Experience Files

The adage "a picture is worth a thousand words" holds immense truth in restoration. Nothing solidifies your written documentation quite like a compelling photograph. However, effective project photography isn't about artistic flair; it's about clear, objective documentation.

Photography Best Practices: Quality Over Artistry

• Ditch the Filters and Fish-Eye Lenses: We need documentation, not dramatic effects. Filters and wide-angle lenses distort reality, making images look doctored and distracting from the actual damage.

• Prioritize Landscape Orientation and Focus: Always shoot in landscape orientation. It captures more context than portrait shots. Use your flash and ensure every image is in focus. Dark, blurry, or unfocused images are utterly useless for documentation.

• Context is King: A close-up shot of damage is often meaningless if the viewer can't tell what they're looking at or where it's located. Always take a wide shot of the area for context first, then follow up with a close-up of the specific damage. This allows the viewer to understand the location and nature of the issue.

• Optimize Resolution and File Naming: Confirm your camera settings save images with a date/time stamp as part of the file name. Most smartphones are used for this; ensure your image size is 4:3 or 16:9 and the resolution is 3-5MP. While higher resolution is possible, remember these images need to be uploaded and downloaded. Adjusters and claims examiners will be frustrated if a single email takes 20 minutes to download due to oversized files.

Essential Photos: What You MUST Document

There's no single short answer for what to photograph, but here are the essentials:

• Property Exterior: Capture a clear photo of the front of the property where work is being performed. This helps anyone reviewing the file immediately identify the house and confirm you're at the correct, insured location (yes, working at the wrong property happens!).

• Source of Loss: For water damage, clearly photograph what caused the leak. Whether it's an icemaker line, a cracked toilet, or a busted frozen pipe, get a clear picture of it. Remember to include context.

• Whole Room Shots (The "4 Corner Pictures"): Take wide-area shots of every affected room. Stand in the doorway with your shoulder against the frame, take a picture. Move to the next corner, take another. Repeat. Also, capture diagonal shots across the room, including floor coverings, trim, and ceiling fixtures like lights or fans. These wide contextual shots have saved thousands of dollars by showing the full scope of a room's condition.

• Close-ups of Damage: After capturing your whole room shots, take detailed close-ups of the damage in each specific room before moving on to the next area.

• Pre-Existing Conditions: If you observe any pre-existing damage or conditions, photograph them. Ensure the image context clearly shows that this damage existed prior to your production efforts. This is vital for avoiding future liability.

• Equipment Placement: Get photos of your equipment that is setup. Critically, avoid images showing equipment that's still wrapped up or clearly not running. If a piece of equipment isn't actively operating in the pictures, insurance companies will be less approving of rental charges.

• Project Progress (Especially Demo): Document the progression of the project. Specifically, you must take photos of areas after demolition is complete and cleaned up. Also, photograph affected rooms that haven't yet been demoed to track your crew's efforts. The insights you can glean from these progress images later on can be invaluable.

Basically Useless (or Harmful) Images: What to AVOID Taking Pictures

Be extremely mindful of the images you take, as you are not the only person who will see them. Avoid photos that can later be used against you or the company:

• Employees without Proper PPE: Photos of employees working on a mold project with insufficient or no PPE can lead to claims adjusters refusing to pay for PPE required line items.

• Inappropriate Behavior: Images of employees smoking inside a client's home, or tools carelessly placed on undamaged surfaces like countertops, toilets, or bathtubs, can result in claims for property damage (e.g., "There's a burn on my countertop your crew made," or "I have a gouge in my granite top from your guys tossing their hammers and tools on my beautiful tops").

• Moisture Meter Reading Photos: Seriously, stop taking these. I've been in court and depositions countless times, and I've never been asked for photo documentation of meter readings. First, 99% of these images lack context, making it impossible to tell what house, room, or specific area the reading came from. If I have to take your word for the image's context, why can't I just take your word that your recorded documentation is accurate? Focus on accurate, detailed written records of your readings instead.

Effective photography is a powerful tool for clarity, accountability, and protecting your business. Use it wisely.