Hi Joseph, I take several exterior and roof pics, one or two of each room and several of attic and crawl space/basement. This is mainly for the client’s use (areas they can’t usually see), but also for my review to ensure I don’t miss obvious details.
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If you are looking for consensus, I don’t think you will find it here 
We do put general (overview) photos in our reports. I see this as a benefit to the client for the following reason. A client may have seen 10 houses that weekend and may or may not have traveled from out of state to do so. Regardless it was a whirlwind of viewings. I think our general photos help them refocus to " Oh that’s right this house did have a fireplace in the basement" etc. I have had buyers that never saw the house except via FaceTime. They don’t hurt and photos are cheap.
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I include at least two or three area pics for each section to show obstructions and areas that my client may have not seen. For instance, the sections for the roof, attic and crawlspace have area pics.
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I don’t like to fill up my report with photos of things the client can see on the web listing. To me it doesn’t make sense. If they want to know what it looks like, they need to talk to their agent, not their inspector.
I take 360 pics of every room when I first arrive, then, when going through the inspection, I take a pic of each room I enter. This helps me keep track of my progress through the inspection when I go back and look at my pics later. I take photos of everything, however, only the defects and information photos (mechanicals data plates, water-gas-electrical shutoffs, etc) go into the photo. If someone calls and tries to say I didn’t inspect something I send them a photo of what I inspected. The majority of my photos don’t make it into the report; photos of the traps under the sinks, removed electrical panels temp photos of HVAC registers and refrigerator/freezers to show I looked at them in case someone asks. Again, these photos don’t go into the report, but I keep them in case someone asks. My insurance company, Inspector Pro, is all about the photos. I average around 40 photos for an average report which is about 60+ pages in length.
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Another good reason to take pictures of the area under sinks, specifically when the house is occupied, is that it is almost always crammed with stuff. Having that picture in the CYA folder may come in handy.
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