Six hundred photos, all on one phone
The project architect visits site every week or two. Each visit, they take dozens of photos: the foundations before backfilling, the steel before it is boxed in, the insulation before plasterboard, the DPC detail, a problem with the window reveals. They mean to move them to the project folder. Some get emailed to themselves; most stay on the phone, mixed in with photos from other projects and family life.
Months later there is a question from the client about whether the insulation was installed properly behind a wall. The photos exist, somewhere, on a phone belonging to someone who has since left.
Why photos never reach the file
Moving photos from a phone to a project folder takes several steps, and there is no good moment to do it. On site, hands are full. Back at the office, there is other work. Photos from different visits and projects blur together. And naming them meaningfully is tedious, so even those that are filed are called IMG_4023.
- Photos are taken on personal phones and stay there.
- Filing them to the right project takes several manual steps.
- File names and dates carry no meaning for anyone else.
- There is no note of what each photo shows or why it was taken.
- Photos leave with the person who took them.
What lost site photos cost
Photos of hidden work are often the only evidence of what was built, which matters when questions come up later about workmanship or compliance. Site reports take longer when photos have to be found. And the practice loses a record of its own work, including images that could be useful for portfolio or future detailing.
Photos filed as they are taken
- Staff use a simple phone app or web page to upload photos, singly or in batches, straight from the camera roll or while on site.
- Each photo is matched to a project using its location and the project's site address, with the architect confirming the match.
- The architect can add a short note by typing or speaking, such as 'insulation to rear wall before boarding', and pick tags from a short list, such as foundations, structure, envelope, services and defects.
- Photos are stored in the project record with date, location and notes, and original files are kept.
- Photos can be pulled straight into a site visit report template, grouped by date and tag.
- Search finds photos across projects by tag, date or note, such as all 'cavity closer' photos from last year.
- Photos marked as good portfolio candidates can be flagged for your marketing folder.
Access and storage follow your own policies. Photos of people or neighbouring property can be marked for internal use only.
Where photos end up
| Use | Today | With filed photos |
|---|---|---|
| Site visit report | Hunt through phone | Photos from that visit, ready to insert |
| Question about hidden work | Hope someone kept them | Search by project, date and tag |
| Detailing reference | Not available | Search across projects |
| Portfolio | Rarely used | Flagged candidates ready |
A project record with pictures
Every site visit leaves a trail of dated, located, annotated photos in the project record. Site reports are quicker to write. When a question about hidden work comes up, the evidence is there. And when someone leaves, their photos stay with the practice.
Are your site photos like this?
- Site photos stay on individual phones.
- Filed photos are called IMG_ followed by a number.
- You have needed a photo of hidden work and could not find one.
- Writing a site report means scrolling through a camera roll.