Why photos are important in church and ministry communications
They are impossible to ignore. People can easily ignore page after page in print or online of what might well be very important text, but they can't flip through a newsletter or website without looking at the pictures and reading the captions associated with them.
Because people will always be drawn to a photo and because they can have a powerful effect on the ability of your church to communicate its message, following are some tips that will help your photos be more effective.
Photos that tell a ministry story
Head shots or formally posed pictures don't tell you much of anything about a person. If you want your audience to know something about your staff, missionaries or whoever else you want to feature, you have to do more than share a head shot. Get your subject involved in action. A head shot merely labels a person, an action shot tells a story.
Think of how much more people would learn about your leadership if instead of a mug shot of the minister each time you had his column in your newsletter or blog, you had a picture of him in action. Use pictures of him with his family, interacting with a Sunday school class, or in his study. Capture him participating in a hobby, or at a church activity. A series of photos such as these would give a more rounded representation of your pastor as a person.
Additional tips to help you to get good people pictures
It is said that public speaking is people's number one fear, even above dying. I disagree. I think it's having your picture taken. I've seen countless people in ministry who are comfortable speaking to hundreds of people turn into jelly when approached by a camera. What is even worse than the fear of getting your picture taken is the result. A stiff, formal shot of a person clearly not enjoying the process doesn't communicate any reality about the person.
Pictures are put into publications and on the web so people can see the people involved in the ministry. But the strained person standing up against a white wall with a terrified expression is not the same person who can captivate a room full of sixth graders with stories about Jesus. The severe look on the face of the man in the buttoned up suit is not the same pastor who chopped wood for you when your husband was sick or comforted your niece when she lost her baby.
The pictures you take of people in ministry are of people God uses to inspire lives and change souls for eternity. Your challenge in taking pictures is to capture that person, who they are, and share him or her in your communications.
One of the best ways I've found to capture the real person is to photograph them doing what they do best-in the midst of ministry. If they work with kids, take a picture of them with kids; if they preach, photograph them preaching.
If you can't do that, at least take someone with you to talk to them while you are taking pictures. I've found this method works great even for people who hate to have their picture taken or don't normally photograph well. People in ministry tend to be interactive people—they come alive in relationships with others. Often when you've got them talking to someone else you can take a photograph that shows them at their best. It also takes their mind off the experience of being photographed.
You have to be brave to get the best shots
It isn't easy to get the good, gutsy photos; to get in the middle of ministry situations and shoot incredible pictures. It's easier to line people up against a wall or have them squint into the sun and smile on the count of three, but you'll never get a memorable photo doing that.
One possible solution is in your head to play photo journalist; be another person. Get in the middle of the group, on a chair, on the floor, shoot at odd angles. Talk to your subjects; get them interacting and take lots of pictures. Forget all about yourself and catch your subjects being themselves.
Photographs of sensitive situations
Sometimes photos are too real. In ministry we deal with some really tough situations: hunger, pain, disabilities, emotional and mental problems. The challenge is to illustrate these situations while retaining the dignity of the people involved.
Show the results of your ministry, not the problem that prompted it
• This means showing your youth group involved in serving meals at the senior center, not kids hanging out by graffiti covered walls.
• This means showing children fed and at school, not starving and holding their hands out.
• This means showing women working and healed and not battered and poor.
Not only does this kind of photography emphasize the good news of the gospel, but this way a person is not forever labeled in your photograph as a victim.
Final tips on effective photos for your church or ministry
• This is not portrait photography or studio work. You are taking pictures to use to communicate a message.
• Choose your photos for placing in publications or on the web as carefully as you choose your words. Don't just dump the entire digital file on a page. Be sure the photo backs up the message of your words.
• A photo of a large group where you can't see anyone clearly is like a story with too many words. Just one person doing what the event is all about gets to the point of the story.
• Cut extra stuff from the photo as you would cut out extra words. The contemporary style for photographs, especially head shots, is very tight cropping.
• Drama is always more important than quality. Concentrate on taking pictures that tell a story.
Finally, ALWAYS caption your photos—in print and on the web—a picture may be worth a thousand words, but without a caption, the question is, "Which thousand?" People will make up a meaning in a photo if you don't tell them what you want them to see.
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Click on the title to go to the video
How to turn a simple photo into a powerful illustration
How to download a FREE image editing software: Paint.net
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