Most photographs of loft evidence are unusable: a bright blur of insulation with a dark shape somewhere in it, no sense of scale and no idea which way is which.
A few simple habits fix all of that, and a good set of photographs genuinely shortens the job.
The four rules
- Light from the side, not the front. Hold the torch away from the camera so the beam rakes across the surface. Raking light shows tracks, hollows, droppings and gnaw marks. Light from beside the lens flattens everything into nothing
- Put something in for scale. A coin, a pen, a tape. Without it a dropping could be a mouse's or a rat's and a gnaw mark tells nobody anything
- Take a wide one as well as a close one. The close-up shows what it is; the wide shot shows where it is. Both are needed
- Note which way you are facing. ‘From the hatch looking towards the front of the house’ turns a picture into a location
What to photograph inside
- Any daylight showing at the roof edge — hardest to photograph and most valuable
- The insulation surface, raked, in each direction from the hatch
- Droppings, with a coin for scale
- Nesting material and any bowl in the insulation
- Gnaw marks on timber, with scale
- Visible cable runs along the joists
- Tanks, pipe lagging and anything displaced
What to photograph outside
- Each elevation whole, from far enough back to see the roof line
- Every corner where the eaves turns onto a gable
- Both ends of the ridge
- Any junction where a lower roof meets a wall — best from an upstairs window above it
- Anything that looks marked, worn or out of line, at full zoom
- The matching detail at the other end of the house, for comparison
- Debris where it has landed, before you clear it
- The trees, fences and cables that reach the roof
The comparison shot is the most underrated. Photographing a suspicious eaves corner and then the identical corner at the other end of the house turns ‘that looks a bit odd’ into evidence.
Keeping them
One folder per year, on a phone. It costs nothing and it makes the annual roof check meaningful — almost everything that matters in this subject is change over time, and memory is poor at that. It also gives a record of the condition of the roof before any work, which is worth having if there is ever an insurance conversation.
Video, where it helps
A phone on an extendable pole, in video mode, walked slowly along the wall, gives a complete record of a gutter line and eaves that can be paused and studied afterwards. It is the safest way to inspect a roof edge properly and it beats a ladder in every respect that matters.
Questions
Phone or camera?
A phone is fine. How you light it matters far more than what you shoot it with.
How do I photograph daylight showing at the eaves?
Turn the torch off and let your eyes adjust first. Then a still shot with the phone braced — it needs a long exposure and any movement blurs it.
Should I send them in advance?
Have them to hand for the call. Being able to describe what they show is usually enough to shape the visit.
Squirrel Control Diss
Squirrel control in Diss is £280 fixed cost. Proofing work, where it is needed afterwards, is £180. Call 01502 630 122 and tell us what you have heard or seen.
For squirrel control in Diss, call 01502 630 122, or read the Diss squirrel control page.