I do pick pictures off the internet and collect them in a OneNote folder - locations, characters, notable artefacts that are used in the story etc.
I had a friend who was a costume & set/stage designer and I'd found her work collages not only very artistic but a great way to define and be reminded of, the mood of the project.
Very handy for visual people.

I put found images together as a slide show on my iPad. Can be played back with music. Especially useful for brainstorming.

I did this once and it proved to be an instant starter when I sat down to write.

I tacked photos and illustrations of characters, animals, props and locations on a three-panel presentation board. I kept the board on my desk, where it formed an effective, wrap-around "story world" for me to enter and work within.

My wife, who reads voluminously on the subject of brain studies, keep reminding me there are many, many, perhaps an infinite number of ways brains function. No two people are exactly alike. This extends to creativity. For visually oriented writers, collages or collecting photos, anything to feed their imagination via their eyesight is a huge benefit.

I heard or read of a writer who when working on a project will go through magazines, then clip out one photo: a shot that represents his target audience. When he writes, he imagines he's writing for that person. He uses this as a way to keep his writing focused in terms of content, style, tone, etc.

BTW there's a fascinating book: "The Alphabet Versus the Goddess", which delves into right and left brain theory. The author contends that with the advent of the atomic bomb and the profound impact of that image, we were ushered into a new era that is increasingly visually oriented. Perhaps a more resonate time for visual thinkers.