no photos appear when trying to add photo to contact

I'm trying to add a photo to a contact in my contacts app on a Mac. The only option it gives me are the 'Defaults', 'Photo Booth' and 'Camera'. When I click on the 'Photos' option on the left side I get the message "No Photos Found". I had this problem in the past and somebody here gave me the way to fix it. But I've forgotten what it was and could use some help. Thanks