Having an updated inventory of your house is important. For example in case of disaster or burglary insurance claims are much easier when you can write down exactly what was in the house and also provide visual proof for that list.
Taking inventory photos of your house using the power and shoot camera for example is easy if you follow a few simple steps. The first thing to do is to write down the list of what is in your house and what you would like to take digital photos of. If you have a lot of stuff in your house you should also figure our a way to catalog the photos. You can for example sort the photos by the object alphabetic order or you could sort them by the room where the objects are. Another option is to sort them by object type, for example photos of all your books, all tables, all clothes and so on.
The next step would be to use your power and shoot camera to take the inventory photos. There are basic rules you should follow when taking those photos in order to achieve a better catalog.
As always the simplest and most basic rule to follow is just basic good digital photography rule. Make sure that the lighting is good and the composition is good. Inventory photos are most likely indoor photos as lighting might be limited. It is always better to try and get natural daylight by for example opening windows. If not possible use flash when needed or slow photography by positioning the power and shoot camera on a tripod.
Inventory photos are intended to document and emphasize specific objects. As such the background on which the objects photos are taken should be simple. The background should also have good contrast against the object. For example do not use a white background to take photos of white objects and do not use noisy and busy backgrounds at all.
Try to take photos of objects in their original place. This is especially important for future insurance claims as those photos look more authentic. If you have to move an object in order to take its photo then try to take two photos one of the misplaced object and one of the place where the object is usually placed.
If some objects are unique or have special details that are important then take zoom photos of those details. Remember that digital photos are literally free if you feel you need a few objects to document one objects then take and store those photos. For example when taking a photo of your television always take another photo that zooms into the sticker on the television detailing the exact television model.
Taking digital photos of some objects is not obvious. For example if you have receipts of products that you bought take photos of those receipts. Use good photography practices and zoom into the receipt. Having this photo next to the product photo will provide valuable information when needed in the future.
And last but not least always backup the inventory photos. It is better to have an extra copy of those photos outside of your home after all if there is a disaster you would not want to lose those photos too which might happen if they are placed in your house. Give a CD with a copy of your photos to a friend or someone else that you trust.
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