I remember my first use of a digital camera. It wasn't too long ago ... back in 1994, in fact. I was using a small Canon unit that stored its images on a tiny floppy disk and output the pictures in the form of still video, like a VCR on "pause." You had to hook the camera up to a TV or a device in a computer designed to interpret a video signal called a "capture card" to see the images. The images were very poor quality and use of the camera was cumbersome because what you saw through the viewfinder wasn't always what appeared on the screen.

Working with a capture card on a computer was no fun either. I can't imagine others had any more fun than I did - some used a video camcorder to document damages in conjunction with a computer capture card to get still photos from the video playback. The pioneering souls who used these early methods of digital imaging for damage documentation believed the large up-front investment in the equipment would yield reduced costs over time due to the lack of photo processing and film.

Fast forward to the present
Digital imaging has become mainstream in the insurance industry, with many major insurers outfitting their appraisers with an arsenal of high tech equipment, including digital cameras. Today, digital cameras have the capability to produce images that rival 35mm film and offer the ability to see exactly what you're photographing on an LCD screen instead of a viewfinder lens. Images are sometimes stored on in-camera memory, on a removable memory card or even on a traditional floppy disk inserted into the camera. What does all this mean for the body shop owner? More opportunity to make your direct repair program (DRP) repairs less bothersome in the paperwork department and eliminate photo processing from your budget forever. Forget trips to the drugstore for film processing and mailing photos to claims offices. Now you just point, shoot and upload the images like e-mail on your office computer. All of the industry-leading computer estimating solutions have digital imaging software available to work alongside your existing estimating program. If you have not already taken advantage of the benefits of digital imaging, or are new to the technology, there is no better time to learn the ropes of damage photography.

If you are new to the DRP scene and haven't taken many photos of damage before to document your estimates, remember that the idea is to make the photos comprehensive. Don't take just one "wide" shot of that $5,000 front-end wreck and call it a day. Take that one, then take a similar one with the hood to show that the core support is pushed back against the valve cover and exhaust manifold. You're not done yet. Then, take one down into the engine bay to show the crushed fans and shrouds, as well as the buckles in the front apron panels in front of the shock towers. Shoot one with the flash underneath to show how the control arm is twisted and the subframe ears are bent from where the driver decided to park his vehicle on top of a curb one day. You now have photos justifying all the parts and repairs on your estimate, not just a wide shot from 20 feet away that the claims adjuster reinspecting your DRP assignments might question (not to mention a bit of unrelated prior suspension damage). This could save you from getting blamed for the vehicle handling improperly after the repairs.

Taking digital photos is quite similar to (and easier than) 35mm photography. There is no film to load and no focus to worry about. Just aim and press the button. Taking effective digital pictures that show the damage you intend to show can take some getting used to, however. Unlike a 35mm camera that uses a series of lenses to focus light onto a chemical frame of film, digital cameras use a "charge coupled device" (CCD), sometimes called a charge coupled array (CCA). The CCD is an electronic matrix that reacts to light hitting its surface. Due to this difference, the CCD sometimes reacts differently to some photography situations than 35mm film would. In fact, digital cameras often behave similarly to Polaroid instant cameras.

The first thing you will probably notice when photographing damage with a digital camera is that you often cannot take pictures "head-on" of dents on panel surfaces, particularly on lighter-colored vehicles. Most digital camera CCDs are not as sensitive to minute color variations as 35mm film, thus the subtle shadows created by a dent are lost to most digital cameras. In fact, white or pearl vehicles may appear undamaged if you take a picture of a big 13-hour dent in a quarter panel at a 90-degree angle to the car. This problem is worsened if you are indoors using a flash. Instead, take the picture at a more acute angle to the damage, say, 30 degrees. This will often increase the damage's shadows on the vehicle surface and the light from the camera's flash isn't reflected directly back at the camera. It is also helpful to position the vehicle beside some trees, a fence or similar structure so that the reflection of the structure shows "squiggles" on the vehicle where the dent is to help accentuate the damage. If you still have trouble, turn the flash setting to "off."

Taking photos of very slight damage is also more challenging with a digital camera. Because CCDs are a matrix, they have a "resolution" or grain. There is a point at which some things are simply too small to be picked up by the CCD due to this grain. That tiny crack in a suspension component or gap between two panels may not even show up, or may be blurred beyond recognition. To help this problem, some cameras offer "zoom" lenses that can take very close-up photos. If you are not so fortunate to have such a camera, however, I suggest the following two tips. First, take the photo with the flash set to "on," so that it will go off even if it is unneeded. The flash will increase the contrast in the photo and make the damage more visible. Second, back away from the subject a bit more than you typically would. The extra distance will actually cause the image to be less blurred. Also, it doesn't hurt to put your finger in the picture - so long as it's not over the lens, mind you - and point to the damage.

You can get more done faster with a digital camera if your shop is involved in DRP relationships. Even if you aren't, it can still help document the damages and repairs on the vehicles in your shop, and documentation is the key in today's litigious marketplace. By taking effective documentation photographs you can stop many problems before they start. You can also make that documentation less troublesome and costly by doing it with a digital imaging system and using it properly.

In the near future, we will see digital cameras capable of taking moving pictures like a camcorder, which will greatly increase the depth and scope of the estimator's ability to document damage and repairs. When this happens, however, it will lead to yet another change for collision shops that currently communicate with insurers by way of modem connection over conventional phone lines. Due to speed, conventional phone lines won't be the best option. Digital subscriber lines (DSLs) or cable connections will need to become mainstream to support the exchange of large moving image files, which would take hours to send over a common phone connection.

Insurance companies may find moving digital images useful before shops do, simply because of a shop's need to send their images via a computer network. So, at least for now, you can take comfort in knowing that your investment in still digital imaging will probably last quite some time.

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