Rock City

If you’re looking for a unique location with a grunge aesthetic, look no further than Rock City. This old quarry turned park makes for perfect senior pictures around an old and abandoned stone building. You can also find a hiking trail surrounded by trees for some nature portraits, and head over by one of the caves for a unique background. Rock City is perfect 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 Rock City

Rock City isn’t your urban city or your wooded forest. It features an old stone building with rusty doors, glassless windows, and even boulders around the premises. There’s a concreate structure that is perfect for leaning against or sitting next to, and the open caves left from the quarry are perfect for dark backgrounds. They even have a wooden wall left up that’s perfect to stand next to, sit against, or lean on.

The building itself offers many spots for portraits. You can climb up on the window ledge and lean back against the window or sit on the ledge. The doors are also great for leaning on, and the boulders make for perfect seats. Step away from the building a bit and you can take some portraits with it in the background, whether you’re standing or sitting.

And if you’re looking to add a bit of nature to your senior pictures at Rock City, just step on over to the beginning of the trail where there’s tall grasses and trees galore. This path is surrounded by nature. You can climb in the tall grasses, sit or stand on the path, or step into the trees. If you walk a little further down the path, you can even climb up on some of the boulders that were blown out of the caves when the quarry was active.

Disclaimer: It is illegal to trespass inside the building or inside the caves. This is for your safety.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

In the spring, the area is surrounded in beautiful light greens from all the trees. It livens up Rock City a bit, giving the background behind the old stone building a bit more color. This also engulfs the trail in beautiful color as well.

Summer

Rock City is out in the open sun unless you walk down the trail a little way, so it can get hot. Everything is now blooming though, so the trees will give the background some color against the stone building. You’ll even have color on the trail since it’s surrounded by trees.

Fall

When it turns fall here, everything starts to blend. The trees turn orange, red, and yellow and are perfect for beautiful colors down the trail. This is also the perfect spot to find a lot of leaves falling off the trees if you want a leaf covered pathway or leaves to throw. The old stone building is also a red and orange tint, so it fits in well with the fall colors.

Winter

All the plants are dormant now, so the trail won’t have much color at all, but the old stone building and cave don’t need many or any plants in the background at all. This makes Rock City a good location for winter portraits since you won’t need to worry about seeing many dormant plants in the background. You can also come out here after it snows for some unique senior pictures.

Pricing and Accommodations

Rock City is a fairly quiet and absolutely free park that’s open to the public 7 days a week. There are no public restrooms.

Address

1411 Boulder Blvd, Valmeyer, IL 62295. You’ll want to park in the very first gravel lot to your left.

Senior Pictures at Rock City

Justin
Rock City
For Justin’s senior pictures, we traveled around Monroe County, IL. From a hometown graffiti wall, to Salem-Baum Church, and the abandoned Rock City, we captured a variety…
Read More

Richie
Rock City
For Richie’s senior pictures, we thought the best location would be Rock City. It fit perfectly with his laid-back personality. He also wasn’t a big smiler, so his serious look…
Read More

Brittany
Rock City
Rock City was the perfect location for Brittany’s portraits. It made for an amazing backdrop that complimented her serious looks and grunge style. She was ready and…
Read More

Jefferson Barracks Park

You probably know of Jefferson Barracks Cemetery, but right by the cemetery is Jefferson Barracks Park which is made up of an old U.S. Army post. With a historic stone stable and house, small garden, wooden archway down a path, historic brick building, and large bridge you won’t fall short of finding the perfect background for your senior pictures. Jefferson Barracks Park is perfect 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 Jefferson Barracks Park

Within the park you’ll find a historic brick building with green doors that sits nearby the trail. This building is perfect for standing in the doorway, leaning against, or even sitting in the field of grass nearby. The trail even has tall grasses that are perfect for standing in or in front of.

There’s even a large bridge that goes over the railroad tracks and leads to the Mississippi River. This is perfect for leaning against the bridge or sitting and standing in the middle of it. You can even cross over to get some portraits with the river in the background.

The highlight of the park though is the historic stone stable and house. You’ll never run out of ideas for poses here with the beautiful buildings, garden, fences, and wide-open field. The doorways are great to stand in and lean against the side of the door or place your hands on each doorframe. You can even stand in front of or lean on the stable doors. The stable even has a windowsill you can sit in.

Nearby the stable is a wooden fence that you can lean on, sit next to, or stand on the opposite side of. Head over to the side of the house for beautiful portraits either standing or sitting on the pathway. You can even step into the garden for a few portraits as well or lean against the lamppost. As you wrap around to the back of the building, you’ll find a low, rod iron fence that you can lean against or sit next to.

As you reach the back of the house, you’ll find a wooden arch that’s perfect for standing between, leaning against, or sitting against. You’ll also be surrounded by nature as trees grow all around the stone pathway in the back. You may even be able to spot a few deer back here.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

With spring means color is returning to the park. This also means that the few flowers around back of the historic stone house are blooming as well. There aren’t many flowers that grow in Jefferson Barracks, but this spot is bound to have some.

Summer

All the trees and plants are filled with color and the garden is growing. This means your backgrounds will be filled with beautiful green colors against the grey or red buildings and makes for the perfect time to sit in a grassy field.

Fall

Fall is the perfect time to visit Jefferson Barracks Park. The trees surrounding the area will be beautiful and filled with oranges, reds, and yellows. They’ll also cover the ground in the leaves, giving you the perfect amount for leaf throwing portraits.

Winter

Since there are so many trees and plants that grow in Jefferson Barracks, there won’t be much color in the area, especially because the stone buildings are grey and the doors on them are blue. But when the park is covered in a blanket of snow, you’re bound to find the perfect backgrounds.

Pricing and Accommodations

Jefferson Barracks Park is quiet and absolutely free. It is open to the public 7 days a week. There may be occasional events around the park. Restrooms are located in various locations.

Address

345 North Rd, St. Louis, MO 63125. This will take you to Jefferson Barracks Visitor’s Center.

Senior Pictures at Jefferson Barracks Park

Grace
Jefferson Barracks Park
Talk about a stunning, young woman. Grace needed a place to have homecoming pictures taken with her friend, and what better place than Jefferson Barracks Park. We took such…
Read More

Kaelyn
Jefferson Barracks Park
Being Kaelyn’s senior year and last prom, she wanted some professional pictures taken. Her large group thought that it would be fun to take a few at the prom venue, but then…
Read More

Maeystown

Nestled away in Southern Illinois sits the old German town of Maeystown. Founded in 1852, this beautiful, small town offers old stone buildings, wooden sheds, brick buildings, a lovely creek, and an old stone bridge. Maeystown is the perfect location if you’re looking for a different location than the rest of your classmates all while offering an old, German town feel.

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 Maeystown

From creek side to storefront, Maeystown offers a variety of beautiful backgrounds for your senior pictures. Many of the buildings are made from stone, or have an older style to them. These buildings are great for leaning on or sitting next to, and some businesses even have seating arrangements outside, like a swinging chair. There’s an old stone church where you can stand in the doorway or sit on the steps. Along the sidewalks there are even old, stone retaining walls that make for neat backgrounds.

The town also sits on a hillside which makes for great and different perspectives for your portraits. It’s a quiet town with virtually no hustle and bustle, so you can stand in the roadway for a few portraits too. Just down the street is the old, stone bridge which makes for a unique background. You can stand in the creek or sit in the grass with the bridge in the background.

The creek is perfect for kicking your feet around in the water as well. Follow it down a bit further and there’s a perfect spot where you can sit on some old stone steps or stand or sit in the grass with rock as your background, along with the creek.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

The weather is still cooler out and the creek might be a bit colder than you’d like to stand in, but the trees and grass are starting to bloom again. There aren’t many flowers around the area except for those planted by locals. Some of the flowers that are blooming are planted down beautiful stone path alleyways.

Summer

Summer is the perfect time of year to take creek portraits down by the stone bridge. You’ll be able to cool off, kick your feet around, and walk away with stunning portraits. Everything is also green at this time of year including a large tree with ivy growing up the side of it. You can even grab an ice cream from Corner George Inn Sweet Shoppe to cool off and take some fun ice cream portraits.

Fall

The open field is the perfect spot to find fallen leaves on the ground, but the town in general has trees surrounding the area just waiting to turn to beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows. Leaves will decorate the creek to give you that pop of warm, fall colors down by the stone bridge. The hillside is also covered in trees and makes for the ultimate fall backdrop.

Winter

There’s not much in Maeystown during the winter, but this small town is beautiful blanketed by snow. Head down by the stone bridge for some beautiful, snow filled creek portraits or twirl around in the snow in the open grass. This town would make for awesome faux fur coat or vintage winter portraits.

Pricing and Accommodations

Maeystown is quiet and free to park. You can walk the streets 24/7. The only things that cost and will close are the local shops. This is a fully functioning town with many buildings being residential or commercial, so there are no public bathrooms.

Address

1103 Mill St, Maeystown, IL 62256 is a good place to park. This is between Around the Corner Coffee Company and Hank and Lilly’s Creekside.

Senior Pictures in Maeystown

Emily
Maeystown
When Emily’s mom approached me about senior pictures, she said she would love some taken down by the old, stone bridge in Maeystown. And that’s exactly…
Read More

Eckert’s

If you enjoy picking fruits and veggies, or just want a farm aesthetic for your senior pictures, then Eckert’s is the place for you. No matter what season it is, there’s always something growing that makes for beautiful scenery in your portraits. You can easily spend an hour or more having your portraits taken 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 Eckert’s

Eckert’s is ever changing. With different produce growing each season, you’ll have a variety of scenic opportunities.

The pumpkin patch makes for a perfect fall backdrop where you can sit surrounded by pumpkins, stand in the middle of the pumpkin row, or even hold a pumpkin or two.

Apples and peaches make for the perfect portraits where you look like you’re picking them or sit under a shady tree with a basket full of them. You can even have a little snack and take some portraits while you take a bite out of them.

The sunflower field is perfect for fun, summery, bright yellow flower portraits. You can easily peek through the sunflowers, stand in front of them, or pose down the dusty pathway in between the rows.

Corn fields are also fun to get lost in and take similar portraits to those in sunflower fields. Stand in the corn and push it to the sides to peek out or stand on the dirt path with corn surrounding you. Even take a seat on the ground to get the full effect of being surrounded by corn.

Eckert’s also has tractors and trucks parked around the vicinity that add to the country feel. You can lean against them, sit by them, or even climb up in the truck bed or on the tractor seat.

If you’re looking for more trees than fruit, Eckert’s grows Christmas Trees as well. You can stand in the middle of the rows, peek around the trees, or lay a blanket on the ground and sit under them.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

With spring means all the decorative flowers are now blooming around the farm. This also means blackberry and strawberry season is here. These are perfect for nice, bright backgrounds as the berries will stand out against the greenery in the area, especially the bushes they’re growing on.

Summer

Summer is one of the most known times of year to head to Eckert’s with it being apple picking and sunflower season. You can even find peaches around the beginning of July. Blackberries are still growing for a little while longer too. This also means all the trees and grass are full of color, along with surrounding fruits and vegetables that are getting ready to pick, or even if they’re past season. You’ll be surrounded in lively color no matter what part of Eckert’s you’re at.

Fall

Not only are there beautiful fall colors and leaves falling around Eckert’s, but it’s also pumpkin season. This is the perfect time to head down to the pumpkin patch for pumpkin portraits. You can still catch apple picking season if you’re wanting some portraits with apples as well. The corn maze is ready to be traversed in the fall too.

Winter

There may not be much left growing in the winter, but there are Christmas Trees. Whether you’re looking for snowy portraits or not, these trees make for fun and nice green backgrounds. If it does snow though, the ground and Christmas Trees will be blanketed and make for wonderful winter wonderland portraits.

Pricing and Accommodations

Eckert’s is free to park, but they do charge a field pass fee, whether you’re picking fruits and vegetables or not. There are bathrooms in the main buildings, but not out in the fields.

Address

Belleville Location: 951 S Green Mt Rd, Belleville, IL 62220
Millstadt Location: 2719 Eckert Orchard Ln, Millstadt, IL 62260

Senior Pictures at Eckert’s

Emmie
Eckert’s
Emmie just knew that she had to have some sunflower senior pictures taken when she heard they were growing at Eckert’s! Not only did we find beautiful sunflowers growing…
Read More

Bee Tree Park

With a stone mansion from 1929 overlooking the Mississippi River, a small fountain, stone gazebo, beautiful flowers, an open field, and beautiful red barn on a 192-acre estate, Bee Tree Park gives you the perfect variety of backgrounds, especially for shorter 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 Bee Tree Park

The highlight of Bee Tree Park is the stone mansion. There are two sets of stone steps you can sit or stand on, and multiple doorways that are perfect for a variety of poses. Flowers also bloom around the building, giving portraits an extra pop of color. Behind the mansion lies a beautiful scenic overlook of the Mississippi River where you can sit or lean on a stone ledge and capture the gorgeous overlook in the background.

Nearby the mansion sits a water fountain with a stone edge to sit on or lean back on and a stone gazebo where you can sit on the stone bench or stand in. Both make for some lovely senior pictures.

Opposite the mansion is the beautiful, red barn that’s great if you want some country or rustic style portraits as well. There are both big and small barn doors to pose in front of or lean on. There’s even a small piece of a fence that still stands that you can lean against and have the barn as your background.

To the side of the barn is a wide-open field that is outlined by trees. This is the perfect area if you want to sit in the grass or lean on some nearby trees and have an open field as your background. You can even bring a fun chair along and place it out in the field to change up your senior pictures.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

If you’re looking to incorporate flowers into your session, along with the structures and open fields, spring is the perfect time to take your senior pictures at Bee Tree Park. With flowers blooming around the mansion, beautiful flowering trees on the premises, and other budding bushes you’re sure to have plenty of portraits with flowers in them.

Summer

The Mississippi River may not be totally visible anymore, but the trees and grass are green, the fountain is running, and it’s no longer cold out. You’ll be able to take portraits where your background isn’t just buildings, but also beautiful and lively greenery. This is great for portraits by the gazebo because you’ll have plenty of color in your background.

Fall

With the park being surrounded by trees, you will no doubt find fall foliage here. And with all the trees also means lots of leaves across the pathways as well. The barn also fits in perfect with a fall, country vibe. You’ll even be able to view the Mississippi River at the overlook better now that the leaves are beginning to fall off the trees.

Winter

Winter means that the trees are barren, and the grass has gone dormant. While there is no more greenery, the overlook is as clear as can be to see the river, and the mansion and barn are still great backdrops. You can always wait for it to snow to take some winter wonderland portraits. The field makes a perfect location for this with the snow-covered trees in the background, along with using the other buildings as backdrops as well.

Pricing and Accommodations

Bee Tree Park is absolutely free and open to the public 7 days a week. There are restrooms located across from the barn parking lot.

Address

2701 Finestown Ave, St. Louis, MO 63129

Senior Pictures at Bee Tree Park

Maddie
Bee Tree Park
Bee Tree Park made for the perfect, end of fall senior pictures that Maddie was looking for. There were colorful leaves all over the place, and the orange and tan colors from…
Read More

Emily
Bee Tree Park
Emily had some senior pictures taken in the fall, but she wanted an extra, shorter session for a few spring portraits along with a few of her with her cap and gown. We decided to do…
Read More

Brannagan
Bee Tree Park
Brannagan wanted to adventure somewhere he had never been before, so we decided to do his short session at Bee Tree Park. Despite the fact it was in the middle of winter…
Read More