This past Sunday was the Texas Monthly BBQ Festival. We had a lot of fun eating Texas BBQ, one of my favorite things! It was hot, but 90s hot not 110 hot. There were 21 BBQ vendors and we tried about 8 but part of the problem of getting too full was from drinking too much peach tea because it was hot standing in line. Next year we’ll pace ourselves a little bit more.
Busy summer…here is part 2 of the Chihuly glass exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum when I was there in June.
Did you know that the color of eggs vary by species and that ducks lay blue-green eggs? I think they are so beautiful! I was at Springdale Farm last Friday for a lifestyle photo shoot- actually that was the 2nd time shooting at that location. I also photographed architect, Eric Rauser on the front steps of the farmhouse last year for Austin Monthly Home’s Hot List. I can’t show you the images from Friday’s shoot for a while but while I was there I took a few pictures of the chickens and eggs. Here’s a fun fact: chickens lay their eggs in a designated spot but ducks lay eggs all over the place so it’s like an Easter egg hunt to find them! There is also a food trailer out front that sells coffee and beignets! I’ve been thinking about beignets ever since! They open for a farmer’s market on Wednesdays and Saturdays. Don’t you love the Aggie chicken coop? Gig’ em!
Austin 360 blog, Relish Austin featured me in their long running column “What’s in Your Fridge Friday?” Thanks so much to Addie Broyles for including me in this and I have to say, my whole family laughed reading this. My dog, Lucy certainly has us well played. You’ll see what I mean…Check out the article here.
The Dallas Arboretum really is one of my all time favorite places. I have gone to Dallas Blooms pretty much every year (including when I lived out of state!) since I was a kid. Chihuly glass sculptures are on display there until November 5th and it’s really worth checking out! They even have Chihuly Nights where they glass is lit up, which I would love to go back and see before the exhibit ends. Here are some pictures, more to come.
Printed promos I recently mailed out. These are two sided tri-fold promos. I like for my print promos to be the same size and shape for continuity and I also like being able to show 6-8 images on one piece. One is Texas BBQ and the other is a mix of the type of work I do: food, lifestyle, editorial, interiors. I used glassine envelopes and stitched each of them with my sewing machine. Since they fold into a squarish (5″x6″) they require a $.65 stamp but I like the orange butterfly, it goes with my branding. If you’re reading this and think, I want one too! shoot me an email, I’ll be happy to send it to you!
New Tear Sheets- the yummy kind! I shot most of the recipes in Paula Deen’s Chocolate Celebration, which is on news stands now or you can buy it here. This was published a few years ago and was popular so they issued it again! There are some great recipes in this, the Boston Cream Cupcakes is one of my favorites and there are even a few savory recipes. The cake on the cover was the best chocolate cake I have ever had. I shot the original cover with that cake as well. Ah, the perk to being a food photographer, especially shooting chocolate desserts!
Third on our stop to discover who has the best legendary Texas BBQ was Kreuz Market. Kreuz began as a meat market and grocery store in 1900 and used to be housed in the location where Smitty’s currently resides. A family rivalry led them to moved to a newer building in 1999, the first one you will see when you head into town. Apparently they have resolved old issues as the family is opening a new restaurant in Bee Cave, which you can read about here. There is no BBQ sauce and no forks at Kreuz, which I really like. They have a sign on the wall stating: “No Barbecue Sauce (nothing to hide) No Forks (They are at the end of your arm) No Salads (Remember no forks) No Credit Cards, No Kidding (see owners face)” Kreuz also sells BBQ ham but they were out when we got there so I’ll definitely need to go back soon. Their brisket was delicious!
You may also like to see these similar posts: Smitty’s Market Blacks Barbecue BBQ Roadtrips
To continue the Lockhart BBQ quest of who has the best legendary Texas BBQ? with Blacks Barbecue. I thought their brisket was great and I enjoyed meeting Eric Black. Blacks is the oldest BBQ house in Texas to be owned and operated by the same family. Blacks was the first to exclusively use the brisket cut of beef, which is now a staple to BBQ across Texas. Here are some pictures of the atmosphere at Blacks Barbecue. You may also like to see Smitty’s in this post.
You may also like to see these similar posts: Smitty’s Market Kreuz Market BBQ Roadtrips
We headed down to Lockhart to taste for ourselves, who has the best legendary Texas BBQ? We went to Blacks, Smitty’s, and Kreuz Market to sample the food and check out the atmosphere at each. Smitty’s Market is located in the old Kreuz building. The building was so unique, which I really love about BBQ culture: the layers of charcoal smoke covered walls. Their fires are on the floor! It was really one of the most stunning places I have been. I really appreciated their hospitality as they let me photograph all over the building. Their ribs were my favorite.
You may also like to see these similar posts: Blacks Barbecue Kreuz Market BBQ Roadtrips
Lately we have been spending our weekends exploring outside Austin. Last weekend we went to Bastrop State Park to see how things have changed since the horrific wildfire last Labor Day. I had passed through Bastrop shortly after the fires and it was an erie site. The ground was completely covered in white ash and all the trees were black. I couldn’t take pictures of it in that state, it just didn’t feel right to me. It was nice to see that the spring rain we had brought some green back to the landscape. Park rangers are waiting to see if the Lost Pines come back. They would have to survive the fire and the drought.
New tear sheets from Southern Lady magazine interiors of a southern home, and brand new book, Entertaining Cookbook with delicious food and beverage recipes. The magazine is on news stands now through August and the book can be purchased here.
I Love Texas Photo featured me today! Check out the full interview here.
This is a personal project collaboration with Style Me Foods. We are experimenting with ice and other melting foods. I’m really excited about shooting on the ice in particular and we are having so much fun. Stay tuned for more to come!
You might also like to see this related post: Popsicles
The Austin American Statesman featured three homes I photographed for the Cool Homes Tour in today’s paper. The tour is this Sunday, June 3rd and guide books can be purchased at Tree House. More info and images are on their website here.
