I don't really get the point of these "photoillustrations". If you actually learn to paint, you can add your own personal style rather than relying strictly on reference images all the time.
Aw yeah, I totally agree they can't have the same status as a 'real' painting, This illustration thing all started as a fun experiment when I wanted to edit a photo of a friend, and somehow, it has taken this development, and that's what it still is, just editing pictures.