Photo documentation standards for claims

A reviewer who was never on the roof has to reconstruct the loss from your photos alone. These standards exist so a damage file is reviewable the first time, with no second site visit.

The sequence

• Address marker or house number first. It anchors the whole set.
• All four elevations, full frame, before any close ups.
• For each damaged area: wide, then medium, then close.
• Overview of each roof slope before its test square.

Framing rules

Wide shots show the whole elevation or slope with corners visible. Medium shots show the damaged component in context. Close ups fill the frame with the damage itself, in focus. Never submit a close up that cannot be located in one of your wider shots.

Lighting and scale

Shoot with the sun behind you where possible and avoid deep shadow across the damage. Every close up needs a scale reference: tape measure, chalk grid, or a coin. Chalk outlines on test squares and impact points survive glare far better than arrows added later.

File naming

Use the pattern address_area_sequence, for example 114-elm_roof-north_03.jpg. Lowercase, hyphens inside parts, underscores between parts, numbered in shooting order so the file list reads like the walkthrough.

Upload the same day

Context fades fast. Upload originals the day of the visit, attached to the matching claim phase. Never edit beyond rotation and cropping.