In answer to your first question, this is a bug that seems to be associated with the Generations patch. It doesn't seem to affect everyone or every family, but when it strikes, it can be a game breaker. As far as I know there is no fix or workaround for it, other than to just not use the photography skill at all.
As far as your second question goes, I'm not sure I understand what it happening. If you could describe exactly what's happening and when, perhaps I or someone else could give you some kind of answer.