Amanda Harris 8/24/22 Amanda Harris 8/24/22

Richie | Serious and Somber

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…

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 went really well with the grunge feeling of the abandoned building and quarry. Check out Richie’s images below!

Amanda Harris 8/23/22 Amanda Harris 8/23/22

Konarcik Park

Konarcik Park is the best location for any time of year. With pine trees that keep their color in any season, a lake, a metal building, and a creek tucked back in the woods you’re sure to find the perfect background here no matter what the weather is like. Konarcik Park has so much to offer that you can spend two hours taking senior pictures 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 Konarcik Park

Pine trees cover the back half of Konarick Park, which are great for portraits with the lake and the pine trees behind you or make for the perfect forest to walk through. The sun even likes to peek through the pine trees in the evening, casting a beautiful, warm sun ray in your background.

The pine trees make for perfect sitting, standing, leaning on one of the trees, or even walking through the forest portraits. You can also bring a chair along and place it in the middle of all the trees to take portraits where you are surrounded by trees.

You can sit lakeside, or even lean up against the tree that grows on the edge of the lake. Maybe you like to fish and want to incorporate some fishing portraits into your senior pictures as well. The lake is in the center of the park, so you can easily move about and get it in the background of your portraits from a variety of angles.

Around the perimeter of the lake, you can find a blue tinted tin shed if you want to change up the scenery a little bit. This is perfect for leaning back against. There’s even a small set of stone steps next to one of the pavilions that are great for sitting on. At the front of the park is a wooden fence that you can stand on the opposite side of and place your hands or rest your elbows on it.

Pass through the pine trees and head down the path to find a small creek surrounded by large rocks, and a bridge to cross over the creek. The bridge is great for standing, sitting, or leaning on and gives you a forest background. Head down to the creek to dip your toes in the water or sit on some of the dry rocks.

Senior-Girl-Sitting-Chair-Metal-Outdoors

What to Expect Each Season

Spring

Trees and grass are starting to turn green, and the occasional wildflower is starting to bloom near the creek. The surrounding premises around the pine trees also are beginning to regain their color. It can still be a bit cool out, so the creek may feel a bit cold if you stand in it barefoot.

Summer

The trees surrounding the creek have full color and you may spot a late blooming wildflower here or there once summer hits. This is also the perfect time to dip your toes in the creek as the water will feel cool on a hot summer day.

Fall

While the pine trees don’t change, the surrounding trees will be changing into beautiful fall colors. Down by the creek you’ll find leaves scattered across the path and lining the creek. The water may be getting a bit cold at this time of year, but you can still dip your toes in if you want to or you can just sit on the leaf covered rocks.

Winter

When all the surrounding parks don’t have any greenery anymore, Konarcik Park will be full of color in the pine trees. You won’t have to worry about dull and boring backgrounds. However, when it snows Konarcik Park turns into a winter wonderland and is perfect for snowy portraits.

Senior-Boy-Sitting-Waterfall-Fall-Leaves-Forest-Creek

Pricing and Accommodations

Konarcik Park is quiet and absolutely free. It is open to the public 7 days a week. There are restrooms located on the far side of the lake.

Address

5303 Konarcik Rd, Waterloo, IL 62298

Senior Pictures at Konarcik Park

Senior-Girl-Blue-Background — **Emily**
*Konarcik Park*
Emily wanted some outdoor senior pictures, but she wasn’t sure where to take them. After learning where she was from, I suggested Konarcik Park since it was close to her. Talk about the…
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Guy-Standing-Woods — **Henry**
*Konarcik Park*
As a nature and animal lover, Henry wanted to take his senior pictures surrounded by nature and somewhere with a creek. Konarcik Park was the perfect mixture of nature, creek, and even a…
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Bald-Senior-Girl-Konarcik-Park — **Claire**
*Konarcik Park*
For Claire’s session we decided to head out to Konarcik Park. It may have been a little overcast at times, but that didn’t stop us from capturing beautiful portraits. Claire has alopecia…
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Amanda Harris 8/22/22 Amanda Harris 8/22/22

Kaelyn | Party at the Barracks

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…

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 to head off to Jefferson Barracks Park for a bit more variety. With beautiful blooming flowers, a gazebo that’s perfect for two, and open spaces for the whole group, the park made the perfect location for her senior prom pictures. You can view some of my favorites below!

Amanda Harris 8/21/22 Amanda Harris 8/21/22

Brittany | Grunge Girl

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…

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 willing to try any pose and was a natural at serious facial expressions. Scroll down to see all the great images we captured!

Amanda Harris 8/20/22 Amanda Harris 8/20/22

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…

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.