Photography Team Featured in ‘Behind the Scenes of General Conference’ Video

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Every six months, Church photographers take tens of thousands of photographs during general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Their efforts and those who support them are the subject of a new “Behind the Scenes of General Conference” video released Saturday, September 26, 2026.

The video series showcases various teams who help ensure general conference messages centered on Jesus Christ reach audiences worldwide in ways that build faith.

“As photographers for the church, we have lots of different assignments, lots of portraits, mission president portraits, [and] photographing new temples. We’re able to follow the brethren,” says Church photographer Cody Bell.

During general conference, “It’s long days,” admits Bell, who says they begin early in the morning and are among the last people to leave.

Leslie Nilsson, also a Church photographer, agrees. “Schedules are so tight, where we have to have so many pictures delivered very quickly,” he says.

The images of speakers, attendees and Temple Square grounds are sorted, identified, captioned and delivered to news media, usually before a conference session concludes.

Nilsson credits other employees who support the photographers. “It’s really a machine that gets set up. While I may be the one on the camera, there’s a lot of people behind me in line, and I recognize that none of us would be effective without each other.”

“It is crazy how much goes into it and how many people have to do their job well to make everything run smoothly,” said McKinlee Nielsen, an asset manager.

Nick Nunley, a photography production coordinator, schedules the photographers who take photos of families watching general conference in various countries. “We’re in Ghana, we’re in Taiwan, we’re in the Philippines, we’re in Argentina,” he says.

“I think it’s important for people to see themselves in the photos because God loves all of his children,” says photographer Tina Smith. “This is one way that we can help them feel that love.”

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The photos captured during general conference and others documenting Latter-day Saints, new temples and the ministry of Church leaders around the world are all entered into an image repository that includes detailed metadata, such as titles and descriptions.

Alisha Hagey, a digital asset manager, describes her role as a “photography librarian.”

“We’re stewards over the assets that our brilliant photographers take,” she says. “Honestly, what makes it worth it is we get to help move the work forward, knowing that this library, this catalog, will be used for future generations.”

“The most beautiful thing about these Saints is their testimony of Christ,” says Smith about the subjects of many of the photos.

“You can see a photo, you can read a story, and you can feel something,” says Bell. “And that’s the same language that the Holy Ghost uses.”

Find the playlist of the video series on YouTube.

Previously released behind-the-scenes videos feature the work of the staging crew, guest services, interpreters, broadcast team, Church magazines and audio and light teams.

Related Content

Read this related Newsroom story. New Behind the Scenes of General Conference Video Features Audio and Light Teams

• 2 New Videos Released in ‘Behind the Scenes of General Conference’ Series
• Behind-the-Scenes Videos: How Various Teams Help Make General Conference a Success