The Ministry of the Parish Photographer

By necessity I became “the parish photographer” about nine years ago and have been taking hundreds of photos a year, archiving them and posting the best ones online. When needed I retrieve photos for articles or promotions or poster boards. From time to time—I use some of them in videos highlighting life at the parish.

The necessity came as a result of managing the parish website and Facebook Page.  Over the years, the Internet has become more visual.  The fewer engaging visuals, the less interest. And text only posts on Facebook get the very least attention. And although it is cliché, it is still true that “a picture is worth a thousand words.”

From Phone to Camera

When I first started, I took photos with my phone. They were very good, but as I took more photos at events—it drained my battery and uploading them to my computer was a hassle. Eventually, I purchased a DSLR camera, took lessons on how to use it and on Photo Shop. My post processing consists of simple editing such as sizing, cropping and adjusting the white balance. Uploading the photos to my computer was as easy as transferring the SD card from the camera to the computer.

Photos from Others

I have tried, with limited success, to ask people who are taking their own photos at events to share them with me—but usually the ones they send are taken from too far away or limited to their family and friends and often are sent days later.  Social media is a platform for today’s content. Week-old content does not generate the same interest as real time or same day posts. Frequently, they did not know how to send multiple full-size photos in one batch and I would have to download one photo at a time from a slew of emails.

Quality Online Communications Make a Good Impression

Our online engagement with the public needs to be as professional and pastoral as our person-to-person ministries.  A well-designed website with current information useful to the visitor is a welcoming website. Well placed, engaging photos which reflect the life and ministry of the parish community adds to the warmth of the site. A poorly designed website with incomplete, confusing or out-of-date content is a red flag for visitors. The lack of photos, or worse, poor photos lesson the impact of the site.

Photos of parishioners at worshiping, socializing, ministering, and engaged in parish activities get the most traction of all images on the parish Facebook Page. Published photos are affirmations of the people and the activity and communicate to the public the joy and goodness of the community. It is common for parish groups to ask me to take photos at their events.  They want to be seen.

Facebook is all about visuals.  Good photos make good social media.

A Ministry Approach to Parish Photography

It is my opinion that taking photos for parish communications is a ministry that deserves our best efforts. Over the years, I have developed my own standards for the photos that I shoot and the photos that I will post on websites and social media. I will share those thoughts with you in my next post. After that, I will suggest the ministry description that a parish could use to recruit the best person(s) for this ministry.

If you have experience with parish website and social media photography, please share that in the comments below. Post your questions as well.

Before you ask: if someone does not want their photo taken, I don’t take it and I never take children’s photos without their parents’ permission.

If you want to check out how I use photos on the parish website, here is a link to the St. John Bosco Parish website.