Why Photos Matter
Visual evidence serves purposes numbers can't.
Proving Stability
Five years of identical photos is proof. Not just my feeling that nothing changed. Actual visual evidence that the crack in December 2024 looks exactly like the crack in December 2019. I can put them side by side and see with my own eyes.
This proof is peace of mind. When I start worrying, I look at my photos. The worry goes away.
Catching Change
If something were changing, photos would catch it. Gary's photos over three months showed obvious progression. The crack was visibly wider in the August photo than the May photo. His eyes hadn't seen the gradual change. The photos made it undeniable.
Evidence for Professionals
When I had an engineer evaluate my foundation, I showed him my photo archive. He spent maybe five minutes flipping through dated images. Then he said, "These haven't moved." The photos told him more than any single inspection could.
Insurance Documentation
If I ever need to file a claim or dispute damage responsibility, dated photos are evidence. They prove when something appeared or changed. My friend had a claim denied because he couldn't prove when damage occurred. I won't have that problem.
How I Take Photos
Consistency matters more than camera quality.
Same Angle Every Time
I take each crack photo from the same position. There's a floor tile I stand on for my east wall crack. The photos look nearly identical year after year because I'm standing in the same spot, holding the phone the same way.
Different angles make comparison hard. A crack can look different from different positions without anything actually changing. Same angle, same lighting, same distance. That's how you get comparable photos.
Always Include Scale
Every photo has a ruler in frame. I keep a small metal ruler with my inspection kit. Hold it next to the crack in every shot. Without scale, photos are useless for judging size. You can't tell if a crack is 1/8 inch or 1/2 inch without something for reference.
Good Lighting
My basement is dark. I use my bright flashlight to illuminate the crack. Consistent lighting between photos matters. A crack looks different in dim light versus bright light. I try to light each crack the same way each time.
Raking light from the side makes cracks more visible. The shadows emphasize the crack depth and edges.
Multiple Views
I take a close-up of the crack and a wider shot showing context. The close-up shows detail. The wide shot shows where on the wall the crack is, so I remember what I was looking at.
Organizing My Photos
Photos you can't find are useless.
Folder Structure
I have a folder called "Foundation Photos" with subfolders by year. 2019, 2020, 2021, and so on. Within each year, I create a folder for each inspection date. 2024-04 for April 2024, 2024-10 for October.
Simple structure. Easy to navigate. When I want to compare this October to last October, I know exactly where to look.
File Naming
Each photo gets a name with date and location. "2024-10-15-east-wall-crack1.jpg" tells me exactly when and what. I can sort alphabetically and see all photos of the same crack in sequence.
Backup Strategy
These photos live on my computer and in cloud storage. If my laptop dies, the photos survive. If I accidentally delete something, it's backed up. I'm not taking any chances with five years of documentation.
Cross-Reference with Notes
My measurement notebook lists which photos correspond to which measurements. "Crack 1, 1/8 inch, see photo east-wall-crack1-2024-10." Links the numbers to the visuals. Either one alone is useful. Together they're bulletproof.
Comparing Photos Over Time
The whole point is comparison.
Side by Side
I open photos from two different dates in separate windows and put them next to each other on screen. Same crack, years apart. Looking for any difference. My cracks look identical. That's the answer I want.
The Overlay Method
For really precise comparison, I've layered photos in image editing software and switched back and forth between them. Any movement would show as the crack "jumping" between positions. My cracks don't jump. They're in exactly the same place.
Focus on the Ruler
When comparing, I first check that the ruler is the same size in both photos. If it's the same size, I took both photos from similar distances. If it's different, I need to account for that when judging whether the crack changed.
Season to Season
I compare April to April, October to October. Same season, year over year. Eliminates seasonal variation as a confusing factor. My October 2024 photos match my October 2019 photos almost perfectly.
What Gary's Photos Showed
His documentation told a different story than mine.
May Baseline
We started documenting Gary's horizontal crack in May. Close-up with ruler showing about 3/16 inch width. Wide shot showing position on wall. Standard baseline photos.
July Check
Two months later, side by side comparison. The crack was clearly wider. Maybe a quarter inch. The ruler made it obvious. And the photos showed more water staining around the crack. The wall was getting wetter.
August Decision
Another month, another set of photos. The progression was undeniable. Gary could see it in the images even though he hadn't noticed it walking past every day. The gradual change was invisible to his daily eyes. The photos caught it.
Photos Made the Call
Gary used those photos when he called the structural engineer. Showed him the May-July-August progression. The engineer said that kind of documentation was exactly what he needed to understand the timeline. Three months of photos told the whole story.
What to Photograph
Beyond cracks, other things matter.
Every Crack I Monitor
Each crack in my tracking system gets photographed at each inspection. Four cracks, four photo sets, twice a year. That's the core documentation.
Water Staining
Any water stains, efflorescence, or moisture marks get photographed. These can change over time. I have photos of the efflorescence on my east wall from five years ago. Still looks the same today. No new water is moving through.
Before and After Repairs
When I sealed one of my cracks, I photographed before, during, and after. Now I can verify the repair is holding. Three years later, it still looks exactly like the "after" photo. The seal is intact.
Suspicious Areas
Anything that concerns me gets photographed even if it's not part of my regular monitoring. A funny-looking spot I want to watch. A stain I don't remember. Photograph it, date it, check back next time.
When Photos Might Save Money
Documentation pays for itself.
Contractor Disputes
If a contractor says something got worse after their work, photos prove whether that's true. If a seller says damage was disclosed, photos prove condition at purchase time. Documentation is evidence.
Real Estate Transactions
When I sell this house, I can show buyers five years of stable photos. That's proof the foundation isn't actively failing. Better than just saying "the cracks are old." I can prove they're stable.
Avoiding Unnecessary Repair
If someone tries to tell me my cracks need fixing, I can pull up five years of identical photos. Proof of stability. I don't need to repair something that isn't moving. The photos protect me from overeager contractors.