Suson Park

If you’re looking for farm portraits, but don’t know anyone with a farm, Suson Park is the perfect location for you. With cows, horses, barns, lakes, haybales, wooden fences, and a lovely wooden bridge you’re sure to achieve the farm look of your dreams. Suson Park is great for one-hour sessions.

Check out my list of the top senior picture locations in St. Louis, MO to get inspired by more locations to have your senior pictures taken.

The Best Part About Suson Park

Being a small farm, Suson Park offers multiple locations to grab a portrait with animals in the background, or sometimes you can even reach out and pet them. With cows out in the field, horses and donkeys in the barn, goats in a pen, and ducks wandering around you’ll have plenty of opportunities for portraits with animals.

There are a couple barns on the premises too, being a red barn and brown barn. These two barns give you a variety of backgrounds and colors for senior pictures. Barns are great for leaning on, sitting next to, or even standing far away and getting a large part of the barn as your background. Around the barns, you can even find haybales to sit on or lean back on.

Being a farm, there are plenty of fences to lean on, peek through, or even sit on. There are wooden fences around the farm section of the park and metal ones around the horse stables.

Suson Park also offers multiple lakes that make for beautiful backgrounds. You can sit by the lakes or lean against a tree that grows next to the lake. A wooden bridge crosses over one of the lakes as well and is a great spot to stand on, lean against, or even sit on. If you want a more wooded feel in your portraits, there are open areas with sporadic trees.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

With the trees blooming and wildflowers starting to peek out, you’ll have plenty of color in your background. The weather will also be getting warmer, but not be too hot. This will help draw some of the animals out of their warm shelters.

Summer

Everything is coated in beautiful greens as the farm is surrounded by woods. It’s also warm out now, so the animals may be out if it’s not too hot. If you enjoy fishing and want some fishing portraits, summer would be the perfect time for those since the lakes won’t be frozen over. With it being summer, Suson Park may be a bit busier, but mainly around the lakes and not so much the barns.

Fall

If you’re looking for the perfect country feel, fall is the best time to visit Suson Park. With all the leaves changing colors against the beautiful barns this makes for the best time of year to dress up in your cowboy boots and ripped up jeans. The wooded area of the park will have leaves on the ground and make for perfect throwing leaf portraits, or even just the perfect fall backdrop all together.

Winter

When Suson Park is blanketed in snow, it’s the perfect location for some snow portraits. The open, wooded area makes the perfect spot to sled down the hill or be surrounded by snow and snowy trees. The wooden bridge is coated in a layer of snow making it the perfect place to stand. Head over by the red barn, and it’s sure to pop out in your snow portraits.

Pricing and Accommodations

Suson Park is fairly quiet and absolutely free. It is open to the public 7 days a week. There are restrooms across the walking bridge and near the playground.

Address

6073 Wells Rd, St. Louis, MO 63128

Senior Pictures at Suson Park

Emily
Suson Park
While there was snow on the ground, and Emily was off of school, we decided to do an impromptu snow senior session. We headed over to Suson Park to take advantage…
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Brody
Suson Park
We headed out to Suson Park for Brody’s senior pictures and were greeted by the Sahara Dust Storm. While it may seem like something that would hinder a photo session, it actually…
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Lakeview Park

In Waterloo, IL sits a 100-acre, three lake park called Lakeview Park. With multiple bridges, a pathway, white gazebo, trees galore (including a willow tree), a small creek, and the beautiful lakes, Lakeview Park makes the perfect location for a short senior session or a great addition to a longer session.

Check out my list of the top senior picture locations in St. Louis, MO to get inspired by more locations to have your senior pictures taken.

The Best Part About Lakeview Park

Maybe you’re someone who enjoys taking a stroll through the park, sitting in the grass and letting the wind blow through your hair, enjoy kicking your feet around in a creek, or love to fish. Lakeview Park has the perfect accommodations for you. There’s plenty of lakes to take fishing portraits in if you want to incorporate fishing into your senior pictures. You can sit on the edge of the lake and dip your toes in the water, or even stand or sit by them for the perfect backdrop. The gazebo is also positioned in the perfect spot to either have trees or the lake as your background.

Take a stroll down the path and take some fun walking towards or away from the photographer shots with trees surrounding you. Maybe you even want to stand in the willow tree and let the branches surround you as they form a perfect frame. Down the path a little further is a wooden bridge that’s excellent for leaning or sitting on. You can even have the lake as your prime background here.

Head up to the third lake for a different view, where one of the bridges is surrounded by trees and there’s a large hill of grass to change up the scenery. Not far from there is the small hike down to the shallow creek which is surrounded by trees and scattered with rocks.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

There aren’t too many flowers that bloom around Lakeview Park, but the fresh blooming trees and grass along with cooler days make spring a prime season for your senior pictures. The creek may feel a bit colder due these cooler temps, but you’re more likely to find wildflowers blooming around it and the path to get there.

Summer

With all the green trees and grass, summer makes the best season to head out to Lakeview Park. You’ll be surrounded by lively plants and beautiful green and blue colors from around the lake. It’s also the perfect season to take some creek portraits because the water won’t be too cold and will help you feel cooler.

Fall

Trees across from the lake, surrounding the bridges, and along the creek are great locations within Lakeview Park if you’re looking for some fall leaves in your senior pictures. The creek will have the best fall colors since it’s surrounded by trees. You may even be able to still step in the creek if the water is not too cold yet.

Winter

Winter doesn’t have much to offer as the trees and grass are now brown, but it’s a great location for snow portraits. With the wide open-fields, there’s plenty of space to stand without getting too many trees in your photos while also getting the frozen and snow-covered lake in the background. If you want a few snow-covered trees as your background, you can walk down the path a short way to find a small grouping of them.

Pricing and Accommodations

Lakeview Park is a quiet and absolutely free park that’s open to the public 7 days a week. There are public restrooms located near the playground at the third lake.

Address

Lakeview Park is located on Lakeview Dr. There are three entrances. The first lake is located directly off Lakeview Dr., the second entrance is located on Stockel Ln., and the third entrance is located on Waterworks Rd. in Waterloo, IL 62298.

Senior Pictures at Lakeview Park

Sam
Lakeview Park
Talk about having fun and a bubbly personality, Sam was all kinds of happy during her senior pictures. She had the best smiles while we took her portraits at…
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Jordan
Lakeview Park
We can always find a place for pictures no matter what time of year it is, so when Jordan had his pictures taken in January, we made sure to find locations that would work great, even…
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Salem-Baum Church

Hidden on the backroads of Waterloo, IL sits a beautiful shell of a stone church that was built in 1883. This unique location is sure to make your senior pictures stand out against the rest. With large windows to stand in, a stone pathway, the overall structure, and a gravel road engulfed by trees nearby, you can easily spend an hour in this magnificent location.

Check out my list of the top senior picture locations in St. Louis, MO to get inspired by more locations to have your senior pictures taken.

The Best Part About Salem-Baum Church

With windows almost as high as the walls and wide steps that lead to an amazing entryway, Salem-Baum makes for a beautiful backdrop to your senior pictures. Grass and ivy grow in the building, and a stone pathway leads you from the doorway to the back of the church. A nearby, seldom used gravel road next to the church goes back a short way and has trees and plants galore surrounding it.

The steps leading up to the church make for the perfect spot to sit and get the entryway in your portraits, or you can stand in the entryway yourself and lean on the stone walls. At the end of the pathway is a perfect landing spot to place a chair to sit in, or you can climb up into the windows to stand or sit in them.

Ivy is perfect for changing up the scenery a little bit by adding a little pop of color to the grey stone background. Down the gravel road, you can place a chair in the road and sit in it, or even take some fun walking away or towards the photographer portraits.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

As the trees around the area begin to grow their leaves and regain color again, and the wildflowers begin to bloom down the pathway, Salem-Baum now stands out from the rest of the dull, brown background. This makes for the perfect time of year to take your senior pictures here while it’s not too cold out and the area regains its color.

Summer

All the plants and trees are blooming now around Salem-Baum, so there is plenty of color around the area. The days will most likely be hot though, and Salem-Baum is not covered by shade unless you’re down the gravel road. The field across the street from the church will be growing corn and can add more color into your portraits if you take any facing away from or outside of the building.

Fall

When the leaves begin to change, the whole area around Salem-Baum is draped in beautiful orange, red, and yellow hues. The gravel road has leaves falling all over the place, and makes for fun leaf throwing portraits, or is even beautiful with the leaves all over the ground. Not only are the beautiful fall colors showing, but the weather is starting to cool off too, making this a prime time of year to have senior pictures taken here.

Winter

While the surrounding trees are dead, a good snow can create a winter wonderland here. If you’re looking for snow portraits somewhere that’s not just all forest, then Salem-Baum is the perfect location for you. Since Salem-Baum has no roof, there will also be snow inside the building. If you want a mixture of stone building and some forest, you can walk down the gravel road to get some forest snow portraits as well.

Pricing and Accommodations

Salem-Baum is quiet and absolutely free. It’s open to the public 7 days a week. Donations are appreciated to help keep the building maintained. There are no restrooms accessible.

Address

5779 Old Baum Church Rd, Waterloo, IL 62298. The best place to park is on the gravel road next to the church.

Senior Pictures at Salem-Baum Church

Sam
Salem-Baum Church
Talk about having fun and a bubbly personality, Sam was all kinds of happy during her senior pictures. She had the best smiles while we took her portraits at…
Read More

Jordan
Salem-Baum Church
We can always find a place for pictures no matter what time of year it is, so when Jordan had his pictures taken in January, we made sure to find locations that would work great, even…
Read More

Katie
Salem-Baum Church
For Katie’s senior pictures, we kept it so close to home that we were in her hometown. We also drove just a little bit further to stop at the Salem-Baum Church for a little more unique…
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Forest Park

Forest Park has everything you can think of for senior pictures. With a stone structure, flowers galore, lake, a creek to walk around, historic buildings, open fields, and even a waterfall you’ll never run out of ideas. You can easily spend two-hours or more here.

Check out my list of the top senior picture locations in St. Louis, MO to get inspired by more locations to have your senior pictures taken.

The Best Part About Forest Park

There are probably some hidden gems around Forest Park that you’re not aware of, but there’s other’s you know well. Art Hill is a perfect example of one of the popular spots in Forest Park. It’s known for its lake basin at the bottom of the hill, and the Art Museum at the top. The lake basin has many beautiful locations for senior pictures with steps that lead down to the lake, shrubbery surrounding the lake, and beautiful bridges that cross over it.

The Jewel Box is another beautiful location known for all it’s beautiful flowers and small ponds. There’s even a stone structure that sits off in the distance from it. This is perfect for peeking around, leaning against, or even climbing up on. You can even stand in the open field and get the stone structure in your background.

The Muny is another popular and favorite location within Forest Park. The entrance makes for beautiful portraits. The covered walkway is the perfect location for senior pictures along with its ornate light fixture. Across from The Muny sits a beautiful lake with a gazebo in the center of it that also makes for a great background.

Another neat piece of architecture in Forest Park is the World’s Fair Pavilion. This is perfect for portraits inside the pavilion, leaning on the walls, standing out in the grass and getting it in the background, or even walking down to the water fountain. The water fountain is made up of water flowing over rocks into a small basin and is perfect for those toe dipping portraits or just standing on the rocks.

What you may not be as familiar with though is the waterfall that’s just down the hill from the Art Museum and along the golf course path. There’s even a section that’s beside the lake basin made up of pathways, flowers, trees, more bridges, and a creek that flows into the lake.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

The Jewel Box is one of the best locations for spring portraits. You’ll find tulips galore blooming. You can even head down to the creek near the lake basin to find flowers blooming all around the area.

Summer

Everything is alive and green now, but since it’s summer that means it’s hotter out and certain parts of the Forest Park don’t have shade. Even though Forest Park is big, it is busier now.

Fall

Because there are trees and pathways all around Forest Park, you’ll be able to find plenty of fall colors and leaves on the ground. Certain areas are going to be better than others for fall foliage, like walking down the pathways through the thicker wooded areas.

Winter

Between the wide-open areas and lots of barren trees in others, Forest Park doesn’t have much to offer in the winter unless it snows. During a good snow you’ll be able to find plenty of beautiful locations within the park that will make you feel like you’re in a winter wonderland.

Pricing and Accommodations

Forest Park is free to park and open to the public 7 days a week. There may be occasional weddings or events that go on in various locations around the park. Restrooms can be found throughout the park, but some may be inside other buildings like the museums.

Address

35-43 Fine Arts Dr, St. Louis, MO 63110. This is the address for Art Hill. It will take you to the Art Museum which is above the lake basin.

Senior Pictures at Forest Park

Owen
Forest Park
For Owen’s session we went to Forest Park down by the lake basin on Art Hill. He wanted some nature senior pictures during the fall, and the fall colors did not disappoint. Owen also mentioned…
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Paige
Forest Park
Paige wanted a short session to capture some fall colors in her senior pictures. When she found photos of the beautiful Victorian Bridge at Forest Park, she knew…
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Andi
Forest Park
Forest Park was the perfect location for Andi’s senior pictures. It had everything she was looking for and more. She wanted tall grasses, wildflowers, and fall colors, plus there were even rocks…
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Your Hometown

If you’re looking for somewhere beautiful, but want a little bit of a urban feel to it then look no further than your very own hometown. You know all the highlight spots in your town, places that are important to you, and maybe parks or businesses you visit a lot. Your hometown is the perfect way to make your senior pictures unique to you. Depending on where you’re from, your hometown could cover a one hour or two-hour session.

Check out my list of the top senior picture locations in St. Louis, MO to get inspired by more locations to have your senior pictures taken.

The Best Part About Your Hometown

Your hometown is where your roots are. You’ve grown up here, made lots of friends, hung out at your favorite coffee shop, and have many good memories. It’s also the perfect location if you’re not wanting to drive to far from home for senior pictures.

Every town has lots to offer. Most towns have some historic buildings in the area, which make for unique backgrounds. There’s always steps to sit on, tables and chairs outside of businesses to relax at, a local ice cream shop or coffee shop to purchase something to use in your senior pictures, and possibly a mural or two that would look neat in your background. Maybe your town even has a water fountain where you can sit on the ledge.

Towns are perfect for taking walking away or towards the photographer portraits, and if your town isn’t very busy at all you could even pose in the road. You most likely have some sort of interesting architecture or brick buildings around your town that are perfect for leaning against the wall portraits. Doorways are also perfect to pose in or in front of, especially if they have unique doors on them.

You can also get a mix of urban and nature if you take some down Main St. and then head over to your local park. Even if you feel like your park doesn’t have much to offer, there’s plenty of trees, benches, shrubbery, maybe a lake, and even some sort of building you can incorporate into your portraits.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

Spring brings regrowth, which includes blooming flowers and greenery. Your town most likely has potted plants around businesses that would look beautiful in your portraits. This also means that any trees in the area will add a burst of color to your senior pictures as well.

Summer

Your town might get a little busy in the summer, so that may mean picnics and other events are taking place. This is a great time to utilize those events and take fun picnic, carnival, or festival portraits. If you’re just wanting to take some portraits now that it’s warmer out, this is the best time. You can even use overhangs on buildings for shade or even buy an ice cream for portraits and to keep you cooler.

Fall

With the leaves changing colors and fall arriving, it may also mean that your town is decorating with pumpkins and mums. These all make for beautiful backgrounds in your senior pictures. You may even have some fall festival’s that you want to incorporate into your session. Your local parks will be filled with amazing fall colors as well.

Winter

Your town may love to deck out for Christmas and have lots of Christmas lights around it that would look great in your senior pictures, or maybe you just want to wait for it to snow to take unique portraits in the town you love. Either way would give you a different senior session that would stand out amongst the rest of your class. You also can avoid the trees in the winter by taking portraits with mainly buildings as your background if you’re not necessarily looking for snow portraits, but still want a winter session.

Pricing and Accommodations

It’s most likely free to park in your hometown, and you can walk the streets 24/7. The only things that cost and will close are the local shops. Some towns have public restrooms, while others don’t. You may have to go into a business to use the restroom is necessary.

Address

Wherever your hometown is located.

Senior Pictures in their Hometown

Emily
Hometown
For Emily’s session, she wanted to bring along her VW Beetle, take some portraits in a wildflower field, snap some images with her kitty, and spend some time at Lafayette Park. We were able to accomplish just that by taking some of her portraits in…
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Katie
Hometown
For Katie’s senior pictures, we kept it so close to home that we were in her hometown. We also drove just a little bit further to stop at the Salem-Baum Church for a little more unique…
Read More

Emmie
Hometown
Covid made porch portraits popular, so Emmie decided that there was no reason to leave her hometown, and decided to have a few 2020 graduation pictures taken right on her own…
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