14 tips – How to succeed in documenting your construction site

14 tips for
photo and video documentation of a construction project

You will get the most out of your photo documentation by avoiding the most common pitfalls and capturing evidence correctly. Below you will find a list of some recommended practices and tips:

1. Check the required permissions

Before you start filming, make sure you have obtained all necessary permissions to take the photos and that all parties are aware of the filming.

2. Plan your shoots carefully

Plan your shooting locations carefully and make sure that all necessary views and details are captured. This usually includes preliminary, in-process and finished shots. In addition, when taking photos, it is worth considering that necessary intermediate stages, possible equipment/dimensions and significant details are captured.

3. Use a decent camera

Use a high-quality camera: It is important to use a camera with a good resolution so that the images are as clear as possible and the details are visible in the images. Modern smartphones are very capable of taking high-quality images, so you don't have to look any further than your pocket.

4. Lighting is important

Make sure your photos are bright and clear. Make sure you take your photos in a light that is bright enough but not too bright. The ideal lighting is one that is not too dim or weak but not in direct sunlight either. If necessary, take close-ups close enough to see the necessary details clearly and take pictures of the whole scene from far enough away to get the information you need from the image.

5. Take plenty of pictures

Take multiple photos: Photos taken of the same object (from different angles) help give a better overall picture of the progress of the project.

6. Describe everything that is relevant

Photograph everything you need: Use a checklist or similar tool to make sure you photograph everything you need. This could be a list of details, steps, or even objects that need to be photographed.

7. Archive carefully

Save and archive images carefully: Moving, naming and archiving images is a very important part of image documentation, because without a clear system (or a tool for this), finding images can be very time-consuming and painful. Quickly finding images (with location and timestamp information) is the most essential part of documentation. There are several different applications available for this purpose, including a highly automated domestic option .

8. Put everyone on camera

Make image documentation part of the entire team's daily routine. This way, capturing image material becomes less of a hassle and also keeps it up-to-date and comprehensive.

9. Track items via image stream

Use captured images to help track work progress and prevent and resolve potential problems.

10. Store images securely

Make sure your images are stored and archived systematically and securely, making it easier for supervisors (and others who need images) to find them easily.

11. Share the pictures

Make sure to share your images securely with all necessary parties. There are also handy apps for sharing and automating it.

12. Remember safety

When describing and instructing employees, take into account particularly important aspects, such as occupational safety, comprehensive instructions, and data protection.

13. Get the most out of your photos

Take advantage of your image stream for, among other things, the development of your internal processes, quality assurance, work monitoring, and occupational safety.

14. Use images in a variety of ways

You can also use your photos in your customer service, complaint management, and marketing. For example, you can also advise your employees to take more artistic photos if an ideal situation or great lighting comes your way.

Photo documentation is an important part of construction projects and their tracking. By following these tips and advice, you will ensure that you get the most out of your site photos and that your project progresses according to plan!

How do you make the most of your construction site photos?

Now that you have a bunch of high-quality photos, you want to get the most out of them. Below is a checklist of what you can and should use your photo evidence for:

• Tag your photos: When you tag your photos with a date, time stamp and location, this helps keep them organized and allows you to reference them later, even finding them in your archives. Of course, this only applies to companies that archive manually, the easiest way is to automate this process so that the photos do not need to be processed afterwards, but are automatically organized for later use. There is, for example, an easy-to-use application for this documentation of images.
• Review the day's photos daily. Taking a few minutes out of your morning routine to scroll through your worksite photos will help you stay on top of what's happening. If you can monitor employee photos in real time, you can also react quickly.
• Share images with your team: Sharing images with team members (and sometimes clients) helps ensure that everyone has the same information and that the project progresses according to plan.
• Use images to create a timeline: Using images to create a timeline helps you track progress and identify potential issues.
• Use images to create reports: Using images to create reports helps provide a more visual overview of the progress of a project.
• Use images when invoicing: When you use images as a billing basis or additional information on your invoice, you create transparency and your customer gets a reliable impression of you.

Make photography part of the entire team's routine

There are never too many photos, as long as they are organized. When several people take photos of their own areas and general objects, it is more likely that everything necessary will be captured. Photographing a construction site does not cause much trouble when the responsibility is shared among the entire team.

On larger sites, it is good practice to assign one person to be primarily responsible for planning and guiding the filming, but it is a good idea to carry out the filming itself with everyone's help. This will ensure that all parts and details of the project are documented.

Archiving and preserving images (the old way)

Once you have taken your photos, it is important to store them in a secure and reliable location. Storing your photos in a cloud service like Google Drive or Dropbox is a good option, as it allows for easy access and sharing from anywhere, anytime. The problem with this option is security, so if your company has sensitive photos that you don’t want your competitors to have access to, you may want to look into more secure storage options.

It’s always a good idea to also back up your photos, e.g. to an external hard drive or USB stick. This will ensure that your photos are safe even if your cloud storage platform is compromised. As mentioned earlier, all of the things listed above can be taken care of automatically, with the right tool .

Remember occupational safety also when photographing

It is important to follow occupational safety regulations even when photographing on construction sites. Here are a few tips to improve safety on a construction site (when photographing):

• Always wear appropriate protective equipment: Make sure all workers wear protective equipment, such as a helmet, safety glasses, and steel-toed shoes.
• Watch where you're shooting from: Take all your photos from a location/angle that doesn't put you at risk. Getting the perfect shot doesn't mean climbing on the top of a ladder or doing anything else that could put you at risk. If you have to climb high to take a photo, make sure someone is there to monitor and support the scaffolding, etc.
• Observe your surroundings: Check your surroundings and be aware of potential hazards.
• Construction sites often have heavy and dangerous construction machinery moving around. Be careful not to get caught in the footsteps of large machinery when taking photos.

Applications of image documentation

There are many different applications that can greatly assist with image documentation. Many applications are focused on broader reporting and can be heavy-handed in terms of image capture. There are also lightweight solutions that are easy for field personnel to implement.

• Pictue : Pictue is the industry's easiest-to-use and most cost-effective mobile and web application that automates the entire process from taking pictures and videos to archiving, preserving, and sharing them with stakeholders.

By practicing and using the tips and practices mentioned in this article, you are more likely to succeed in your construction project. Taking, archiving, sharing, and documenting photos and videos is an important part of managing all construction projects, progress, and potential “aftercare.”