Calico Construction Products

As a concrete contractor you’re experienced with taking your customer’s requests and your vision to make your project look great. As with many projects, the work doesn’t end when the job does. Are you taking photos of your competed projects? Photos are such a vital tool in promoting your business. Whether using them in a portfolio on your website or sharing to social media, customers love to see what you can do. But any quick snap won’t do the trick. You need to take a photo that fully illustrates your skills and expertise. Here are our top 5 tips for contractor photography.

Tip #1: Keep it clean

Let’s start with the most important one! When you’re taking a shot of a finished project, make sure the area (anything that will be in the photo) is tidy and organized. If you’ll be using a photo editing program (more on that below) you can certainly plan on cropping out any mess that might be along the edges of the project. But it’s better to save the cropping for anything that you can’t remove – think of a border that hasn’t been landscaped or a gravel walkway that hasn’t been paved yet – and set your scene first by removing anything that could detract from your beautiful work. This could be buckets, tools, dumpsters, and vehicles. Staging your shot will make the finished photo look professional.

Tip #2: Think about dimensions & sizes

When it comes to social media and portfolio pics, it’s a good idea to take horizontal photos. This way you can include more of your work in the frame. This also makes it easier to crop out anything you don’t want to include.

While you’re at it, think about the size and shape of the photo you’ll be sharing. If you’re emailing your photos to an employee or marketing agency, the file will likely be a large one. That’s ok! If you try to compress the size before sharing it, it will be harder for them to work with it. You can make large files smaller but you can’t make small files larger! In general, we recommend cropping the photo first and ideally, cropping it into a square. Then you can reduce the size to one that fits social media and websites. A 1200 x 1200 square pixel will usually work well in both cases. You can also use this size for Facebook and Instagram.

Tip #3: Use good lighting

This one may seem obvious but it’s really important. The best photos are well-lit with natural light. Noon might provide the brightest light, but you should also consider morning or late afternoon for the best colors and shadows. You might not always have a lot of time to devote to getting the best light. That’s understandable, and where basic photo editing software can help. Using a filter or adjusting brightness and contrast can help your photo really pop, even if the light is poor. However, stop yourself from going overboard! You don’t want to filter your photo into something unrecognizable. For prospective clients, you want to make sure your photos are representing your true work and your colors are accurate.

Tip #4: Edit your photos

As we mentioned above, photo editing can be super useful since it makes it a cinch to crop, filter, and resize. If you have a design program for your business, like Adobe Photoshop, you’re already well-positioned to edit photos. If don’t use this kind of software but you think it would be helpful, consider using a free software like Gimp or Canva. These programs can amp up your design game, especially if you want to create images using your logo or extra text.

But don’t overthink it. If you just need to do the basics, look at what might already be installed on your computer. You likely already have a free program that can get the job done. Even most mobile devices have an editing option that can suffice!

Tip #5: Keep your eyes open for other photo ops!

Once you get in the habit of taking photos, be open to other opportunities that could help your marketing efforts. Consider doing before-and-afters, progress shots, staff pics, or behind-the-scenes. These are great ways to strengthen your brand, personalize your company, and showcase your expertise.

Enter Calico Construction Product’s 2021 Photo Contest!

There is still time to enter our 2021 Photo Contest! We’re accepting entries until 9/30. Read how to enter for your chance to win a $150 gift card to our online store.