The Best BBQ in Dallas Fort Worth? I think so!
A while back I had the pleasure of working with BJ and Amber (one of my recent bride and grooms) of Anchor Marketing and Design to create images for a new website. The shoot was for a simply amazing BBQ restaurant in Haslet called Avondale Station Barbeque and I’m pleased to say Anchor just finished their new site! I cannot stress to you enough how good this place is! Avondale Station is run by Mitch Tidwell, and owner by his father Mike. Mitch went to culinary school to become a chef and apparently he learned a lot, because seriously people…this stuff is amazing. I’m from Texas, so I am kind of a BBQ snob, and I know what good BBQ is and what good BBQ isn’t. Their brisket is the most tender through and through brisket at any restaurant I’ve been too. The pulled pork is so tender that is falls apart as you take a bite out of it. The spicy link sausage has just enough kick. The fries are homemade right in the kitchen and cut from whole potatoes. This place is seriously the real deal and I have absolutely no problem driving 30 minutes from where I live to eat there.
Avondale Station BBQ
12259 Business Hwy 287 N.
Fort Worth, Texas
info@avondalestationbbq.com
www.avondalestationbbq.com
817-439-4623
Anchor Marketing and Design
I also can’t speak highly enough of the work Anchor Marketing and Design does. BJ and Amber have become great friends of ours since their wedding and I am consistently blown away by their work. They handle website design, graphic design, branding, advertising, social media marketing, and search engine marketing. Amber is also a regular contributor to Jennifer Adams Design and Lifestyle blog, so check that out to.
The Shoot
For the photo shoot, I had BJ and Amber on hand to get input for the website that these images would ultimately be for. We all had a quick meeting to go over shots needed and then we all worked for a few hours getting menu items plated and ready for their close ups.
The Setup
The set up was fairly simple. We shot the menu items on a table in the restaurant near a window that had great natural light pouring in. I set up a 4 foot, white backdrop behind the table with two 580 EX II flashes shot through soft boxes. One was at camera left shooting down at the food from a 45 degree angle, while the other was at camera right on the table shooting directly on the food. Add in the natural light and there you have it. I triggered the flashes with a Canon STE II Transmitter and then had my 1Ds Mark III (see my review here) on a Manfrotto tripod and tethered to Lightroom on my Macbook Pro. Tethering sends the images from your camera directly into Lightroom with every press of the shutter. It’s a great way to get instant feedback on the images without having to rely on the 3 inch LCD screen on the back of the camera. However, I did use the liveview function on the 1Ds to make sure the images were tack sharp and my depth of field was spot on before every shot. Ok, the images, hope you’re ready to get hungry 
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Avondale Station’s famous smoked brisket. Mmmmm
The brisket sandwich with homemade fries and coleslaw
The Turkey Plate with Texas toast and homemade mashed potatoes
My favorite shot of the day, the Pulled Pork Sandwich Plate with fried okra, mashed potatoes and a jug of iced tea!
Yes, it’s probably the most amazing peach cobbler on the face of the planet. These guys don’t know how to make bad food!
