The material for a year of marketing is generated on site every week and mostly not captured. The constraint is not skill, it is habit: deciding to take the before shot, from a fixed position, before anything is touched. Everything else follows from that one decision.
The photograph nobody takes
The before shot.
At that moment it is an unremarkable garden, a working but dated bathroom, or a roof that looks fine from the ground. Nobody thinks to photograph it, because nothing has happened yet. Then the work is finished, the after photograph is excellent, and there is nothing to compare it against.
The single change that produces the most usable material is a rule that the before shot is taken before anything is unloaded. Not when you remember, and not after the first hour.
Same position, same frame
A before and after only works if both are taken from the same place.
The practical method: take the before shot standing somewhere memorable, such as a doorway, a corner, or beside a fixed object. Note where it was. On the last day, stand in the same spot and take the after.
A pair taken from different angles is not a comparison, it is two photographs, and viewers cannot read the change. Getting this right is worth more than image quality.
What to capture during the job
- The problem, close up. What was actually wrong. Customers have usually never seen the inside of the thing you are fixing.
- Work in progress, which shows the labour that a finished photograph hides.
- Anything unexpected. Rot behind the panel, incorrect previous work, a component that failed. These make the best posts and they explain why quotes change.
- The crew working, with faces where they are comfortable with it.
- Detail shots of the parts a customer would not notice, which is how you demonstrate standards.
- The tidy site at the end of the day, which for many homeowners is a genuine concern.
Practical constraints on a job site
Hands, weather, and light
Use the phone's camera shortcut rather than unlocking and navigating. Shoot in daylight where possible and turn interior lights on rather than using the flash, which flattens everything.
A phone in a case can be wiped; a photograph not taken cannot be recovered later.
Two minutes of tidying
Moving tools, packaging, and cables out of frame changes a photograph more than any editing. It is the difference between documentation and something usable.
Take more than you need
Storage costs nothing and the angle you did not take is not recoverable. Ten photographs of a job is not excessive.
Safety and site rules
On commercial sites there may be restrictions on photography, and some clients have confidentiality expectations. Ask rather than assume, particularly where other trades or occupants appear in shot.
Permission
Ask once, at the end, and note the answer.
Most customers say yes and some appreciate being asked. What matters is that house numbers, vehicles, interiors, and anything identifying the property or the occupants are recognisable, and publishing those without asking is a problem you do not need.
A line on the job sheet, may we photograph the finished work for our website, handles it permanently.
Getting them off the phone
The step where most of this collapses. Photographs stay on individual phones, the crew changes, and the library never exists.
A shared folder that everyone uploads to at the end of the week is enough. What matters is a single place and a routine, not the tool. Name folders by job and date so they can be found, because an undated folder of two thousand images is only marginally better than nothing.
Once the library exists, the posting problem solves itself, since the material is already there when it is time to write, which is the whole point of having something to post when nothing is happening.
The rule to give the crew
One sentence: before you unload, take a photograph from the doorway; before you leave on the last day, take the same photograph again.
Everything else is optional. That one instruction, followed consistently, produces more usable marketing material in a season than any amount of planning, and it costs a minute per job.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most important job site photograph?
The before shot, because nobody takes it. At that point nothing has happened, so it feels pointless, and without it the finished photograph has nothing to be compared against.
How do I take a good before and after?
Both from the same position. Stand somewhere memorable such as a doorway or beside a fixed object, note the spot, and shoot the after from exactly there on the last day.
What should I photograph during a job?
The problem close up, work in progress, anything unexpected such as hidden damage, the crew working, detail shots showing standards, and the tidy site at the end of the day.
Do I need permission to photograph a customer's property?
Ask once at the end and note the answer. House numbers, vehicles, and interiors are identifiable, and a line on the job sheet handles it permanently.
How do I stop photos being stranded on phones?
A shared folder everyone uploads to weekly, with folders named by job and date. The tool matters less than having a single place and a routine.
What rule should I give the crew?
Before you unload, take a photograph from the doorway. Before you leave on the last day, take the same photograph again. Everything else is optional.
West Coast Media Solutions Inc. provides web design, web development, hosting, digital marketing, and business consulting to organisations across Canada, drawing on more than twenty-five years in the field.
Years of good work and no photographs of it?
We set up the capture routine and the shared library, then turn what comes back into content for your site and your feed.
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