A good before-and-after pair does more selling than a paragraph of copy. A bad one does the opposite. If the “before” is a wide shot in morning shade and the “after” is a close-up in full sun from the other side of the yard, the viewer can’t compare anything. They just see two photos.
Our in-house photographers give tradies the same advice every time: the difference between the two photos should be the work, and nothing else. Same spot, same height, same direction, same lens, similar light. Everything below is about making that happen on a phone, on a job site, with dirty hands.
Before you start the job
The before photo is the one people forget. You arrive, you’re keen to get going, and by the time you remember, the old tiles are already in the skip. So make it a rule: no tools out until the before photos are done. It takes two minutes.
Pick your spot
Stand where a customer would naturally see the finished result. For a bathroom, that’s usually the doorway. For a deck or driveway, it’s often from the house looking out or from the street looking in. For a switchboard or hot water unit, it’s straight on, about a metre back.
Then mark it. Note a reference point: “standing on the second paver from the back step” or “in the doorway, back against the left frame”. Some tradies drop a pin or take a quick photo of where their feet are. On longer jobs, a bit of tape on the floor works.
Set up the phone
A few settings make a big difference:
- Turn on the grid. Both iPhone and Android camera apps have a gridlines option in settings. Line up a doorframe, fence or horizon with a grid line and your pairs will match far more easily.
- Use the standard 1x lens. The ultra-wide (0.5x) lens is tempting in tight spaces like bathrooms, but it bends straight lines and makes rooms look odd. If you must use it, use it for both photos.
- Hold the phone at chest height and level. Not tilted down from head height. Tilted shots make walls lean.
- Shoot landscape for websites, portrait for social stories. If you’re not sure, take both. It costs you five seconds.
- Wipe the lens. A greasy lens is behind most hazy tradie photos. Your shirt will do.
Take more than you need
Take the wide shot from your marked spot, then two or three details: the cracked tile, the rusted gutter, the scorched powerpoint. Details are what make the after shot satisfying.
After the job
Go back to the exact spot. Open the before photo on your phone and hold it up next to the live camera if you need to. Match the framing: where the doorframe sits in the grid, where the floor meets the bottom of the frame.
Light
Light is what usually ruins a pair. Harsh midday sun makes deep shadows and blown-out highlights. The before was probably taken at 7am in soft light, so the after taken at 2pm looks completely different.
You can’t always control timing on a job, but you can:
- Shoot outdoor work in the same part of the day as the before, if you’re around.
- Shoot on an overcast day if you can. Cloud is the best light for tradie work, because it shows texture without harsh shadows.
- For interiors, turn on the same lights both times, or turn them all off and use daylight both times. Mixed light makes walls look patchy.
- Don’t shoot straight into a window or into the sun. The phone will turn the subject into a silhouette.
Clean up first
Sweep the floor, move the ladder, take the offcuts away and pick up the drink bottle. Nobody wants to see your esky in the hero shot of a new kitchen.
Getting the customer’s permission
These are photos of someone’s home. Ask before you use them, and ask before you take them. A simple line at the start of the job does it:
“Do you mind if I take a few before-and-after photos for our website and social media? No faces, no house numbers, nothing that shows where you live.”
Most people are happy to help, especially if you’ve just done a good job. If they say no, respect it. Note it in the job file so nobody posts them later by accident.
Then keep that promise. Before posting, check every photo for:
- House numbers, street signs and letterboxes.
- Car number plates in the driveway.
- Family photos on the walls or fridge.
- Kids, pets with name tags, or anything personal.
- Mail, documents or screens with names visible.
For a commercial client, check whether they have rules about photographing their site. Many do.
Turning the photos into content
On your website
Each good pair can become a short project post or case study. Two photos, a few sentences on what the problem was and how you fixed it, and the town. “Bathroom renovation in Alstonville. The original 1980s tiles had lifted behind the shower and the waterproofing had failed.” That’s more useful to a reader, and to Google, than another anonymous gallery tile.
Give each image a descriptive file name and alt text before uploading. Google’s own image SEO guidance recommends short descriptive names like bathroom-renovation-alstonville-after.jpg instead of IMG_4471.jpg, and alt text that describes what’s in the photo.
Resize photos before uploading. A photo straight off a modern phone can be several megabytes, and a page full of them crawls on a mobile connection. Around 2000 pixels on the long edge is plenty for most website layouts. If your site is built properly, it will resize automatically, but it’s worth checking.
On social media
Side-by-side images work well in a feed. Instagram carousels (before as the first slide, after as the second) make people swipe, which is the whole point. A short video walking from the before spot to the same view after is even better if you can be bothered.
Write a caption that says what changed and where, in plain words. Then use the same pair on your Google Business Profile.
In your quotes
A pair from a similar job, attached to a quote, shows the customer what they’re paying for. It’s the cheapest sales tool you have.
When to bring in a professional
Phone photos are fine for most before-and-after content. For your hero images (the home page banner, the about page, the big renovation you’re proud of), professional commercial photography is usually worth it. We talk through the trade-offs in website photos: stock, professional or your phone?.
Once you’ve got photos coming in, pair them with reviews from the same jobs. We cover how to ask in getting Google reviews as a tradie.
Print this, stick it in the ute
- No tools out until the before photos are done.
- Mark your spot. Gridlines on. 1x lens. Chest height.
- Wide shot plus two or three details.
- Ask permission. No faces, numbers or plates.
- After: same spot, same framing, similar light, site cleaned up.
- Rename, resize, add alt text, then post.
Project pages built around pairs like these are a big part of our websites for tradies. For a fully custom site with room for proper case studies, start with our web design page.