Organize job site photos with trades and tags
Disorganized photos are silent liabilities. The fix is not more albums. It is a repeatable vocabulary: one job container, a timeline, tags your whole crew will reuse, and captions that read well six months later.
Start with a tiny tag palette
Pick five to eight tags and refuse the rest on the critical path. Examples that work across trades: Before, During, After, Issue, RFI, Completed, Hold. Add one or two company-specific labels only if everyone agrees what they mean.
Layer trade context without clutter
Electricians might tag Panel, Rough-in, Trim-out; plumbers might use DWV, Supply, Fixture test. Keep those as secondary tags so owners still see a coherent story in a generic export.
Quick answers
How should contractors organize job site photos?
Use one folder or job per project, a chronological timeline inside that job, and a small, repeated set of tags (for example Before, Issue, Completed) plus short captions. Consistency matters more than elaborate folder trees.
Should tags be trade-specific?
Add a few trade tags if they help your crew speak plainly. Rough-in, Tile ready, Panel label. But keep the core set universal so PMs and owners can scan exports without learning your internal jargon.
What makes a good photo caption on a job site?
Answer location, what changed, and why it matters in one line when possible. Example: "Hall bath: old valve corroded; replacing with 1/2 PEX drop; shutoff at hall closet." Future-you should understand it without audio.
Job Site Records is designed so tagging does not feel like paperwork.
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