Your phone is modern claims handling's best friend – if you know what to photograph. A good picture set heads off disputes and saves weeks; a bad one (three blurry close-ups) is worth almost nothing. Here are the ten shots every claim needs – in order, with the reasoning.
- The rule of three: wide shot → mid shot → close-up – all three for every piece of damage.
- Photos are worth far more with context: the plate in the same frame as the damage, the surroundings, the road conditions.
- Photograph the documents too: the report form, the other party's registration, the Green Card – paper can get lost, a photo stays.
Shots 1–4: the whole scene
- ☐ 1. Wide shot from the front: both vehicles in one frame, their position visible
- ☐ 2. Wide shot from behind: the same, from the other direction
- ☐ 3. Wide shot from the side: documenting the angle of impact
- ☐ 4. Surroundings: road surface, signs, traffic lights, visibility – anything that helps reconstruct the situation
Wide shots are the most valuable and the most often forgotten: a close-up of the damage alone doesn't show how things happened. If the vehicles need to be moved for traffic reasons, get THESE shots first.
Shots 5–7: the damage
- ☐ 5. Mid-range shot of every piece of damage: the damaged part and its surroundings – with the plate in frame if possible
- ☐ 6. Close-up of every piece of damage: the details of the damage
- ☐ 7. The other vehicle's damage: the same – mid-range + close-up
The plate-in-frame trick heads off identification disputes: there's no question which photo belongs to which car. At night, use the flash and take duplicate shots – of one good and one bad photo, the good one is what stays useful.
Shots 8–10: marks and documents
- ☐ 8. Marks: brake marks, debris, fluid stains, mud splashes – evidence of how it unfolded
- ☐ 9. Documents: the completed, signed report, the other party's registration and insurance details
- ☐ 10. Extra context: a witness's business card, a wider view of the scene, cameras nearby
Handling the photos after the scene
Three rules. First: don't pick and choose, don't delete – even a "pointless" photo can turn out to be evidence, and storage is cheap. Second: back them up the same day (cloud, email to yourself) – phones get lost. Third: submit the photos in an organised way when you file the claim – with dates and short captions ("front-left wing, close-up"), as shown in the document list. A well-organised photo set speeds up the loss adjuster's work too – and what's fast for the adjuster is fast for you as well.
Practice in peacetime: the two-minute trial run
It's worth rehearsing the photo routine once in peacetime: pull into a car park and shoot the full 10-photo set of your own car – wide shots, mid shots, close-ups, "marks" (here: the surroundings), documents. You'll notice two things: the set takes about two minutes, and a few shots come out wrong the first time (reflections, shadows, camera shake) – which is exactly why the trial run is worth it. Bonus benefit: a documented photo set of your car's current condition is valuable in itself – a reference point in a dispute ("was that scratch there before?"). Do a fresh round once a year alongside your renewal routine, and your phone always holds an honest record of your vehicle's condition. Two minutes of play in peacetime – weeks saved in a real situation.
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