How to Create a Family Portrait at Your Family's Favorite Temple

For Latter-day Saint families, temples aren't just beautiful buildings — they're sacred places tied to some of the most important moments of a lifetime. A family portrait at your favorite temple captures more than a nice photo. It captures a family's covenants, their love for the Savior, and their commitment to eternal families.

Whether you're planning a traditional professional shoot on temple grounds or want a personalized AI-generated portrait that places your family in front of any temple in the world, this guide covers everything you need to know.

Why a temple family portrait matters

Ask any Latter-day Saint family what photograph they'd grab if their house was on fire, and many will name a temple family portrait — often taken at the temple where the parents were sealed, or the temple closest to home. These photographs are hung in living rooms, given to grandparents, and carried by missionaries. They're a visual reminder that a family's most important story is a temple story.

Choosing which temple to feature

For some families, the choice is obvious — the temple where the parents were married, the temple closest to home, or the temple where a recent milestone happened. For others, it's worth thinking about which temple carries the most meaning:

• The temple where you or your parents were sealed
• The temple closest to home (the temple your kids grew up seeing)
• The temple you attended most as a family
• A temple from a mission — for returned missionaries, the temple in their mission country
• The Salt Lake Temple — a natural choice for many families given its historical significance
• A pioneer temple like St. George or Manti, if your family has generational ties

Option 1: Professional photography on temple grounds

The traditional approach. Book a professional photographer familiar with LDS temple photography, choose a time (early morning or golden hour work best), and plan the shoot around temple ordinances and events happening that day.

Considerations: temple grounds have specific rules about photography — no wedding-style bridal shoots inside gates, no blocking pathways or ordinance entrances, and generally photographers should be considerate of others visiting for temple worship. Some temples are more photographer-friendly than others; call ahead to confirm.

Costs typically run $200-500 for a session, plus prints, plus travel if you're driving to a specific temple. Weather is an unpredictable factor. And of course, everyone has to actually be present at the same time in the same place — often the hardest logistical challenge.

Option 2: An AI-generated temple portrait

Newer AI tools can now place your family in front of any temple in the world, using a single family photo as the source. This opens up possibilities that traditional photography can't:

• Feature a temple you don't live near (Kirtland, Nauvoo, a temple from your mission)
• Include family members who couldn't be physically present — a missionary in the field, a grandparent who passed away, a distant relative
• Feature multiple temples across a series of portraits (Salt Lake for the parents, Provo for the eldest daughter's sealing, etc.)
• Show your family in a scene that includes the Savior alongside you, which no physical photograph can capture

AI portraits work by uploading a clear family photo, choosing your background temple, and letting the model generate a reverent depiction that preserves each face while placing your family in the scene. The result is printed on canvas or framed, becoming a physical keepsake in the same way a traditional portrait would.

How to make it a lasting keepsake

Whichever approach you choose, a few details make the difference between a portrait that lives on a wall for 30 years and one that ends up in a closet:

1. Print it large enough to be seen — 16x20 or larger for a living room; smaller sizes get lost on a big wall
2. Frame it with a mat and quality frame — a $30 frame from a big-box store will yellow within 5 years; a properly framed print lasts generations
3. Consider canvas — canvases are more forgiving of light and require no glass; they also feel more like an heirloom painting than a photograph
4. Print copies for extended family — grandparents especially love receiving temple portraits of their grandchildren
5. Note the date and temple on the back — future generations will want to know when and where