# What should you photograph at the clearing walkthrough?

> Document clearing at handoff with matched viewpoints, boundary photos and a record of exceptions. Give the next contractor a clear account of what remains.

URL: https://canebrakeleaguecitylandclearing.com/blog/document-clearing-finish/

Take wide views from repeatable positions and then close views of exceptions. Photograph the entrance, released boundary, retained vegetation, remaining stumps and the destination of larger material. Each frame should answer a question about the agreed scope or help the next contractor locate a decision.

## Start with the same viewpoint

Before work begins, pick a gatepost, corner or other stable feature from which to take the first wide view. Record the direction. At walkthrough, return to that position when access is released. Matching photographs make it easier to see an intended screen, the usable opening and any pile that still needs collection.

## Give an exception a location

A close photograph of a root ball or an untreated patch rarely tells the next contractor how to find it. Take a wide view first and annotate a copy of the current drawing with the location. Add a close view and a short description of why the item remains, who decides its treatment and whether it affects the next phase.

## Record what a picture cannot establish

Photos document visible conditions. Ask the responsible professional for any measurements, tests, approvals or acceptance documents needed for later construction. Keep those separate from the walkthrough photos and written scope. That gives the next person a clear record of what was observed, what was accepted and what remains to be decided.

## Document the finish the owner agreed to buy

For a mulched area, take a wide view of the opening and a closer view of the surface from a safe position. Note whether larger pieces or stumps were meant to remain. For a grubbed footprint, locate the extracted material and record who is responsible for the disturbed ground. A photograph of a clean-looking surface cannot establish what will support a future driveway or slab.

At a fence, include the gate and the section a repair contractor needs to reach. At a retained screen, photograph the view from the house or road that the owner wanted to preserve. These are different completion tests. One attractive picture of the open center is unlikely to answer both.

## Use a short exception record

Give each remaining item a location, a description, a reason and a next action. For example: “Stump beside the inside gatepost retained pending private-line information. Owner to arrange locating. Builder to confirm whether the driveway alignment still conflicts.” Include a photo showing the gatepost and stump together, then a closer view if useful.

Distinguish a deliberate retention from a change request. If the owner originally agreed to keep chips and later wants them hauled, record the new handling request separately. If an agreed pile still blocks the loading area, record what remains under the original scope. The distinction helps everyone understand what needs a new price and what needs completion.

## Give the next person a usable set

Send the current drawing, the short exception list and a small set of labeled photos to the person receiving the ground. Use filenames tied to a location, such as “east gate looking into lot,” rather than relying on the order in a phone album. Keep the originals. Ask the receiving contractor whether any measurements, tests or inspections are still required before their work can begin.

## Related reading

[Clearing Debris Removal](https://canebrakeleaguecitylandclearing.com/clearing-debris-removal/)

[Prepare property for land clearing](https://canebrakeleaguecitylandclearing.com/guide/prepare-for-clearing/)

[Compare land clearing quotes](https://canebrakeleaguecitylandclearing.com/guide/compare-clearing-quotes/)

[Forestry Mulching](https://canebrakeleaguecitylandclearing.com/forestry-mulching/)

[Contact](https://canebrakeleaguecitylandclearing.com/contact/)