What to photograph
- Finished jobs, clean and well lit, from a few angles
- Before and after pairs, taken from the same spot
- Close-ups of neat detail, such as pipework, wiring, joints or finishes
- You at work, or your van with your name on it, so customers know who is turning up
- A few shots of the more unusual jobs, because they get the more unusual enquiries
How to take good photos on a phone
- Wipe the lens first. It is the most common reason photos look dull
- Use daylight where you can, and turn on any lights in the room
- Tidy the scene: put away tools, bin bags and cables
- Hold the phone level and take landscape photos for the website
- Take two or three of each job and keep the best
Permission and privacy
Photos of a customer's home are their personal space. Ask before you take or use photos of their property, avoid showing house numbers, street names, faces or valuables, and delete a photo if they ask you to. If a photo shows another firm's work, do not use it as yours.
Do not use someone else's photos
Photos copied from other websites or from stock libraries that are not yours can mislead customers and may breach copyright. If you must use a stock photo, say so in the caption and keep it to generic images such as a toolkit. Your own work should show your own results.
A shot list by trade
| Trade | Photos worth taking |
|---|---|
| Plumber | A finished bathroom, neat pipework, a new boiler install, a repaired leak area (after) |
| Electrician | A tidy consumer unit with labelled circuits, neat cable runs, new lighting, an EV charger |
| Builder | An extension from the outside, a finished kitchen, a loft conversion, before and after pairs |
| Roofer | A finished roof from the ground, repaired flashing or lead work, new guttering |
| Decorator | A finished living room, crisp woodwork, a painted exterior, wallpaper alignment |
| Landscaper or gardener | A finished patio, a tidy lawn, a planted border, the same garden in different seasons |
| Locksmith | A new lock fitted, a secured door, you at work with your van in the background |
Quick edits that make a difference
- Crop to remove clutter at the edges
- Straighten the horizon or door frames
- Brighten slightly if the photo is dark, but do not overdo it
- Keep a natural look. Heavy filters make the work look fake
Size and format
Phone photos are very large. For a website, resize them to about 1,600 pixels on the longest side, and save them as JPEG or WebP at a sensible quality. Smaller files make the site load faster, which matters on mobile. Most website builders and anyone building your site can do this for you, so send the originals and let them resize.
Asking permission
A short message is enough. Something like: Hi, I'm really pleased with how the job turned out. Would you mind if I used a couple of photos of the finished work, without your address or any people in them, on my website? Keep their reply, and respect a no.
Photos for your Google profile too
The same photos can be reused on your Google Business Profile. Add them regularly, mix finished work with you and your van, and avoid text overlays and heavy filters. Google can remove photos that break its content rules.
Getting them ready for the website
- Send the originals to whoever builds your site. Large phone photos are fine, they can be resized
- Name them clearly, such as bathroom-refit-leeds.jpg
- Write a short caption for each: what the job was and where, in general terms
- Aim for around 12 good photos to start. You can add more later
Alt text
Each image can have a short description, called alt text, for people using screen readers and for search engines. A good one says what the photo shows, for example: new white bathroom suite with walk-in shower.
Common questions
How many photos do I need?
About twelve good ones is a strong start. Quality beats quantity.
Can I use stock photos?
Sparingly, and not for your own work. A generic stock photo of a toolbox is fine. A stock photo of a finished bathroom that you did not fit is misleading.
Do I need a professional photographer?
No. A clean lens, daylight and a tidy scene give good results on a modern phone.
What should I never photograph?
House numbers, street names, people's faces and valuables, unless you have clear permission.
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