St. Louis Family Photographer | Fall Minis in Forest Park

Saint Louis will always be one of my favorite cities. Many people know I am a military spouse, but many people do not realize that I am originally from Saint Louis. Because of military life and having little kids, it had been years since I was back in Saint Louis—one of my favorite places.

In August, one of my dear former teaching co-workers from my very first teaching jobs lost her battle with breast cancer. Losing her shattered me. Countless times this school year, I have wanted to hop on Facebook to send her a message and ask for her advice about something that went on in my classroom. While her loss still affects me, I know she has been very active in my life from up in heaven. Her funeral was no exception.

My mom lives in my old house, and we needed to do some work on it, so I had planned on visiting. A number of former students, friends, and family have been telling me for years that they wish that I could take their family photos. I had planned to offer sessions before my co-worker died, but my whirlwind trip back to Saint Louis in August gave me the opportunity to do something I had never done before. I had the opportunity explore it and look at very familiar places for the first time as a photographer.

I visited a number of locations, and luckily, I didn’t go with my first choice in Forest Park: the Jewel Box. While I love it, I didn’t think it would give me the variety in locations that I like for my family sessions.

I keep my families moving, and I love spots that have natural areas for seating and where I can get a variety of looks without having to move too far. As gorgeous as Jewel Box is, I didn’t think I could get the style I wanted there. Luckily, I found a great spot down near the Tidal Basin below Art Hill.

The best part of doing fall minis in Saint Louis is probably that I get the chance to connect with people I only see online. During the sessions I featured here, I documented a former student (whose mom was one of my all-time favorite teachers) who has a very similar job teaching English at an all-boys’ high school in Saint Louis, a college friend I haven’t seen in forever and her baby, and a relative (my mom’s cousin’s daughter… so what does that make her to me? Second cousin? BTW, she runs the website That’s What Che Said and is an amazing, creative blogger! Check her out!).

I didn’t know the families of any of these individuals, so getting to meet their kids and play was very exciting! In DC, almost all clients start off as strangers, so this was new for me as a photographer, and I cherished it!

To find out when I’ll be in Saint Louis next or to get on my calendar in the DMV area, e-mail me today at teresa@tcjdesign.com or send me a message through my contact page! I’d love to capture your family or love story!