Kimberly Chau Photography

If you haven’t figured already, I love the city of Austin. There is just something special and different about the place that makes me want to go back to visit often, and well, even want to live there!

I took a trip to Austin this past week for work and to hang out with friends. We did a lot of shopping, catching up, and of course, eating! Austin has some of the best eats in Texas, baby!

Our adventure started at Pluckers Wing Bar. Hot wings and fried pickles is a must when I visit Austin. It brings back fond memories of my college days (oh-so-long-ago) and satisfies my cravings for these delicious, finger-licking chicken wings! I have no iPhone photos to prove our great eats, so you’re just going to have to trust me on this one. ;)

The following day, my friends and I grabbed a yummy lunch at Rice Bowl Cafe. It’s new in Chinatown and serves the most amazing Szuchuan Beef Noodle Soup. My BFF, Risa and I shared a large bowl and finished it with a huge smile on our faces. Happy and satisfied. The meal was not complete without a side of Green Onion Pie. Another tasty addition to our trip! Again, I have no photos to show and drool over. But I do recommend my readers to visit the cafe for a taste. You won’t be disappointed!

For dinner, we treated ourselves to the wonderful, Fino Restaurant Patio and Bar. The environment was warm and inviting. I stepped into the room and my nostrils immediately filled with the aromatic flavors of the menu. Our orders were pure bliss, I tell you. I’ve never been so satisfied with a meal as good as the one I ate that night. We opened our night to a pork belly appetizer. It was topped and dressed with a soft-boiled, fried egg and green onion. When I broke the egg with my fork, the runny yolk ran down all the sides of the pork. Let me just say that I am a sucker for running yolk. It beats most all of the other ways to cook or serve eggs in my book. Scrambled eggs ain’t got nothin’!

The entrées were served with the freshest of herbs, spices, vegetables, and seafood. You just had to be there to taste it.

Our dessert was decorated with a creamy scoop of gelato deliciousness. Talk about MELT IN YOUR MOUTH! I still think gelato totally beats the frozen yogurt trend nowadays. Hands down.

Our final day on the trip marked an amazing food-hopping adventure! Risa and I savored the incredible flavors from Torchy’s Tacos, Mighty Cones, and Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop. First off, I have been longing to go try the cupcakes at Sugar Mama’s Bakeshop. After hearing a few of my friends rave about its goodness, I put it on my list of food places to try. And I must say, I am pretty excited about their selection and baked goods! We settled for the Southern Belle, a red velvet and cream cheese frosting treat and was neither overly sweet or dense. The texture of the cake was perfect and so was the frosting. Perfect. And when I find good cupcake shops, I do come back for more!

Mighty Cones was another popular “must revisit” trailer. We indulged in their chili-powered fries. Skinny. Nommy. And best dipped in their special recipe ketchup, which had a subtle sweetness from the roasted red peppers. YUM! This season, the trailer added fried pickles to their menu. The pickles was served with a jalapeño ranch, giving your taste buds just enough heat and sour from each bite. By the way, Risa and I noted that the delicious batter did not fall off the pickle. That’s how you know the pickle was fried right!

When we arrived at Torchy’s Tacos, it was apparent that the trailer brought many people far and near to its storefront. The reason is simple: Yummy and affordable tacos. I had myself a Mr. Pink and grabbed a bite of Risa’s Green Chile Pork. The carnitas in the pork taco was moist, tender, and perfectly simmered. As I am typing this post, my mouth still drools for that bite of carnitas. It was just that good! (I am slightly embarrassed to say that the carnitas tasted better than my boyfriend, Jeff’s. But I hope this comment comes off as a challenge for him to make more carnitas for everyone to refine his recipe!) As for my choice taco, Mr. Pink, I loved how the seared Ahi tuna blended with the cilantro, lime, and Chipotle sauce. My mouth danced to a medley of spicy, tangy, and fresh! All for under 10 bucks!

Full stomachs on the road back to Houston marked our end to a successful trip to Austin. I can’t wait to revisit Austin again. Until then, bon appétit!

Meet Marilyn + Andy. They’re the lucky couple that won my ultimate drawing not too long ago! Check the blog soon for more photos of this adorable pair!

Sometimes I spend my late nights up editing. Other times, I’m thinking and dreaming and thinking. It’s exciting to recap on the past and then imagine what the future might entail.

Being a photographer brings experiences that I can cherish, learn, and share, but also, worry, pain, and even cry over. Seriously, if anyone is thinking that starting a photography business is easy-peasy-lemon-squeezy, you’re wrong. I love my job and I honestly love every shoot I do. And I work hard at everything I book, which is why the pictures matter to me SO MUCH.

I’ve survived many occasions where I had the take in the bad days to continue to do what I’m doing. For example, the weather in Houston or the traffic always tries to spoil my precious time with a couple. Really, Houston traffic never greets people well. But once I bring the camera out and start clicking away, those little bothers float away and I’m zoned into capturing people happy, smiling and in love. It’s what makes my day go ’round. I try very hard not to let the perfect blue skies and puffy white clouds go to waste. I’ll take on Houston’s heat to shoot an engagement in lush, green grass. We rarely see that in the dry summer season.

However, Houston weather and traffic aren’t my only bothers. I care about things that every working person in America does: money, bills, investments, income, and healthcare. They all fall into my plate. While this year has been filled with many blessings and great clients, I sometimes forget that I’m doing this for God.

A few weeks ago, I stayed up late (just like I am tonight) and thought about how I got into photography. I was in elementary school and I begged my mom to buy me a pink 35mm camera at a retail store. She tried to convince me that it wasn’t a real camera, but a toy. I wouldn’t believe it. She finally got it for me as a gift and as I opened it, I confirmed it to her (with excitement and smugness in my eyes) that it had a back side for 35mm film. Soon afterward, she bought me a roll of film and I clicked away. Of course, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing. I just looked through the viewfinder and pushed a button. The photos came out all sorts of blurry, underexposed, overexposed, and streaked with colored lights. Some shots didn’t even turn out. Regardless, I remembered how fun it was to shoot and carry around my awesome pink camera.

As I grew, I progressed to big kid cameras. I took more shots on film and eventually moved into digital photography. I snapped photos of mainly people, then progressed to works of beauty in disguise. My influences in art classes definitely encouraged me to shoot differently.

By high school, I kept a blog of my work and updated it religiously. I posted daily accounts of my photo adventures for my followers to see and admire. Little did I know then that I would be heading into the field of photography. Merely a hobby at the time, photography served as an escape from the teenage wrestlings with school, relationships, and myself. With photography, I began to look at the things around my world through a new eye. And meanwhile, I found time to take in fresh air, stray from the dirt path, and reinvent my thoughts.

Did I mention that I shot with a point-and-shoot the whole time? Yes! My pocket-sized, silver-bodied camera served me well. At the time, it was the best small device from Canon. I brought it with me everywhere and I couldn’t be seen without it. Oh, right. My photo-taking skills were ninja. I snapped candids without people’s noticing and then would tag my friends on Facebook.

My first DSLR was a gift again. I contemplated long and hard about making the jump because it was a very expensive investment at the time. As I recall, it cost me and my mom a pretty penny. Of course, my thanks go out to Jeff for convincing me to splurge. That sole decision opened up a multitude of new opportunities where I began to investigate various photographic avenues.

In college, I took classes to peaked my interest in photography. I interned with photographers, worked with the university yearbook and newspaper team, and photographed many events paid and unpaid. Due time, I figured out where my talents and interests were and stuck with them.

Up to today, I cannot imagine how I would have gotten here without the extra encouragement from family and friends. Whether they realized it or not, their actions made an impact in my life as a person and as a photographer.

Earlier tonight, I wondered about the path that God might be calling me to go to. I should have seen it coming because about 8 years ago, I was sitting in front of my computer late at night editing photos for my next blog post. It’s incredible how He still loves and genuinely cares for me after these blessings were somehow taken for granted.

To admit the obvious, it’s challenging to find great joy and to openly serve God in a time where people idolize money, time, and their own well-beings so much. For me, this lesson is about trusting God with all of it–the numbers, the investments, and my life. I was reminded about why ‘I love to shoot’ and to me, it’s not as cliché phrase that every other photographer lightly tosses around, but rather a meaning. It gives me purpose to live this life as a photographer and to serve God and to capture people’s expressions as they let their walls down. I finish my shoots feeling happy and giddy, like an 8-year-old child running around with a toy, clicking away to store color, emotion, elation, and time. THAT is where I find great joy and I will continue to serve the Lord where He has called me to be.

Photographers need vacations too!

Honestly, as much as I LOVE being a photographer, I need to take a break every once in a while! This year’s wedding season has been intense and it continues to keep my weekends and even weekdays very busy. It has also taken a lot of time away from me resting, spending time with family, and chillin’ with my friends. I’m sorry fans, but I can’t take your calls past office hours. I do have to eat, shower, edit, and gain shut eye. You’ll thank me later for it. Trust me. ;)

So I have packed my bags and I am flying on a jet plane to a place with sweet summers and beaches. My next Tweet will be from OC, California! <3