  We analyze the validity of a commonly used identification between structures
of the virtual photon $\gamma^*\to Q\bar Q$ and vector meson $V\to Q\bar Q$
transitions. In the existing studies of $S$-wave vector-meson photoproduction
in the literature, such an identification is typically performed in the
light-front (LF) frame while the radial component of the meson wave function is
rather postulated than computed from the first principles. The massive
photon-like $V\to Q\bar Q$ vertex, besides the $S$-wave component, also
contains an extra $D$-wave admixture in the $Q\bar Q$ rest frame. However, the
relative weight of these contributions cannot be justified by any reasonable
nonrelativistic $Q\bar Q$ potential model. In this work, we investigate the
relative role of the $D$-wave contribution starting from the photon-like
quarkonium $V\to Q\bar Q$ transition in both frames: in the $Q\bar Q$ rest
frame (with subsequent Melosh spin transform to the LF frame) and in the LF
frame (without Melosh transform). We show that the photon-like transition
imposed in the $Q\bar Q$ rest frame leads to significant discrepancies with the
experimental data. In the second case we find that the corresponding total
$J/\psi(1S)$ photoproduction cross sections are very close to those obtained
with the "$S$-wave only" $V\to Q\bar Q$ transition, both leading to a good
description of the data. However, we find that the "$S$-wave only" transition
leads to a better description of photoproduction data for excited heavy
quarkonium states, which represent a more effective tool for study of $D$-wave
effects. Consequently, the predictions for production of excited states based
on the photon-like structure of $V\to Q\bar Q$ transition should be treated
with a great care due to a much stronger sensitivity of the $D$-wave
contribution to the nodal structure of quarkonium wave functions.
