If you're a contractor, painter, cleaner, or any service business that transforms spaces, your project photos carry a lot of weight. They show up on your website, your Google Business Profile, and your social media. When potential customers are deciding whether to call you or the next company in the search results, those photos often tip the scale.
The challenge is that most project photos don't get taken the right way. The "before" shot happens after the crew has already started tearing things out. The "after" shot gets taken when cabinet doors are still off, or outlet covers haven't been installed. Or the two photos are shot from completely different angles, so the transformation doesn't land the way it should.
This guide covers how to get project photos right. It's written for whoever is holding the phone on the job site, whether that's you, someone on your crew, or a contractor you're working with.
Start With Good "After" Photos
If you can only do one thing consistently, make it this: take several photos after the project is fully complete. Not almost complete. Fully finished and ready for the homeowner to use.
That means all trim is installed. Outlet covers and switch plates are on the wall. Cabinet doors are hung with hardware attached. Protective plastic and painter's tape have been removed. Tools and materials are removed from the frame. Surfaces are wiped down.
A photo of beautiful tile work with blue painter's tape still visible probably won't make it onto your website. Neither will a kitchen remodel shot where the drawer pulls haven't been installed. These details matter because they're the first thing a potential customer will notice.
Before you shoot, walk through the space and look for anything that signals the job isn't finished. If a homeowner walked in and saw it, would they think the project was complete? If not, fix those things first.
Why "Before" Photos Matter
Before photos establish contrast. Without them, your audience can't see the transformation. A nice-looking bathroom is just a nice-looking bathroom. A nice-looking bathroom, compared to the dated, cramped space it used to be, tells a story potential customers can picture happening in their own home.
Take "before" photos on the first day of the project, before any work begins. Not after the demo. Not once are materials scattered around.
The space should look the way the homeowner has been living with it. Dated fixtures, worn flooring, cramped layouts. That context is what makes the "after" photo impressive.
If you're walking into a job and the demo has already started, you've missed the window for a useful before photo. A half-demolished room doesn't help your marketing. At that point, focus your energy on getting strong "after" shots instead.
There's another benefit to taking photos before work begins: documentation. If a client later points out a crack in the wall or a stain on the floor that was there before you started, photos with timestamps can protect you. It happens more often than you'd think, not because clients are dishonest, but because they start paying attention to areas they'd ignored for years.
Match Your Angles
When someone looks at a before-and-after pair, the photos should line up. Same room. Same vantage point. Same general framing.
For bathroom remodels, shoot from the doorway looking in. For kitchens, find a corner that shows the most cabinetry and counter space. For exterior work, shoot from the street or sidewalk at the same distance.
If the before photo is taken from the left side of the room and the after is taken from the right, your viewer has to mentally reconstruct the space. That extra effort weakens the impact of the transformation.
One trick that works well: put a small piece of tape on the floor to mark where you stood for the before shot. When you come back weeks later to shoot the after, stand in the same spot. Some contractors use a feature of the room as a reference point instead, like the edge of a wood floor or the corner where two walls meet.
Small Repairs Need Matching Photos Too
For quick jobs like replacing a deadbolt, patching drywall, or swapping out a light fixture, the before and after photos need to be nearly identical except for the repair itself.
Same angle. Same distance. Same orientation. If it's a door, it should be open or closed the same amount in both shots. Otherwise, the comparison doesn't register.
These photos are easy to overlook because the job feels small. But a clean before-and-after of a simple repair can be just as useful on your website as a full kitchen remodel. It shows potential customers that you handle the small stuff with the same care as the big projects.
Lighting Makes the Difference
Natural light almost always looks better than artificial light in photos. Overhead lights and lamps cast yellow tones and create harsh shadows that can make even great work look flat.
If you're shooting a room with windows, take the photo during the day with the interior lights off. Let the daylight do the work. Overcast days are ideal because the light is soft and even, without harsh shadows or bright spots.
For exterior shots, early morning or late afternoon light tends to be more flattering than midday sun. Direct overhead sunlight creates strong shadows that can hide details or make surfaces look washed out.
If you're shooting at night or in a room without windows, turn on all the lights and take a few test shots. Check that the colors look accurate and the space is evenly lit. You may need to adjust your phone's exposure by tapping on different parts of the screen.
One common issue: windows that look like blown-out white rectangles in your photos. This happens when the camera tries to balance the bright outdoor light with the darker interior. Shooting from an angle rather than straight-on at the window can help.
Keep Your Lines Straight
Walls, door frames, and cabinet edges should look vertical in your photos. When they're slightly tilted, the whole image feels off, even if the viewer can't pinpoint why.
Turn on the grid feature in your phone's camera app. It overlays a 3×3 grid on your screen that helps you keep horizontal and vertical lines aligned. Line up the edge of a wall or doorframe with one of the grid lines before you take the shot.
Another tip: shoot from a lower position than you might naturally choose. Standing height often creates a slightly downward angle that makes furniture look squat and rooms feel smaller. Holding your phone around chest height, roughly 40 inches from the floor, tends to produce more natural-looking interior shots.
What to Capture
For most projects, you want a mix of wide shots and detail shots.
Wide shots show the full space and give context. These are the photos that help potential customers imagine the scope of the project.
Detail shots highlight specific features: tile patterns, hardware, and custom trim. These show the quality of your work up close.
A basic shot list might include:
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One wide shot showing the full space
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One or two detail shots of standout features
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One context shot showing how the space connects to the rest of the home or building
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For exterior work, one shot from the street showing the full view
Before You Leave the Job Site
Do a final walkthrough with your phone in hand. Look at each photo you just took.
Does the "after" photo show a finished project, or are there signs that work is still in progress?
Can you match this angle with your "before" shot from day one?
Is there anything in the frame that shouldn't be there? Tools, trash, work vehicles, people who happened to walk through?
If you're not sure a photo is good enough, take a few more from different angles. Storage is free, or close to it. Going back to a job site because you missed a shot isn't.
What to Do With Your Photos
Once you have strong project photos, put them to work.
Add them to your website's portfolio or project gallery. Post them on your Google Business Profile. Share them on social media with a short description of the work. Include them in proposals when you're bidding on similar jobs.
Good project photos build trust before a potential customer ever picks up the phone. They show the quality of your work, your attention to detail, and the types of projects you handle. A website full of strong before-and-after photos ranks better in search results, converts more visitors into leads, and gives people confidence that you'll do the job right.
Need help turning your project photos into a website that ranks? Garrett Digital builds websites for contractors and service businesses that get found in search. Get in touch.