Photography Tips

Clear, good quality photography is an absolute must for any UK Roofing Award entry. The images that you select are used by the judges to get a better understanding of the project (such as scale and workmanship). They are also used as a means to back up the written aspect of the entry, so if you talk about the vast scale of the ;project then consider including an aerial shot.

Below are a number of other good and bad examples of photography:

1. Take photographs throughout the project, not just on completion

By taking photographs throughout the entirety of a project you stand a better chance that you have a good range of photographs to select from. A good set of photographs includes one or two long shots of the finished roof, a few works in progress and a few mid-range ones of finished or partly finished details.

2. Clear Shots

Steer clear of any images where the project is obscured by trees, buildings etc.

Cathedral is too obscured by trees.

Good clear aerial shot of the roof gives a better understanding of the size of the project, location and aesthetics.

3. Include images that show work in progress.

These help the judges get a better understanding of how the roof/ certain elements were constructed.

A close up detail of work in progress.

4. Visible PPE

Your images will likely show people working on site, it is absolutely essential that the correct PPE is shown i.e. hard hats, high-visibility clothing etc.

Visible PPE as well as a clear shot of detailing in progress.

5. Close up shots of finished detailing

Judges like to be able to zoom in to check for neatness of workmanship and to see any difficult or unusual details.

6. Camera Phones

Since they were first introduced back in 2000, camera phones have come along way, and in some instances have been known out perform even the best digital camera. One of the best things about camera phones is the fact that nearly everyone has one, so why not encourage site operatives to take (safely) photographs of their work throughout the project.

7. Send High Resolution

Always submit the highest resolution version of the photographs you have, as that will allow the judges to 'zoom in' and look to consider specific details. The minimum resolution that we will normally consider is 3000 x 2000 pixels. Also don't apply too much compression to the image, the JPEG quality should be set to high or maximum. Typically a good image will have a filesize of at least 2 MB, if the filesize is less than ~750 kB then it is unlikely to be good enough for the judges to fairly review.

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