We've moved!

My blog has a new address on my new site!  www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com/blog
The amazingly talented Andrew Pogue helped me with my new site and was able to move all my old posts over to the new digs.  I'm so thrilled!   I hope you check it out!Tweet

Taco Feature / Austin Food Photographer

When Austin Monthly asked me to photograph their taco feature in the SXSW issue I was pumped!  I'm always up for eating...I mean shooting tacos!  Yum!  The tacos were shot specifically for this layout, which I think looks great with the white background and text.  It's graphic and cool.  I even saw Rachael Ray make crab and apple guacamole on Good Morning America this week inspired by the guacamole pictured on page 7 at La Condesa!  Please pick up a copy on news stands now or purchase here.

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Is Yellow the New Blue?

How beautiful are the yellow wildflowers growing along the highways around Austin?  I think they're so pretty but it turns out this invasive plant called Bastard Cabbage (what kind of flower name is that?) and they are taking over the areas where the bluebonnets grow.  I've still seen bluebonnets popping up everywhere though, but I can tell they're harder to see when these yellow guys are around.  More info about this plant can be found here.

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Spring Flowering Trees

I love to photograph flowering trees every spring.  This is the Texas Redbud in full bloom all around my neighborhood.  The bees and butterflies are also a fan of these pretty pink and purple trees.

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Paperwhites in Bloom

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Fabulous

Last fall I had the pleasure of photographing the stunning new store design for Burberry in Dallas.  Sleek and modern with both masculine and feminine touches with white walls, dark wood floors, and back lit wall displays.  It's a beautiful space with beautiful things!

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Cool Modern Interior

Check out this cool modern interior I photographed for Lane Design Studio based in Austin.  I really like the color and pattern in the master bedroom.  The vignette with the orchid is the homeowner's collection of tiny chairs.  So cool!  How about that panda painting in the little boy's room, is that edgy or what?  The color and pattern she used really makes this older home feel brighter and cheerful.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotograph.com

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Texas Photo Roundup

I am on the committee of volunteers planning Texas Photo Roundup, a marketing strategies and professional portfolio review event in Austin on February 3, 2012.  I'm really excited about the response we have received!  This event is a hosted by the Austin/San Antonio chapter of ASMP (I'm on the board of directors) and Austin Center for Photography.  There are still spots open for the morning marketing seminar and students and ASMP or ACP members get a discount!  Here is the flyer if you want to check it out.

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Gingerbread, Baking, and Pretty Packaging

My favorite tradition of the entire year is baking Christmas cookies.  After 40 sticks of butter and 5 bags of powdered sugar, my freezer was too full to add any more and I had to stop baking.  This tradition (and many of the recipes) came from my neighbor growing up.  We always looked forward to her cookies so I know exactly how friends and family feel, especially when they call to tell me that they ate them all!  It brings me a lot of joy, especially to add local clients to the list this year!  

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Pecan Pie

It wouldn't be Thanksgiving without pecan pie, according to my hubby Scott and our family friend, Cole, who hosted Thanksgiving this year.  Made from scratch, of course!  They said it was one of the best pecan pies they had ever had...what's the secret?  I added 1/4 tsp of chocolate extract!

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It's Fall in Austin

It's definitely fall in Austin.  The days are shorter and the mornings are chilly but the afternoons have been pleasant and sunny.  Fall isn't usually very colorful down here, at least not like it is up north, but this morning the crepe myrtle tree planted behind our fence burst into color and I just couldn't resist!

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Purple Petals

About a month or two ago I thinned out my purple shamrock plant (oxalis triangularis) and stuck a few of the cut stems in a vase of water instead of throwing them away.  To my surprise they didn't wilt and die within a few days, but thrived and grew roots.  To my pleasant surprise, I noticed yesterday that the roots had grown a couple stems of their own.  If you have never seen this plant, the petals close up at night and open like this in the mornings, and it also has purple flowers from time to time.  It always comes back and is my favorite house plant.

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Texas Photographer

I rediscovered this today and thought I would post.  This was actually from Labor Day, remember the smoke from the Leander wildfires?  That was behind this field where a couple of Longhorns were grazing...except for the one posing of course.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Food Photographer / Eggs

I decided to have breakfast for lunch today.  Scrambled eggs, bacon, rice, and cheese mixed together -it's really good if you've never tried it.  I set the eggs down on the counter and the photography angels started to sing.  We just moved in a couple weeks ago and I'm happy to have found "my place" to shoot with natural light...the kitchen island across from a north-facing window.  While the rice was cooking I started to play.  Now this feels like home.  For the record, I only buy cage free eggs (for the sake of the chickens) and I highly recommend this to you as well.  They don't cost much more, and each carton has a palate of lovely brown shaded eggs.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Marburger Farms Fall 2011 / Austin Travel Photographer

It's that time again, Marburger Farms Antique Show in Round Top, Texas.  I went for opening day on Tuesday and to visit with two of my good friends from Birmingham.  It was a wonderful day full of treasure hunting and about six hours of walking.  Here are some of the goodies there this year,  To check out the pictures from last year click here.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Vacay Cont. Rockport, MA / Austin Travel Photographer

To conclude my summer vacay in New England series, is Rockport, Massachusetts.  This was the last day of our trip and this town is right up my ally!  Rockport is an absolutely charming coastal town with plenty of great shops, sailboats, history, so much pretty!  One of the famous landmarks in Rockport is Motif #1, which is the red fishing shack known throughout the world and featured in many paintings and photographs.  Apparently it got its name from an illustrator and etcher who spent his summers in Rockport teaching students.  He must have been tired of everyone sketching this building so he called it Motif No. 1 and it stuck.  I liked this moment I captured with the duck swimming past and the glasslike surface of the water.

We mostly just walked around and went in a couple shops before they closed.  Lula's Pantry is a great cooking store and the owners were so nice.  We enjoyed chatting with them and they also have a back deck for viewing the harbor.  That giant flaky pastry I'm holding is called an Elephant Ear from Rockport Fudgery; a delightful cinnamon/sugar crunchy thing that was bigger than my head!

We really enjoyed this town and I definitely recommend the drive to spend a summer day or two there if you're ever in Boston.

To see the other posts in this series:  Plymouth Rock,   Plymouth: Burial Hill,  Cape Cod,  Porches of New England,  Newport, RI,  Providence, RI,  Boston,  Beaches of Gloucester 

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Beaches of Gloucester, MA / Austin Travel Photographer

These are some of my favorites from our summer vacation in New England.  The last day of our trip Scott and I explored the coast of Massachusetts.  It was a rainy and dreary day, but I love the look it brings to these pictures.  This is Good Harbor Beach in Gloucester and the rocky shore is Stratesmouth Landing Cove between Gloucester and Rockport.  In the mid 1600s fisherman began fishing in this cove and they would brine and dry their catch in the sun to ship to England, the caribbean, and other far away destinations.    

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com   Austin travel photographer, Austin Editorial Photographer

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Leander Wildfire Labor Day

The last two days central Texas has been burning with wildfires.  The largest fire so far is in Bastrop, a fire of biblical proportions.  There is also a fire about a mile or two from where we live, in Steiner Ranch that has also been burning since yesterday afternoon.  Early this evening a fire was burning in Leander, here are a couple pictures I shot on the way home tonight.  This smoke is from the Leander fire.  It was mostly white smoke and in the first image you can see the darker smoke as well.  If you looked over the horizon on the other side of the sky you can also see smoke from the massive Bastrop fire.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Austin Editorial Photographer

Check out some of the stories I shot in the September issue of Austin Monthly and the Fall issue of Austin Monthly Home, on news stands now.  This is a new magazine for me so I wanted to share a glimpse.  I shot the Dining lead in Monthly & a portrait and interiors from Heather Scott Home & Design for A.M. Home.  Thank you to Meredith Greagor for my "Contributing Photographer" picture.  I'm rarely on the other side of the camera so this was great to have!  I hope this will be the first of many more photo shoots in the future, it was a lot of fun to work with a new team.  You'll have to pick up a copy to see the rest!   :)

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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New England Vacay Continued: Boston / Travel Photographer

We went to Boston for a day and checked out Paul Revere's house.  A bit wonky as you can see but amazing to have that piece of history still standing with the city built around it.  See the sky scraper in the background?  They don't allow pictures inside unfortunately but here are a few of the outside.  I really like the paint color actually, it's back in style!

From there we went to the Old North Church where the lantern was hung as a signal to spread the word quickly that the British troops were coming.  You may remember this verse from the poem, Paul Revere's Ride, "One if by land, and two if by sea."

We also drove to Cambridge to check out Harvard University.  This is how the smarties of Harvard spent that Sunday afternoon.  My mom had to join them for a picture. haha.  She really could have attended an Ivy League school if she wanted to but she went to Mizzou (University of Missouri).  In the search for a bathroom at Harvard we came across this giant magnifined glass (by the way this word is not in the dictionary...it's supposed to be magnifying glass but I always thought it was magnifined...right?)  Obviously I wouldn't qualify for Harvard for not knowing the correct spelling/pronunciation of this word.  Anyway, this thing is filled with water and pretty awesome.

At the end of the day we checked out the USS Constituation, which was built at the order of George Washington in 1797.  The ship was also nicknamed "Old Ironsides" during the War of 1812.

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Gettin' Sauced / Austin Food Photographer

This was the hottest weekend of the year in Austin, but we braved the 110 degree heat on Saturday for Gettin' Sauced, a BBQ sauce festival and contest from the guys at Man Up Texas BBQ.  Taste of the South handed out their southern BBQ issue with the Texas BBQ story I shot for them.  Scott and I waited in a very long line for Franklin Barbeque to get sandwiches for his parents since we dragged them along for a mandatory break from painting cabinets.  It was like standing on the face of the sun but we had a good time, good food, good beer, and looking forward to next year...hopefully with more shade.  :)

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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New England Vacay: Providence, RI

Post #6 from my New England vacation this summer.  We had breakfast in Providence, Rhode Island Sunday morning.  I always loved the TV show, Providence and was excited to see the area, also the home of Brown University.  Scott and I walked around while we waited for Paragon to open for breakfast.  The 22 picture is actually a light pole with layers and layers of staples from posted flyers.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Vacay: Newport, RI / Travel Photographer

Since we were in Rhode Island for my cousin's wedding, we decided to take a few extra days of vacation to see New England.  The morning of the wedding day, we drove to Newport, RI where we had breakfast at Franklin's, a local favorite.  After breakfast we walked around the historic neighborhoods, (previous post on porches here), enjoying the nice sunny day.  There were so many beautiful flowers blooming, including hydrangeas, one of my favorites.  We had frozen lemonades from Del's, a favorite treat for Rhode Islanders.  Newport is also well known for its mansions, and is definitely a place I would like to return to for a longer stay, and include a trip to Newport Beach next time.

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Beautiful Porches of New England

New England is rich with American history and beautiful historic buildings and homes.  Here are some of the beautiful porches I shot while walking around this historic neighborhood in Newport, RI.  The 3rd porch is the Ernest Coggeshall House, c. 1880.  The 4th and 6th porch is the Levi Gale House, built in Greek Revival style by architect, Russell Warren in 1835.

 

Austin Travel Photographer

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Vacay: Cape Cod

More pics from my recent trip to New England.  From Plymouth we drove to Cape Cod for a few hours at the recommendation of my neighbor.  That's Scott and my mom wading in the water.  The day we arrived it was only 65 degrees, and we're talking July!  I was freezing but it was a nice break from the 107 degree days we are having in Austin this summer.  Soft sand, blue skies, shell searching, and a bag of Cape Cod Salt & Vinegar chips!

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Plymouth Day 2

Burial Hill overlooks Plymouth Harbor and is one of the oldest cemeteries in America.  The Pilgrims built their first forts atop this hill with cannons facing the harbor.  The first winter, only about half of the Pilgrims survived, and the deceased were buried in unmarked graves because they didn't want the indians to know how many they had lost.  There are gravestones from the 1680s including the gravesite of William Bradford, the governor of Plymouth colony, (It's the tallest one pictured, set 2)  They are in the process of repairing some of the earliest gravestones as many are falling down or are broken.  You can see this on the gravestone of Edward Gray from 1681.  The stone with the green vines on the lower right is of Alexander Scammell 1747-1781.  He taught the public school on this site and was also a Colonel and General in the Continental Army, mortally wounded at Yorktown.  Adjacent to Burial Hill is the First Parish in Plymouth, a Unitarian church built in 1620.  Burial Hill is a beautiful place to visit with a peaceful setting amongst the trees and a view of the harbor and town below.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Austin Photographer: Vacay in Plymouth

We were in Rhode Island for a family wedding, so we took a few extra days to travel around New England and explore that beautiful area of the country.  First stop was Plymouth, Massachusetts.  Of course we just had to see Plymouth Rock, which was not at all what I was expecting.  Still cool...but I could probably wrap my hands all the way around it...okay, not really but it's no bigger than a kitchen table.  The structure around it is nice with the columns and view of the water.  The pilgrims settled here because there was a fresh water source close by (6th picture) and they also had the ocean, so it was a perfect area...minus the threat of Indians and bone chilling winters that is.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Austin Interior Photographer /Featured on the Heather Scott Home Blog

Just wanted to share a behind the scenes look at a recent photo shoot for Austin Monthly Home, featured on the Heather Scott Home & Design blog. They have a fabulous store in the Arboretum in Austin with beautiful furniture and decor that I love!  It's kind of fun to see a photo shoot from a different perspective.  I will definitely start working on my posture!  It was sweet of them to give me a little shout out as well.  :)

Here is the link if you want to check it out.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Happy 4th of July!

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Fun in Branson

I can't believe how big these kiddos are now!  Miss Megan will be two in a month and Jonah is four going on twelve.  I took a few pictures of them last month when we were in Branson.  It was such a short trip so I wanted to spend time with them and play instead of being behind my camera the whole time.  Probably a good idea, I am pretty sure I had water spilled on me at least three times.  :)  Little Megan and her pacifier...its kind of surprising you can understand every word she says with that thing in her mouth.  Jonah is so smart and a very sweet brother, it's neat to have conversations with him now that he's bigger.  He's a little like me, sticks to his guns and then gets upset when he gets in trouble...like he didn't see it coming, or didn't care if his principles were more important.  Megan is so funny and unique I really miss being around her.  I love how she says, "Hi Keymee"  (Kimmie).  We both share a love and appreciation for chocolate and food.  Two evenings we made smores together, which was the first time they ever had them.  So I set down some pieces of chocolate and graham crackers while I toasted the marshmallows and little Megan ate at least 6 little pieces of chocolate...and that was after she had a whole smore to herself!  Ha!  This was followed by a very large belch and everyone laughed.  Cuteness all around.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Grapevines in Augusta /Travel Photographer

Just wanted to share a little pretty with you.  I ran across these pictures I took a few summers ago when I was in St. Louis visiting family.  I love this warm glow on the grapevines I photographed in a vineyard in Augusta, Missouri.  I'll be going back this fall!

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Eureka Springs /Travel Photographer

Last month my mom, and my aunt, and I drove up to Branson with a detour to Eureka Springs, Arkansas.  I had no idea this little jewel of a town existed, it is charming as can be.  The name gives it away, but there are natural springs throughout the town, many of which are surrounded by gardens in full bloom.  We stayed at a bed and breakfast and watched the sun rise with a great view of Christ of the Ozarks.  We were only there for less than a day, but I will definitely be going back. 

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Scott & Lucy

I took this the other day during Lucy's evening walk.  Everyone asks us, what's "his" name?  So she has a pink leash, not so great for Scott though.  I love that early evening glowing light backlighting this scene.

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More from Cindy's Garden /Austin Photographer

Last time I posted pictures from my mother in law's garden and these are lemons from her lemon tree.  Since it's 101-103 degrees here in Austin EVERY DAY this week I think its time to make some lemonade!

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One Year in Austin

One year ago today, we officially moved to Austin.  My last photo shoot in Birmingham was Thursday and Friday we finished packing, painting, cleaning, and Scott and Lucy and I drove down to Point Clear, while my in-laws kindly drove all night to Houston with the truck.  (I'm pretty sure we got the better end of that deal!)  Why on earth would we drive to the coast of Alabama?  To photograph my friend and photo stylist extrordinaire's wedding the next day.  It was actually nice to keep that commitment because it was a good distraction from moving at the same time.  I was happy to move back to Texas but of course it's sad to leave friends and my job, but we would be starting a new journey.  So Friday- leave, Saturday-wedding, Sunday-drive to Houston.

Monday morning we left Houston early and arrived in Austin around 9 a.m. to find that our apartment wasn't ready.  It was a disaster!  The counter tops were scratched up, there was no shower head, the cabinet was broken, we couldn't open the dishwasher, the microwave door handle was broken, the patio was covered in chalk or something that had been there two weeks before when we came apartment scouting.  It was clear they had not done anything but paint.  Another surprise was the $30 a month valet trash fee they tacked on to the lease.  Who the heck needs valet trash..and for thirty bucks?  I think that is a frivolous waste of money.  So that set me off into tears.  It was supposed to be an exciting day that came crashing to a halt by the reality of sometimes things don't work out.  All day the apartment office did nothing to fix any of it.  When the gas man game to turn on the hot water heater he red tagged it for being severely corroded and we did not have hot water all night.  Sounds like it was a super fun day doesn't it?  At least we ended the day with BBQ from Rudys.

Here is the back of the moving truck-and this is after some stuff had been unloaded.  Every nook and cranny of that thing was packed!  Glad we got the big truck and not a POD.  We don't even have that much stuff, I mean we don't live in clutter or nick-nacs or anything like that but you wouldn't believe it with all of our belongings crammed into one space.  

So one year has passed and I really can't believe it has flown by at record speed.  Luckily our house sold a few months ago in Birmingham so that was a relief but the market there was hit hard and we ended up losing a lot. It's sad, but it could have been worse.  We are still grateful every day that we live in Austin.  I think moving away was the best thing I have ever done because I had great opportunities and got a ton of experience.  It's true that absence makes the heart grow fonder, we missed Texas, missed the bluebonnets, missed the Mexican and brisket, missed the beauty and everything about it that makes it home, including a much shorter drive to see our families.  So here we are, one year later.  Work is starting to pick up for me, I've been active with ASMP, I was a guest lecturer at the Art Institute, made some friends here, and I really do like living here...and I say that on a 101 degree day!Tweet

Homegrown Garden / Austin Photographer

There is no produce as fresh as what you grow in your own back yard.  My mother in-law has a charming garden surrounded by a white picket fence that my father-in-law built for her, and she grows produce all year long in the south.  I have never had more delicious carrots than the ones that I plucked myself, straight from the earth in her garden.  There is a distinctively different rich flavor from organic  home grown produce, that is hard to find in a grocery store.  She grows tomatoes, garlic, onions, broccoli, carrots, melons, arugula, peppers, and corn...just to name a few.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Strawberry Patch / TX Editorial Photographer

Now that we are living in Texas again, we happily spend weekends exploring our home country and recently went to Fromberg's Farm in Alvin, TX, while visiting Houston.  A magnificent oak tree seems to watch over the fields, where acres of strawberries grow, ripe and ready for the picking.  There were mostly families there, and I asked a little girl what she was going to make with all those strawberries in her bucket, to which she replied, "We're gonna eat em!"
I would love to go back and photograph a picnic or table setting under that oak tree in the golden glow of a summer evening, surrounded by fields of strawberries.

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Homestead Heritage / Austin Lifestyle Photographer

Just north of Waco is a quiet little town called, Elm Mott, TX.  Nestled just a few miles off the beaten path from I-35 is Homestead Heritage at Brazos De Dios.  This is a special place, where a community of homesteaders live and work in a way that hasn't changed with technology or modern conveniences.  They value craftmanship, family, and sustainability.  They make and sell hand crafted furniture, pottery, and fiber arts, as well as bakery items in the cafe.  I had lunch there recently on my way home from Dallas and I spent a few hours walking around taking pictures and enjoying myself.  The working Gristmill is a really interesting feature on the property.  I bought some grits to take home, and enjoyed talking to the man working the mill, who took time out from what he was doing to talk to me about how it worked and said that the building itself was from the 1750s.  There were several things I had not seen since I was last there, including the Fiber Arts shop, where the women were weaving and shades of colored yarns rest on wood beams overhead.  I always enjoy browsing the items for sale at the barn and pottery shop.  It really is an enchanting place to visit, but go on a day when the cafe is serving the strawberry cream pie.  It is probably the best dessert I have ever had...that didn't have chocolate in it that is!  They were out that day, guess I'll just have to go back again soon!

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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Austin Editorial Photographer / Easter 2011 San Antonio, TX

Scott and I went to San Antonio for Easter, just because we could!  Being back in Texas, we really appreciate how short the drive is to San Antonio, the hill country, and to visit family.  My favorite place for breakfast in San Antonio is The Guenther House, I mean look at the yumminess!  It's located in the King William Historic District and was the home of the original owner of Pioneer Flour and also serves as a museum with a great gift shop.  After we had breakfast we took a walk among the beautiful historic homes and enjoyed seeing an area of the River Walk that I had not been before.  It was definitely spring as there were a lot of little ducklings swimming in the water  They were so cute!  We walked off enough of our breakfast to have a late lunch at our favorite Mexican restaurant, Mi Tierra Cafe.  Now I am hungry just thinking about it!

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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TX Food Photographer

I recently had the pleasure of photographing Chef Dean James Max and the food/beverages at his newest restaurant, Asador in Dallas, TX.  The images are running on the Yellow Cab signs throughout Dallas!  Here are three of my favorite versions.  The food was delicious by the way and the menu is based on seasonal ingredients made by open fire cooking.

*Update! Someone sent me a picture of one of the signs on a cab.  It's cool to see the finished product!

www.KimberlyDavisPhotography.com

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