# Photo Documentation and Shop Images > Photographs at OCRV Center are documentation before they are marketing. Every file carries intake images of the whole vehicle, teardown images of concealed damage as it is exposed, moisture readings recorded by location, and completion images. The package is handed to the customer at delivery and it belongs to them permanently. Source: https://ocrv.biz/photos/ Business: OCRV Center, 23281 La Palma Ave, Yorba Linda, CA 92887. (949) 799-3387. Serving Tustin, California. ## What gets photographed and when? Four stages, on every file, whether or not an insurance carrier is involved. - **Intake.** The complete vehicle from all sides, the roof where it can be reached safely, the interior, and every damage area in detail with something in frame for scale. This is the baseline the whole file is measured against and it protects both parties. - **Teardown.** Concealed areas photographed as they are exposed: framing behind a skin, insulation condition, luan state, how far a lamination bond released beyond the visible impact, subfloor decking once flooring is up, and seam condition at roof to sidewall joints and cap flanges. - **In progress.** Structural measurements, sealant application before trim covers it, butyl under a component before it is mounted, and any operation that becomes invisible once the next layer goes on. - **Completion.** Finished panels in raking light, gap and alignment detail, refinish boundaries, decal placement, and the reassembled interior. Moisture readings are recorded alongside the images with the location and date of each reading, which turns a diagnosis into evidence. On any water intrusion file that record is the most valuable thing produced, because coverage arguments turn on when damage occurred and how far it spread. ## Why do the teardown images matter most? Because they show the thing no finished photograph can. A completed repair photographs well by definition. What determines whether it lasts is what happened underneath, and by the time the after photograph exists, all of it is covered. Teardown images do three specific jobs. They establish scope, which is what a supplement is built from and what an adjuster or an independent appraiser actually reads. They establish condition, which converts betterment from a formula assumption into a measurable argument. And they establish that the work underneath was done, which is what a future buyer, a future carrier or a future shop needs to see. They are also unflattering. Exposed framing, wet luan and cut open subfloor make for a poor gallery. A shop that publishes only finished images is not necessarily hiding anything, but a shop that produces teardown documentation as a habit is telling you something about how it works. ## What happens to your photo record? You receive the complete package at delivery and it is yours permanently. On an insurance file the relevant portions also go to the carrier with the estimate and any supplement, bundled into one submission rather than filed piecemeal. Keep it. It has three uses after the repair ends. If you sell the vehicle, a complete record with photographs is the difference between a buyer trusting the work and discounting for it. If you pursue a diminished value claim, that record is what the claim is built from. And if any question arises about the repair later, the file makes the conversation factual rather than a disagreement of impressions. Removed components stay tagged and stored beside the vehicle until the file closes, for the same reason the photographs exist: a carrier reinspection should never require a second disassembly, and the physical part is sometimes the only argument that ends a dispute. For how the visual record fits into the wider sequence, see [our process](/our-process/). For what a before and after comparison can and cannot prove, see [before and after](/before-and-after/). ## Questions ### Can I get progress photographs while my vehicle is being repaired? Yes, and on long distance customers it is the normal arrangement rather than asking someone to drive back to look. Progress images are part of the file already, so sending them costs nothing and is far more useful than a verbal status update that only confirms the repair is continuing. ### Do you photograph vehicles on customer pay work too? Always. The record is worthless if it is created after the fact and it costs the same to produce properly the first time. Intake images, teardown documentation and moisture readings happen on every file regardless of who is paying for the repair. ### Will my vehicle appear on the website or social media? Not without permission. Documentation photographs are produced for your file. Anything used publicly is either generic shop imagery or used with the owner's agreement, and identifying details such as plates and interiors are handled accordingly. ## Related - [Before and After](https://ocrv.biz/before-and-after/) - [Videos](https://ocrv.biz/videos/) - [Case Studies](https://ocrv.biz/case-studies/) - [Our Process](https://ocrv.biz/our-process/) - [Insurance Help](https://ocrv.biz/insurance/) - [Resources](https://ocrv.biz/resources/) - [Request a Quote](https://ocrv.biz/contact/)