You don't need a $3,000 camera to get good photos for your website. Your phone — the one you already carry to every job site — can take photos that look professional if you follow a few simple rules.
The Rules
1. Clean Up Before You Shoot
Before: sweep the floor, remove tools from frame, wipe down surfaces, push cords out of sight. The difference between "job site photo" and "portfolio photo" is 90% cleanup.
2. Use Natural Light
Open blinds, turn on overhead lights, and shoot during the day if possible. Natural light makes everything look better. Never use your phone's flash — it creates harsh shadows and washes out colors.
3. Shoot Horizontal
Hold your phone sideways. Horizontal photos look professional on websites. Vertical photos look like social media posts. For website use, horizontal is almost always better.
4. Get the Wide Shot and the Detail Shot
For every project, take two types of photos:
- Wide shot: Shows the full scope of the work. Step back and capture the whole room, the whole yard, the whole roof.
- Detail shot: Shows the quality. Get close to the tile work, the grout lines, the paint edges, the fixture installation. This is where craftsmanship shows.
5. Before and After
Take a "before" photo from the exact same angle and distance as your "after" photo. Same position, same lighting if possible. Before/after pairs are the most compelling content on any service business website.
6. Clean Your Lens
Your phone lives in your pocket with your keys, coins, and sawdust. Wipe the lens with your shirt before shooting. A smudged lens makes everything look hazy.
Common Mistakes
- Messy background. Your beautiful tile work is ruined by the pile of tools in the corner.
- Bad lighting. Dark rooms with harsh flash make everything look worse.
- Fingers in frame. Hold the phone steady, check the edges before shooting.
- Too many photos of the same thing. Three great photos beat thirty mediocre ones.
- Not taking any photos. The biggest mistake is finishing a great job and driving away without documentation.
Make It a Habit
Take 3-5 photos at the end of every job. It takes 2 minutes. Over a year, you'll have a library of real work photos that no stock photo can match. These photos build trust in a way that generic imagery never will.
Every Bindingstone website supports photo galleries and before/after displays. Send us your photos and we'll make them look great on your site. Start your free trial.
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