1. Clean the lens
A phone that lives in a work pocket has a dusty, greasy lens. Wipe it on a clean cloth first. It makes more difference than anything else on this list.
2. Use daylight
Open the blinds, turn off the flash and shoot during the day. Natural light makes everything look better.
3. Tidy up first
Move the tools, dust sheets, mugs and bin bags out of shot. Customers notice.
4. Take the “before”
It’s easy to forget at the start of a job. A before-and-after pair is far more convincing than an “after” alone.
5. Hold the phone straight
Keep vertical lines vertical, like door frames and walls. Turn on the camera grid in your settings to help.
6. Take landscape and portrait
Wide shots suit websites. Tall shots suit social media. Take both and you’re covered.
7. Take more than you need
Shoot the whole room, then the details. Ten photos take a minute, and you only need one good one.
One more thing: ask permission
If the photo shows a customer’s home, ask before you use it, and avoid anything that identifies the address, like a house number or a car registration.
Send us what you’ve got and we’ll pick the best, crop them and make them load quickly. Here’s what else a good trade website needs.