%  simple_book_with_pictures.tex
\documentclass[12pt]{book}
\usepackage[
    papersize={8.5in,11in},
    height=9.5in,
    top=0.8in,
    bindingoffset=0.5in
]{geometry}

\usepackage[pdftex]{graphicx} % for including graphics
\graphicspath{{images//}} % relative path to folder containing image files

\begin{document}
\begin{titlepage}
\centering
\vspace*{3in}
{\LARGE Simple Book With Photos\\ \small by \\ Book Author}
\end{titlepage}

\mainmatter
\chapter{Sample Photos}

Photo \includegraphics[width=1in]{poppies.jpg} inline with text.\\

\vspace{1in}
{
  \centering % center from left to right between the surrounding curly brackets, {}
  \includegraphics[height=2.5in]{poppies.jpg}\\ % include the image, resized to specified height
  Photo centered with caption.\\
}
\vspace{0.5in}
These examples also show the use of vertical space and inclusion of the same photo with different sizes.
\newpage
\begin{figure}
{
	\centering
	\includegraphics[width=3in]{poppies.jpg}\\
	\caption{Poppies}
}
\end{figure}
This is an example of an image as a numbered figure.
\end{document}
