The old English Idiom “A picture is worth a thousand words” is absolute true. I cannot stress the importance of the need for high quality pictures as part of your communication repertoire.Case in point, how many of you scroll down Facebook and skip every post that includes just text but then you come to a screeching halt when you see a picture. This point also leads to the radical popularity of Instagram which is a social media site dedicated only to pictures and short videos. In out culture today it is about one life connecting with another via images and they truly do communicate “a thousand words.” Here are some practical steps for you to become better at taking pictures:

1. Take a photography class/Sit with a photographer from your church (this is a great way to get someone from your local congregation back home engaged in the Great Commission by using their gifts. Also, who knows, maybe they will take a trip out and help you document your ministry).
2. Get a good camera (smartphones are also great too but sometimes you need to step it up a notch).
3. Purchase/Learn how to use a program like Lightroom to edit your pictures and really make them “pop.”

This all might sound really technical and unnecessary. You are called to pastor a church not be a photojournalist. However, as a missionary you need to also be an effective communicator and this in reality is the “bread and butter” of your communication. Also, it doesn’t require as much time as it sounds like. If purchasing a high quality camera and learning a photo editing software is just something you are not going to do make sure you have a good smartphone with a camera as these phones will also let you do minor edits to pictures as well.