Well ssbn727 that's why I said; "3rd Party" in quotations - - the term is used loosely. The bottom line is that people just don't understand the inspection sections of the code(s), be it AWS, IBC, RBC, etc. They also get lost in what are considered secondary structures (not "Occupied" buildings") I think even many on the Engineering/Architect side are confused they know the design portion, but not the quality assurance side, so they just list every code in existence on their general notes pages and say something like; "All activities shall be in compliance with the following codes: a, b, c, d, e, f, g........" and so on so that they are covered.
The problem here is that this is leaving Owners, Generals, and Subs to try to decipher this stuff like; 3rd Party, Continuous or Periodic Inspections, Special Inspections, etc. On a good day they call their Client, who then calls their Client, who then calls theirs, and maybe at some point someone actually consults a Professional, but too often the Sub calls the General and rather than say; "I don't know" they just guess or tell the Sub to just take care of it and to hire an Inspector and because no one knows any different those reports all make it to someone who writes a final summary that says; "To the best of my knowledge the work was done in compliance with the contract drawings and specification." ....or "I kind of take responsibility." ...which then apparently leads to final acceptance.
I have two primary issues; first is that I've got (many of us do) a lot of time and money invested in Certifications/Credentials and besides the aforementioned there are many instances where inspections are just flat being skipped or waived when they shouldn't be and I can't figure out how it gets all the way through the Building Officials. Second is that we're not talking about little trinkets here. In the Telecom industry it could be towers hundreds of feet tall, next to a freeway, with a hundred pieces of steel hanging off of them. "Occupied" or not we better not have anything fail and fall.
I don't want to stir up a hornets nest and I think the proper approach is education, which I'm working on as I get access to people, but some of this stuff like 'photo inspections' is just ass-o-nine and I have a real strong issue with contractors hiring their own inspectors as well.
Anyway - thanks for the replies guys, I just wanted to get some other opinions on that photo stuff, it sounds like you all hold the same opinion I do.