the artist perfects.
Photography is a great tool for capturing information, but most artists don't have the patience or the understanding necessary to master it and use it to it's best advantage. Sadly, there is an implied and intrinsic bias against photography by far too many artists.
Great painters have always sought to employ any advantage possible for their betterment of their pictures. To limit one's horizon by eschewing any potential avenue is ultimately self limiting.
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