By Jonathan Howe
A recent trend that is really catching on around holidays in churches is the use of photo stations. Easter, Mother’s Day, and Christmas seem to be the top three times churches use these photo stations to capture pictures of families.
There are several benefits to these photo stations. They can create a fun atmosphere at the church, provide opportunities for families to get a shareable picture, and can help promote the church. But like anything else churches do related to events or promotion, there are some pitfalls to avoid. If your church decides to set up family photo stations for a holiday or event, take into consideration these eight items:
- Use a hashtag. For those who choose to share the pics online, it’s nice to have a way to track them for your church. Your church may already have an Easter or Christmas hashtag you’re using for promotion, so use that. If not, maybe use something simple yet unique to your church. For example, #Easter2017 might be a bit vague.
- Post the pics in an album on your church’s Facebook page. Use an iPad, iPhone, or digital camera on a tripod to take the pics and upload them into an album people can view on Facebook. They can tag themselves, download the pics, share them with friends, etc. You will likely see a greater engagement in your church’s Facebook page as a result. Simplicity of sharing and downloading is key when you host a family photo station. Finally, make sure everyone knows the pictures are being posted online. There may be a few families who might object to posting them. That’s perfectly normal. Just email those to them instead.
- Set up multiple photo stations. This will keep lines down and keep kids from melting down while they wait. Identical stations with several volunteers will make things easier for families and your photographers.
- Set up near the children’s area if possible. Families will be the ones who will most want to take a picture. Make the location of your photo station convenient for them. If you don’t have the room in this area, consider a larger foyer that gets traffic on a regular Sunday. Just try to avoid making the station tough to find or difficult to get to.
- Announce it prior to the big day. Let families know to show up early for the photos. Also, if your congregation knows, you can use it as an incentive to get them to invite friends to the service.
- Have volunteers engage those waiting in line. Get some of your most outgoing members to talk with families as they wait to take their picture. This can be an easy way to involve more members in ministry and is also a good way for members to get to know one another better.
- Consider having visitors fill out connection cards while they wait. If your volunteers meet a guest, having them fill out a guest card while they wait is an easy way for you to get information for follow up.
- Think wisely about the background and setup. It’s wise to incorporate your church website or your event hashtag into the background. That way when the photo is shared online, there is a reference point for your church. Also, when considering the design, it might be best to avoid handheld props. Those can slow things down, can break, and, with kids, can cause fights.
Has your church had or is it planning a family photo station for Easter? What would you add to this list?
If you’re planning to use the pics online or for promotional purposes you could be violating the child or the individual’s privacy rights if they don’t sign a consent form. This article from Richard Hammar might be helpful for your church as you process this and, again, it’s only if you plan to share the pictures online or use them for promotional purposes.
http://www.churchlawandtax.com/web/2009/november/q2.html
Yes. I mentioned consent in the article. Many people simply don’t care, but churches need to be sure they at least notify people how they will be distributed and, if needed, get signed consent.
I….
Umm…
Bu…..
Wha…?
(Totally speechless that this is even a topic worthy of a blog post, especially this blog site. Seriously? Really? Is this what churches and their leaders have come too? As my daughter says…”Wow, just WOW!”)
Maturing is realizing how many things don’t require your comment.
Hundreds and hundreds of churches do this. They engage with people online.
Because people taking family pictures at church is such a bad thing? I guess I think, “Wow…just WOW” wondering why you wouldn’t want people to think of their church as a place to make and capture a memory. That’s what I think of picture-taking as – capturing memories. I sure hope my congregation feels like capturing the memory of a beautiful Mothers Day together after or before worship, not just something they have to survive before going to lunch.
WOW! Great info Johathan! I’ve already passed it on to my photo team. It’s been our experience that people LOVE getting their family picture taken on these special days. It opens up the door to multiple points of contact with first time guests and newer families. And the more times we can come into contact with them the more times we can show them the love of Jesus. It’s what leaders do!
Awesome.
Is there a link to examples of photo backgrounds that can be created and used?
Check out Pintrest
How do you do a photo station ? I’m interested
Great article. I see more and more churches do this. One consideration, depending on your demographics, is that doing it really well and professionally can be a great blessing to families who maybe can’t afford to have professional family pictures taken.
It reminds me of an outreach my church has done. We had a couple of professional photographers in our congregation, so we offered free family pics to low income people in our town. We posted some advertisements at different agencies around town. The response was unbelievable. People who couldn’t otherwise afford it, were so thrilled to have their family pictures taken. We delivered a package of pictures to each family, and some of the mom’s cried when we handed them the pictures, because it meant so much to them. It was really a great way to meet people in our community and provide them with a blessing.