Instagram story viewer> @sekondtry> Posts

Sekondtry / St Louis Photographer

@sekondtry

23.1K

followers

498

following

Taking photos of whatever, wherever, whenever.
Available wherever the work takes me.

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Download All

Saturday afternoon in St. Louis, a four alarm fire ripped through an occupied four story apartment building near Union and Waterman in the Central West End. The first heavy fire was reported around 3:20 pm, and within minutes it pushed into the roofline.

By the time the street filled with sirens, crews were already committing big resources. Three aerial waterways went up to hit the fire from above, and roughly 80 firefighters were on scene as the response escalated.

Then winter showed up to make it worse. All that water turning instantly to ice meant the city warned people to avoid the area because streets and sidewalks were getting dangerously slick.

This is what a scene like that feels like from the curb.
Air that tastes like wet ash.
A steady roar you can feel in your chest.
Ladders rising like steel silhouettes.
Windows breathing smoke.
And firefighters moving with that calm focus that only shows up when everything is trying to go sideways.

No injuries were reported.

If you live in this city, you know these blocks. Today they look normal. Saturday they were lit by strobes, headlamps, and orange glow, with warming buses staged nearby for displaced residents.

St. Louis Fire Department, thank you for doing the work most people never want to see up close. taken in St. Louis, Missouri by @sekondtry

14k

114

8 months ago

Practice day one at the BMW Championship.

St. Louis, Missouri. taken in Bellerive Country Club by @sekondtry

3

14

2 months ago

@zedd under the @gatewayarchstl. taken in Gateway Arch National Park by @sekondtry

749

45

3 months ago

Everything feels possible today. taken in St. Louis, Missouri by @sekondtry

175

7

3 days ago

When you don’t get approved for a photo pass and sneak one in anyway…

Make what ever you got work for you. @turnstileluvconnection FOREVER

Never Enough Tour St.Louis Mo 10/07/2026 taken in GCS Ballpark by @sekondtry

636

44

2 days ago

Yesterday in North St. Louis, city officials and firefighters gathered to address a growing problem involving damaged fire hydrants across the city.

In recent days, dozens of hydrants have been vandalized, with brass connections and other components removed, leaving some unable to function normally when firefighters arrive on scene.

Mayor Cara Spencer joined St. Louis Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson as crews demonstrated a temporary solution that allows firefighters to access water from damaged hydrants while repairs continue.

The city estimates the damage has already resulted in more than $250,000 in costs.

Photographed September 30, 2026, in St. Louis, Missouri. taken in St. Louis, Missouri by @sekondtry

325

16

9 days ago

The fellas doing what they do best. @stlouisfiredepartment taken in St. Louis, Missouri by @sekondtry

452

6

4 days ago

1st alarm fire from yesterday in the city at Page & Belt. Two vacant properties involved.
@stlouisfiredepartment @stlcitygov taken in St. Louis, Missouri by @sekondtry

943

11

6 days ago

A few of my favorite frames from the last few years documenting the St. Louis Fire Department.

Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to be on scene for some incredibly intense fires across the city. Being able to document these moments up close has given me an entirely different appreciation for the people doing this work and the situations they walk into every day.

There’s so much happening on a fire scene that never makes it into a single frame, and trying to capture the scale, intensity, and people behind it has become some of my favorite work to photograph.

If you’ve ever had questions about what it’s like photographing alongside the fire department, being on scene at fires like these, how I approach the work, or anything else, feel free to ask.

Always grateful for the access, the trust, and the opportunity to document it. taken in St. Louis, Missouri by @sekondtry

1k

44

9 days ago

@citizentheband live in the Lou! @thehawthornstl might not want my photos or me to get passes but we make it work! 😂 taken in St. Louis, Missouri by @sekondtry

3

12

10 days ago

Downtown, St. Louis. September 2026.

I spend a lot of time walking these streets with a camera, but some of the best moments have nothing to do with taking a photograph.
They start with a conversation.
I talk to people from every walk of life downtown. People working. People creating. People passing through. People who have been here their entire lives. People having a good day and people having one of the hardest days of their life.

Everyone has a story.

The camera gives me a reason to stop, but the conversation is usually what I remember.
Downtown can look like a hundred different things depending on who you ask. I think that’s part of what keeps pulling me back. There is no single version of this city. There are thousands of them, walking the same sidewalks every day.

And I genuinely don’t care about how you feel about who I choose to photograph. I’m not going to pretend someone doesn’t exist because their life makes you uncomfortable. An unhoused person is as much a part of this city and deserving of being seen, heard and treated with dignity as anyone else I meet on these streets.
I’m not interested in showing you a sanitized version of St. Louis. I’m interested in the people who are actually here.
These are a few of the people I’ve met along the way.
St. Louis, as I see it taken in St. Louis, Missouri by @sekondtry

168

4

8 days ago

-ST. LOUIS PHOTO WALK-

Saturday, September 26, 2026
10 AM until whenever
Coffee Stamp
1228 Washington Ave, St. Louis, MO

Bring your camera, your phone, or just come talk and walk. All are welcome. We’ll grab some coffee and head out to explore Downtown St. Louis together.

RSVP by sending me a DM so I can get a headcount.

See you there.

#STLPhotoWalk #StLouisPhotography #DowntownSTL #sekondtry
@shamueld with the photo 🤘🏻 taken in St. Louis, Missouri by @sekondtry

3

9

18 days ago