Looking for a photo/rating type modification
 

I am looking to combine a forum based community with the ability for users to upload pictures and add comments/reviews for a new website idea that I have. The main focus will be on the photography, but the ability to add the ratings will also be important.

Let's say my website was about dogs. I'd want there to be a section for a Labrador. Users can then review the Labrador and add pictures of the Labrador, then the Labrador could be ranked against other breeds of dogs to see which was best. You may then want to filter down the types of dogs based on different parameters such as hair colour, eye colour, whether they are fierce dogs etc. The user would also be able to submit new breeds (i.e. a poodle) and then the process starts again for that breed. All hypothetical but gives an idea of what I am trying to achieve.

Are there any modifications to vBulletin that would facilitate this?

Sounds like you need PhotoPlog Lite or Pro (Link to pro in link)
Not sure if the lite version allows member input categories
I have the pro version & will set it up on my 3.8 test site & let you mess around with it to see if that is what you are looking for. LMK