CRS-FG-004 · Field Guide · 2 pages · 5 min
Taking Good Evidence Photos
What the record will accept; what it will dismiss.
Strong evidenceDifficulty · Easy
For: Homeowners · Renters · Neighborhood groups
What the record looks for
A photograph in the record needs to answer three questions: where was it taken, when was it taken, and what is it showing.
How to take one
Start with a wide photograph that shows the parcel and a fixed landmark. Then move closer to the specific subject.
Caption immediately — even one sentence, on paper, ties the photograph to a time and place.
If you only remember five things
- Include something that fixes the location — a sign, a house number.
- Include something that fixes the date — a newspaper, a phone with date visible.
- Wide first, close second.
- Two photographs of the same thing from different angles.
- Caption every photograph immediately.
Before you leave today…
- Capture the wide shot.
- Capture the close shot.
- Write the caption.
- Note the time.