A picture is worth a thousand words,” they say, and this couldn’t be truer for a church. With events and experiences happening all week, capturing and sharing content with the world can help others understand what your church is all about. However, deciding what to capture can be challenging, so we’ve created a Sunday Church Photography Shot List to help you capture the key elements of your Sunday service.

Here are the five key elements you should capture each Sunday:

  1. Before Service: Take photos of the parking lot as people arrive, greeters at the front door welcoming people, people in the foyer or lobby, people dropping off their kids to kids church, and people grabbing a coffee.
  2. Worship Service: Capture close-ups of the music and worship team, the music and worship team from the back of the room, the congregation worshipping up close, the congregation worshipping in a wide shot, the MC spot or announcements, the preacher walking on stage, the preacher preaching, the altar call, and prayer. Remember, you likely only need one photo of the preacher preaching.
  3. Ministries: Take shots of volunteers from various ministries, the nursery, kids church activities, and bible study or Sunday school.
  4. After Service: Capture photos of people at the connection booth, people getting prayed for, and people waving goodbye.
  5. Special Events: Take photos of baptisms, baby dedications, communion, and offering.

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Use this checklist for an extended break down.

Before Service

  • Parking Lot photos of people pulling in.
  • Greeters at the front door welcoming people.
  • People in the Foyer/Lobby
  • People dropping off their kids to Kids Church.
  • People grabbing a coffee

Worship Service

  • Music & Worship Team close-ups.
  • Music & Worship Team from the back of the room.
  • Congregation Worshiping Close up
  • Congregation Worshiping Wide Shot
  • MC Spot or Announcements.
  • Preacher Walking on Stage
  • Preacher Preaching. Don’t go overboard here. You likely will only share 1 photo of this so you don’t need hundreds.
  • Alter Call
  • Prayer

Ministries

  • Volunteer shots from the various ministries
  • Nursery
  • Kids Church Activities
  • Bible Study or Sunday School

After Service

  • People at Connection Booth
  • People getting prayed for
  • People waving goodbye

Special Events

  • Baptisms
  • Baby Dedications
  • Communion
  • Offering

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While not all of these events occur each week, capturing them and using them to show people the life and breath of your church can help them understand what it’s like to attend.

Tips to Make Your Photos Look Professional

  1. Make sure pictures are clear and crisp, not blurry.

  2. Center the main elements in your shot and use a 3×4 framing.

  3. Avoid empty seats — capture the congregation fully engaged.

  4. Set your camera settings to ensure the date and copyright info is correct.

  5. Take your photos.

  6. Edit your photos and add metadata for the people and items in the photos (e.g., “Pastor,” “Foyer,” or “Baptism”). These tags will be automatically read into your storage system.

  7. Choose the best shots only — no need to save thousands of similar photos.

  8. Upload your photos to Google Drive, so the photos are easily accessible to our media team.

  9.  Use this Shot List Visual Guide here 

By following these tips and using the Sunday Church Photography Shot List, you can capture the essence of your church and share it with the world in a way that is organized, professional, and inspiring.