You need:
The tools and an external 2.5" hard disk. Here a SmartDisk FireLite 2.5-Inch Portable Hard Drive which use an ATA disk like the Apple TV. An enclosure like this one on Amazon USB 2.0 Hard Drive Enclosure Kit for 2.5" internal ATA hard drive should also do the job.
Remove the torx 10 screws in each corner of the Apple TV.
Peel away more of the rubber foot to remove the 4 torx 8 screws holding the hard drive.
Open the Apple TV.
Remove the hard disk.
Disassemble the 2.5" hard drive.
Plug in the drive from the Apple TV. Connect it to your Mac and copy the images you need.
Here is a screen shot which shows the Apple TV drive: a media and a OS partition. With Disk Utility you can make a complete backup of your Apple TV.