Your photos are your portfolio. They are also the raw material for your website, your Google Business Profile, your social media, your ads and your estimates. Most contractors take plenty of photos of problems, for insurance and to send to the office. Far fewer take the ones that sell the next job.
This guide is a shot list you can hand to every crew lead, plus simple ways to make phone photos look professional. For why photos matter so much, start with Project Photos That Sell. This guide is the how.
The shot list for every job
Not every job needs every shot. But a crew that works through this list on each job will build a better portfolio in one season than most companies have after ten years.
Before
- The wide shot of the whole area, from where the customer usually stands: the street, the yard, the doorway.
- Remember that spot. Note where you stood, or take a quick photo of your feet and the landmark, so the after shot can match.
- The problem up close: rot, cracks, leaks, rust, old equipment, storm damage.
- Anything that explains the challenge: a steep slope, a tight crawlspace, poor access, bad soil.
During
- The crew at work, in company shirts and the right safety gear.
- Equipment and trucks on site, with your logo visible.
- The work that gets covered up: base prep, forms and rebar, waterproofing, flashing, wiring, framing, drainage. These are the shots that prove quality, because no one can see them once the job is done.
- Materials and brands customers ask about, like shingle lines, equipment brands or pavers.
- Craft details: clean cuts, welds, joints, edges, finishes.
After
- The matching wide shot, from the same spot as the before.
- A corner angle, about 45 degrees to the work, which shows depth better than straight on.
- Close details that show the finish and the care.
- The finished job in context: the whole house, building or landscape.
- The clean site, swept and picked up. Customers notice.
- The happy customer, only if they are glad to be in it.
Close-out
- A crew photo with the finished job.
- A short video walk-through of the finished work. More on video below.
- A review request before you leave. Our reviews guide has scripts.
Make phone photos look professional
Today’s phones take excellent photos. Most bad job photos come down to a few habits, not the camera.
- Wipe the lens. A phone that lives in a pocket on a job site has a smudged lens, and that is the most common cause of hazy photos.
- Shoot both ways. Horizontal works best for websites and wide shots. Vertical works best for social media stories and short videos. When in doubt, take both.
- Keep it level. Turn on your camera’s grid and keep walls, posts and door frames straight up and down. Tilted photos look careless.
- Watch the light. Overcast days are great for exteriors. Harsh midday sun makes dark shadows, so shoot with the sun behind you when you can. Indoors, turn on every light and open the blinds.
- Clear the frame. Move trash cans, hoses, cords, tools, ladders and cars before the after shots.
- Change your height. Get up on a ladder or tailgate for driveways, patios and roofs. Crouch low for steps, walls and edges.
- Do not pinch to zoom. Walk closer instead. Use the ultra-wide lens carefully indoors, because it bends straight lines near the edges.
- Take more than you need. Ten extra photos cost nothing. A missed after shot can never be retaken.
- Edit lightly, and honestly. Straightening, cropping and brightening are fine. Never edit a photo in a way that makes the work look different from what the customer got.
Privacy and permission
- Ask the customer. Most homeowners are happy to have their project featured. Add a line to your contract or work order asking permission to photograph the work and use the photos in your marketing.
- Keep private things out of the frame, or blur them: house numbers, license plates, family photos, children, valuables and alarm panels.
- Show faces only with permission, both customers and crew. Let employees opt out of being featured.
- Follow the rules on commercial sites. Some general contractors, owners and facilities restrict photography. Ask first.
Video: short, simple and real
You do not need a film crew. Short, steady clips shot on a phone are what people expect to see from a contractor, and real footage of real jobs often feels more trustworthy than a polished commercial.
Ideas that work for almost every trade
- The reveal: the before shot, then the after shot from the same spot.
- The timelapse: a pour, a tear-off, an install or a whole day on site, from a phone on a tripod or clamp.
- “Here is what we found”: what was behind the wall, under the floor or inside the old unit, and why it matters.
- The owner’s walk-through: 30 seconds explaining one choice you made and why.
- A quick tip: how to spot a problem early, or what to do when something fails.
- Meet the crew: a name, a role and how long they have been doing the work.
- Equipment in action: machines doing things people find fascinating.
- A customer in their own words, with permission. Even 20 seconds is powerful.
Simple rules for better video
- Keep it short. Fifteen to sixty seconds for social media. Get to the good part fast.
- Hold it steady. Use two hands, lean on something or use an inexpensive gimbal or tripod. Move slowly.
- Fix the sound. Wind and machines drown out voices. A small clip-on microphone makes a big difference for anything with talking.
- Add captions. Social video is often watched with the sound off.
Drones
Aerial shots are a strong fit for roofing, excavation and site work, large concrete jobs, landscaping, pole barns and new construction. They show scale in a way nothing else can.
In the United States, flying a drone for business purposes requires an FAA Remote Pilot Certificate, known as Part 107, and following airspace rules. If no one on your team is certified, hire a certified pilot for your best projects.
Organize so you can find them
A great photo you cannot find is worth nothing. Pick one system and stick to it.
- One folder per job, named the same way every time, such as 2026-10 Sandusky concrete driveway – Miller. Year and month, town, service, customer or job number.
- One shared place the whole company uses: a shared drive or a job photo app that tags photos by job.
- Mark the best five to ten from each job so whoever handles marketing does not have to dig.
- Send the best weekly to whoever runs your website and social media.
Where each shot goes
- Website: before-and-after pairs and the best after shots on the matching service and town pages, plus a project gallery. See service and town pages that rank.
- Google Business Profile: new job photos added regularly, so your profile always looks active. Our Google Business Profile guide covers what else belongs there.
- Social media: in-progress shots, short videos and behind-the-scenes moments.
- Ads: your strongest after shots and before-and-after pairs.
- Estimates and proposals: photos of similar finished jobs, so the customer can picture the result.
- Recruiting: crew, equipment and shop photos. Good candidates want to see where they would work.
Make it a habit
- Assign it. One person on each crew owns the photos for each job.
- Make it part of closing the job. No after photos, no job closed.
- Keep the list in the truck. Print this shot list and tape it inside the visor.
- Praise good shots. Share the best photos of the month with the whole crew and say who took them.
Some projects deserve more than a phone. We offer photography and video for contractors, from finished-project shoots and drone footage to crew portraits and short videos for social media. If you want to know how your photos compare with your competitors’, ask for a free marketing audit.