Location Crusade: Unique Local Photo Spots

If you're looking for ideas on places to go in the St. Louis area for portraiture, here are some lesser-known but unique spots which are ideal for engagement, wedding party, senior or family portraits. The days of the Olan Mills pull-down backdrop and carpeted posing blocks are over! Admit it! Reach out into the natural world of sunlight, foliage, interesting architecture and new atmospheres which make you feel free and happy to bring out those smiles which aren't brought about by someone telling you to sit and say "cheese".



St. Charles' Historic Main Street

Main Street has everything: cobblestone streets, gazebos, stone ways, bridges, vintage building fronts, a train platform, the river, open parks and unique shops to gaze into. Grab ice cream and be merry!








 

Sunset Hills' Laumeier Sculpture Park (The Pool Complex)

Laumeier alone is almost a day's worth of picturesque and abstract locales for art lovers, odd balls, romanticists, and kids. It really has something for everyone. I've highlighted two aspects of Laumeier here, but there are many more sculptures, structures and odd shapes to jump in, sit on and pose around. The Pool Complex, located in the forest just east of the main parking area, is a very naturalistic wooden sculpture composed in the foliage and surrounding a stony basin with unique bridge-like architecture.


Laumeier Sculpture Park (Cromlech Glen)

Just down the forest path from the Pool Complex is this fascinating Cahokia-mound-like earthen structure with staircases which take you to the peak of the mound. Ideal spot for some fantasy wedding party poses (bring hiking shoes) or for that family portrait with the rambunctious kid. Can you see the child peeking around a mound or claiming his peak at the top? No sense telling your kid to hold still for the portrait, let her run with a stick and a smile!



South County's Bee Tree Park (Forest Trail)

Bee Tree has dozens of nice portrait spots, including the Steamboat Museum, distant Mississippi River, gazebo, lake, playgrounds, and various winding forest trails. The hiking trails are nice private spots for a fantasy wedding couple kiss... or an imaginative portrayal of Alice in Wonderland.

Playgrounds and parks are ideal locations for family photography involving children. Unless you have those oddball children who always cooperate and do everything you tell them to, I can tell you from experience that children will never cooperate when you sit them in a dark studio and shake toys in their faces to get them to subside the crabby expression. Kids always have a natural tendency to enjoy the outdoors. Why not put them where they want to be and capture their faces having fun where it's easy for them to do so?







Union Station's Marriott Hotel Lobby

Some local parks have covered pavilions which make outdoor photography do-able in the rain, but if the circumstances are wildly windy or below freezing, indoor and skylighted locales are nice alternatives. My personal favorite is this one. The interior decor is fantastic and vintage with classy art deco style, and there are many fabulous spots around this lobby where a couple can steal a poignant silhouetted kiss, or a vogue-ish bride can lounge to display her gown's full train. If you're looking for something really classy and effective indoors, this is your spot. Given that there is no wedding reception already taking place here, you can pretty much just walk right in and play around with the possibilities. *Recent update* it's kind of hit or miss if the hotel manager is around here, because if she catches you she'll shoo you away saying there's now a fee to be paid in order to photograph here. I say "Nonsense": see how many shots you can get before she catches you.


Your Favorite Coffee Lounge

A non-traditional, but unique idea for those looking to do an indoor shoot in an intimate, conversational spot. Maybe you're doing your engagement shoot based on nostalgia surrounding the fact that you and your lover first bonded over a cup of java. Or maybe you're an artsy teen or a book lover who spends a lot of time conversing or studying in such atmospheres. There are dozens of independent coffee houses in university areas in St. Louis. The indie places have much more character than chain shops and look great in photographs, especially those in more metro areas. Kayak's Coffee, Picasso's, Kaldi and The Gelateria are just a few names I can throw out of very picturesque coffee houses all over town. This concept also works for ice cream and gelato parlors. If you like the guy-meets-girl-over-a-malt-with-two-straws concept, this idea might be right up your alley.

There are many other indoor and outdoor spots in the St. Louis area for fun photography. Be inventive! If you enjoy sightseeing or interesting architecture or being out in nature or riding carousels, look into pushing past the norm and doing some photo shoots in those areas. The things you do which make you smile by default (and not because the photographer tells you) will turn out to be the best and most natural shots you can pose for. They also will capture you doing something you love. How many people have an affinity for posing on that chair in the commercial photo studio with the same white column which is in the background of every other person's photos? Didn't think so ;).

If you need more ideas for specific locales, ask me and I'll be glad to present more ideas or do some personalized Location Crusades for you!