Field Guides

Photo documentation that holds up

Most evidence photos fail for boring, preventable reasons — no scale, no context, no timeline. These guides cover how to shoot damage, condition, and evidence so the file survives a skeptical review.

Written by the team behind EtchImage · Updated July 2026

Insurance & Claims

How to Photograph Water Damage for an Insurance Claim

The shot sequence adjusters actually need — and the timeline problem that catches most people out.

Landlord & Tenant

How to Photograph a Move-In or Move-Out Inspection

A room-by-room condition record both sides can rely on when the deposit is disputed.

Insurance & Claims

How to Document Roof and Storm Damage

What hail, wind, and mechanical damage each look like — and why you probably shouldn't climb up there.

Insurance & Claims

How to Document Mold Growth

Mold is a symptom. Photographing the moisture source behind it is what makes the record useful.

Technical

What EXIF Data Actually Proves (and What It Doesn't)

The timestamp comes from a clock the owner controls. Here's what that means for your evidence.

Technical

Content Credentials Explained

How the C2PA standard binds a signature to pixels — and the things it still cannot tell you.

Technical

How to Tell If a Photo Has Been Altered

A practical inspection order, and an honest account of where visual forensics now falls short.

Field Work

A Photo Documentation System for Job Sites

Pre-existing conditions, covered work, and a filing scheme that still makes sense a year later.

Field Work

Shooting Usable Photos in Crawl Spaces and Bad Light

Why your flash destroys the texture you're trying to show, and what to do instead.

Field Work

How to Photograph a Vehicle Before Shipping or Returning a Rental

The walkaround sequence, and the two frames that end most condition disputes outright.

Disputes

Preparing Photo Evidence for Small Claims Court

Organizing, labeling, and authenticating a set of photos so a judge can actually use them.

Insurance & Claims

How to Build a Home Inventory Your Insurer Will Accept

Serial numbers, appraisals, scheduled items — and why storing it off-site is the whole point.

Insurance & Claims

Insurance Claim Photos: What Adjusters Actually Accept

Cause, extent, and sequence — the three questions a claim file has to answer.

Insurance & Claims

Documenting a Water Leak: the First 30 Minutes Decide the Claim

The evidence dries up while you're fixing it. Here's the order to work in.

Insurance & Claims

Car Accident Scene Photos: a 5-Minute Checklist

A sequence you can follow with shaking hands, before anybody moves a car.

Landlord & Tenant

How to Photo-Document Apartment Condition at Move-In/Move-Out (NYC)

The 45-minute walkthrough, plus the New York deposit law that makes those photos matter.

Landlord & Tenant

Getting Your Security Deposit Back: the Evidence Playbook

Matched move-in and move-out pairs, and what separates wear and tear from damage.

Technical

What Is C2PA? Tamper-Evident Photos, Explained Simply

How to check a photo's credentials in five minutes — and where the standard still falls short.

Field Work

Before/After Job Photos That Hold Up in a Dispute

Matching angles, covered work, and the filing habit that survives a real jobsite.

Field Work

The Building Super's Guide to Daily Photo Documentation

A ten-minute daily routine — because the repair you did six months ago only counts if you can prove it.

Field Work

A Complete Documentation Camera Kit

Light, scale, measurement, and proof — the four things a phone alone doesn't give you.

Disputes

Do Timestamped Photos Hold Up? What Courts and Insurers Look For

The burned-in date is just pixels. Here's what actually carries weight at a hearing.

Disputes

Proof Photos for eBay/Poshmark Sellers That Cut Chargebacks

A four-minute pre-ship habit that defeats return-swaps and "not as described" claims.

Disputes

Package Arrived Damaged? Photos That Win the Refund

What to shoot before you throw the box out, and which of the three claim doors to knock on.