Lafayette Park

If you’re looking for a park that has it all, you’ve found it. Sitting on 30-acres Lafayette Park has ponds, woods, two brick buildings, flowers at any time of year, a stone pathway, rod iron fences and gates, and beautiful historic homes that surround the premises. You won’t need to go anywhere else if you take your senior pictures at Lafayette Park, because you can easily spend two-hours 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 Lafayette Park

Lafayette Park is fenced off with a beautiful rod iron fence that periodically has large gates. These are perfect to lean on, stand next to, or even sit by. You’ll even be able to get some of the surrounding historic buildings as your background.

The park even has a historic building right on the grounds that’s made of brick with a small garden growing outside that’s filled with flowers and large leaves. The doorway on this building is perfect to stand in, or even take a seat on the steps in front of it for a different perspective. There’s even a brick building with arched windows that stands in the middle of the park. This is perfect for leaning against, writing your graduating year in chalk on one of the bricks and pointing at it, standing in front of, or even sitting on the large steps.

In between the two buildings are two ponds. One pond has a fence around it that’s perfect for leaning back against, or you can go around to the other side and sit on the steps or directly next to the pond. The other pond has lots of shrubbery growing around it, a pathway, and even benches. This gives you a lot of photographic opportunities. There’s even a bridge that goes over the lake that you can stand under.

Go on top of the bridge and you can stand in the middle of it, or you can even sit or lean against the side of it. Lean back on it and you’ll be able to get lots of trees as your background.

Nearby the bridge is a gazebo that’s surrounded by plants. You can lean against the poles on the gazebo, or head down to the side of it where all the plants are for a lovely background.

The park also has plenty of open spaces to get just trees and grass in the background, or you can walk down one of the many paths that go around the park for some fun and different portraits. There’s even a stone pathway that’s surrounded by trees, flowers, and even tall grasses that are perfect to sit in. The stone pathway is great to stand or sit on, and even has stone steps that are perfect to sit on as well. There’s even a bench down the path that is surrounded by greenery, making it a perfect spot for senior pictures.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

Spring is the best time to head down by the stone pathway. This is the area that grows the most flowers, making it the best spot for portraits with flowers in the background. The trees and grass will also be regaining color, and the weather will be warming up slightly, but not too much that you feel too hot.

Summer

Even though it’s hotter in the summer, Lafayette Park is a very shaded park with all the trees. You’ll still feel warm, but you won’t have the hot sun beating directly on you in majority of the park. Summer also means all of the trees and grass have fully regained their color, and summer flowers are now blooming in the park.

Fall

With trees galore, you'll easily find fall colors here. This also means you’ll find a lot of leaves scattered across the grass and pathways. You can even grab a bunch of them and throw them in the air.

Winter

Lafayette Park is a great place to take senior pictures when it snows. You’ll feel like you’re in a winter wonderland as you traverse through the open spaces of the park. The brick buildings and bridge also make for beautiful, snowy portrait locations.

Pricing and Accommodations

Lafayette Park is somewhat busy and absolutely free. It’s open 7 days a week to the public. There are occasionally weddings that take place. The restrooms are located in a brick building in the center of the park, across from the pond with the water fountain.

Address

2023 Lafayette Ave, St. Louis, MO 63104. This is the best spot to meet up in the park.

Senior Pictures at Lafayette Park

Alyssa
Lafayette Park
Alyssa wanted to go to Lafayette Park for her senior pictures, and she absolutely killed it! From looking stellar to bringing along the perfect props (including her pup), Alyssa was…
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Jadon
Lafayette Park
When Jadon was looking for a place to take his senior pictures, he spotted a photo I had shared with an iron rod fence and that was his selling point. So, we went out to Lafayette Park and…
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Emily
Lafayette Park
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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Kimmswick

Kimmswick is a small-town gem located about 30 minutes outside of St. Louis. It’s the perfect location for a short session, as it’s filled with buildings from 1859, stone arches, and cabins.

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 Kimmswick

Kimmswick is perfect for senior pictures in a small, quiet town. There are a variety of historic buildings with different seating arrangements outside that are great for seated portraits. You can even find a few barns here and there to lean against if you’re looking for a different pose.

Head over near the river to find some old stone arches. These arches are fantastic for standing in between, leaning against, sitting on the wall, or even standing in front of the gate. You can even find an old walking bridge nearby the railroad trestle, which makes for great standing portraits. This is the perfect spot to show off your serious look. If you’re looking for some portraits by the Mississippi River, you can follow the road under the railroad trestle and back to a parking lot. Sometimes you may even catch one of the steamboats that dock in Kimmswick.

The cabins are perfect for a different scenery. You can look at your reflection in the window, lean on the windowsill, or even sit or lean against the buildings. There are also some fences around the town that make for perfect scenery too where you can lean on them or place one hand on the top of the fence.

As you drive or walk around Kimmswick, you’re bound to find something that pops out to your eye, whether it be a barn, the cabins, or a cute little shop that you think would make the best background. This small town is always celebrating something, so they’ll most likely have cute decorations all around town to celebrate whatever is going on, like a truck full of mums and pumpkins in the fall.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

Spring is a great time to have senior pictures taken in Kimmswick, because the weather is cooler, the trees and grass are turning green, and the local flowers planted around town are blooming. Daylilies bloom at the beginning of June and are even celebrated in Kimmswick with the Daylily Festival.

Summer

With everything in bloom and the warmer weather finally here, Kimmswick makes the perfect small town for senior pictures. You can grab an ice cream to cool off or even grab a tasty treat from the Blue Owl Restaurant, all while taking some fun portraits . The warmer weather does bring out more people though, so it can get busier.

Fall

With all the beautiful colors of autumn appearing, Kimmswick makes for amazing fall portraits. The stone arches are especially good, because all the leaves fall on and around them, decorating them in reds, yellows, and oranges. There are also fall themed decorations throughout Kimmswick, like a truck filled with haybales and pumpkins at the front of town.

Winter

Kimmswick loves to celebrate the seasons, so if you’re looking for winter portraits that either includes snow or not, this small town is the best. With houses decorated for Christmas, you’re sure to find some beautiful and fun lighting to include in your background from Christmas lights. If you go out after Christmas, the town still works well as all the historic buildings make for amazing backgrounds.

Pricing and Accommodations

Kimmswick is free to park, and you can walk the streets 24/7. The only things that cost and will close are the local shops. All the shops are closed on Monday.

Address

6035 2nd St, Kimmswick, MO 63053 will take you near the center of Kimmswick.

Senior Pictures in Kimmswick

Emily
Kimmswick
As the beautiful orange, yellow, and red leaves started to disappear, Emily asked for some fall senior pictures. Despite the fact we were losing some of the fall colors, we were able to find plenty of them around…
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Sandy Creek Covered Bridge

Sandy Creek Covered Bridge is a small location surrounded by woods, has a small creek running through it, and its main attraction is the beautiful, red covered bridge that extends over the creek. If you’re looking for a short session, Sandy Creek Covered Bridge is the perfect location for you.

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 Sandy Creek Covered Bridge

It’s not just a covered bridge, it’s also a beautiful, wooded area with a creek you can dip your toes in. The creek can either have a rock background, or you can have the covered bridge in your background. Depending on what part of the creek you stand, you can either stand on a gravel bar or in the weeds.

There are some spaces that are perfect for getting the woods specifically as your background. You can either sit on a big boulder near the parking lot, stand in front of the woods that surround the park, or even cross over to the other side of the covered bridge to find a small pathway that’s surrounded by trees and plants. You can even sit on one of the few picnic tables that are within the park to get a beautiful, wooded background.

Around the creek grow tall grasses that are perfect to stand and pose in. These are great for modelish style poses where you gaze off into the distance, or even look at the camera and laugh. You can do similar poses in the small patches of weeds, but you can sit in them instead.

The highlight of Sandy Creek Covered Bridge is the covered bridge itself. It’s perfect for leaning against the white fence that leads up to it, and getting the covered bridge in your background, or you can even step inside and take some portraits standing in the middle of the bridge. You can also sit or lean against the sides of the bridge for a full, architectural wood background.

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

Spring brings new life to Sandy Creek Covered Bridge. With trees and wildflowers blooming, now is the perfect time to catch all the beautiful light green colors that surrounded the covered bridge. The creek water may still be cool though if you’re thinking about standing in it.

Summer

All the color has returned to the park and the creek water will feel great on your feet during the hot summer. With all the plants having regrown, you’ll even find some tall grasses to stand and pose in. This also means the pathway will be full of life now that the plants have color again. You may even find a few wildflowers blooming.

Fall

Fall is the perfect time to head down to Sandy Creek Covered Bridge. With the covered bridge being red, it fits in perfectly with the fall colors. Since the area is surrounded by woods, you’ll find lots of beautiful fall colors engulfing the area and plenty of leaves falling on the ground. The path will especially have leaves scattered around.

Winter

Since there are so many trees around Sandy Creek Covered Bridge the only thing with color will be the covered bridge itself in the winter. During a good snow, this park can transform into a blanket of white. The covered bridge will pop out in the white snow and will make for beautiful snowy portraits.

Pricing and Accommodations

Sandy Creek Covered Bridge is quiet and absolutely free. It is open to the public 7 days a week. There are restrooms located next to the parking lot.

Address

9090 Old Lemay Ferry Rd, Hillsboro, MO 63050

Senior Pictures at Sandy Creek Covered Bridge

Porter
Sandy Creek Covered Bridge
Porter wanted to go somewhere close to home, so we headed to Sandy Creek Covered Bridge since it was only a few minutes from him. When Porter got to his session, he looked so snazzy with his tie on. He had…
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Emily
Sandy Creek Covered Bridge
As the beautiful orange, yellow, and red leaves started to disappear, Emily asked for some fall senior pictures. Despite the fact we were losing some of the fall colors, we were able to find plenty of them around…
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Sunflower Field

Sunflower fields can be found in a variety of areas around St. Louis that are usually about 30 minutes away from St. Louis County. They can make for beautiful, summertime senior pictures. The bright yellows from the flowers will make your portraits pop and give off a warm and happy feeling. You can easily spend an hour in any sunflower field.

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 Sunflower Fields

Sunflower fields usually have a beautiful backdrop of green trees, making you and the sunflowers stand out against everything else. Certain fields even like to park tractors and old trucks near the field for you to sit on and stand next to, giving you even more variety of poses.

This is the prime time to wear your cowboy hat, cowboy boots, and ripped up jeans. The sunflower fields scream country rustic. Solid colors, like white or black, compliment the sunflowers perfectly and help set you apart from them.

The fields can be a bit dusty too, as the sunflowers are growing out of the dirt, but this is the perfect opportunity to take some fun barefoot portraits as well. Some poses that are great in the sunflowers are peaking around the sunflowers or through them, sitting on the ground in front of them, standing in the middle of them, holding out a sunflower, and even standing on the pathway between the sunflowers.

Some fields won’t let you pick or cut the sunflowers, so it’s recommended that if you want to hold a sunflower in your portraits that you bring a fake one with you as a prop.

What to Expect Each Season

Sunflowers have a very short time span for when they bloom. They usually start about early to mid-July and last until late August. Sometimes they can go into early September, but it’s not very common, and what’s left may be wilting at this point. Each field only lasts about two weeks. If you’re looking for sunflower senior pictures, it’s best to aim for July in case the flowers start to bloom earlier or later than expected. This will give you ample time to adjust your session date and you won’t be hoping sunflowers are still blooming at the last minute.

Some years the sunflowers can be shorter than others. It depend on what the farmer plants. The shorter ones can be shorter than the average person, and the taller ones can be taller than the average person. Short or tall, they’re always beautiful and make for amazing senior pictures.

Here are some fields that are known for growing sunflower fields every year and when they tend to bloom:
Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area: Blooms start early to mid-July and last until about early August. There are multiple fields planted, and sometimes they can be hard to find.
Eckert’s: Blooms start about mid to end of July and can last until early August.
Brookdale Farms: Blooms start about early August and last until mid-August.

Pricing and Accommodations

Different sunflower fields cost different prices, and they vary by the year. Some of them have restrooms while others do not. Depending on the day and time, sunflower fields can either be quiet and empty or filled with other people. Most have parking accommodations, whether it be a parking lot or gravel lot.

Address

Sunflower Fields vary by the year, but some of the most popular ones are at:
Columbia Bottoms Conservation Area 801 Strodtman Rd, St. Louis, MO 63138
Eckert’s 951 S Green Mt Rd, Belleville, IL 62220
Brookdale Farms 8004 Twin River Rd, Eureka, MO 63025.

Senior Pictures in a Sunflower Field

Emily
Sunflower Field
Sunflower fields have become a popular trend and beautiful location for senior pictures, so Emily knew exactly where she wanted to have her session. We had to wait a little bit though…
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Emmie
Sunflower Field
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…
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Your High School

Having senior pictures taken at your high school can be a great addition to your locations. This is the place you’re graduating from. The place that holds lots of good memories. It’s the perfect location to wear your cap and gown at too if you choose to wear it at your session. This is a great location 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 Your High School

Maybe you had a lot of memories going to all the football games and want some portraits in the grandstands or down on the field. Both are great spots to take senior pictures at your high school. You can sit in the bleachers with your team's name in the background or get a shot of you standing or sitting on your school’s mascot in the center of the football field.

Standing or sitting by your school sign is another perfect spot at your high school to have portraits taken. If you have a statue outside your school that represents it or means a lot to you, that’s also a perfect spot. If your school sign is up on the building, you can always lean up against the wall or stand far back from it and have it in the background of your portraits.

You can even take some portraits just around the building. Lean against the wall, sit in the grass, walk through the parking lot, or sit in your parking spot. There may even be something unique to your school that most others don’t have that you could consider incorporating as well.

If you love the inside of your school or want to remember walking down the hall’s you can always take some inside portraits as well. Lean up against the lockers or wear your cap and gown and jump in the air in the hall. Walk down the hall with a peace sign in the air to say, “peace out high school.”

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

If you have beautiful flowers or trees planted around your school, this is a great time to take senior portraits there. They’ll finally be blooming, and your school will look much more lively with all the greens from the trees and grass, and any colorful flowers planted will pop out.

Summer

There may not be as many activities going on around your school at this time of year, so there may not be as many people around when you’re down on the field or around the building. Everything will fully be in bloom so there will be plenty of beautiful colors from all the plants. If you have a small pond outside of your school, then you won’t have to worry about it being frozen and can use that as another spot for portraits.

Fall

The trees will be turning orange, red, and yellow which would give your senior pictures beautiful color, especially if you don’t have many flowers around during the spring. The football field may be busier though with football in season and them needing to practice. The parking lot may be busier as well.

Winter

There’s not really any plants blooming during the winter, so you probably don’t have many leaves on trees or green grass. Unless you want to take senior pictures in the snow at your school, there’s probably not much scenery at this time of year. This is, however, a good time to take indoor portraits since you won’t have to worry about scenery.

Pricing and Accommodations

Your school parking lot should be free to park. There may not be access any restrooms. You may also need to get permission from administration ahead of your session.

Address

Wherever your high school is located.

Senior Pictures at their High School

Ella
Fox High School
Ella has such a passion for being a part of the theatre. The most important part of her session included visiting her high school and taking pictures in the school auditorium at Rickman. She also loves visiting Forest Park, so she…
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Emily
Fox High School
With Emily’s senior year coming to a close, so were her senior pictures. After working with Emily multiple times throughout the year, it was finally time for her cap and gown portraits at her…
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