Native Texan Phil Lamb, by his own admission, eats BBQ about three times a week.

In fact, he likes BBQ so much that he takes pictures of all kinds of folks who bring brisket to the table in all kinds of smokin’ joints he refers to as "barbecue towns."

15 of those pictures are now on display at Highlands Cafe.

Lamb’s current photo array is reminiscent of late 1800’s social documentary photographer, Jacob Riis, in that it’s predominantly black and white, and focuses on the expressions caught in a distinct moment in time.

However, quite unlike Riis’ capturing of despair and squalor, Lamb beautifully captures the joy and pride on the faces of his subjects and offers a clear picture of the hard work that goes into creating these tried and true delicacies.

We recently visited with Phil who, along with being a BBQ connoisseur and photography enthusiast, is an attorney and lives in the White Rock Valley neighborhood with his wife Catherine and two year-old son, Cooper.

LH Today: When did your interest in photography begin?

Lamb: It started in college, and I was shooting 35 mm.

After seeing photographers shoot some concerts in Austin, and seeing their great view of the shows, between the first row and the stage, I decided I could do that, too.  I was in law school at UT, so I contacted the University of Texas newspaper, The Daily Texan, and volunteered to give them copies of my photos if I could use their name to get into shows.

I ended up shooting Willie Nelson, the Dave Matthews Band and Norah Jones, among others.  It was a fun and inexpensive way to get into concerts I otherwise couldn't afford to see.

LH Today: So how did that segue into BBQ themed photography?

Lamb: When I was in high school in ‘94, I worked at a small barbeque restaurant in Rockwall. That experience put barbeque in my blood.

Years later in June of 2008, Texas Monthly came out with their list of the 50 best BBQ places in Texas. My uncle and I decided to try as many of the "best" places as we could.

Since the greatest concentration of these recognized restaurants is outside Austin, we made that our starting point.

In one weekend, we visited 11 different places, including Lockhart, Luling, Taylor, Lexington, Giddings, Gonzales, Schulenberg, Elgin, Smithville and Austin. I took photos at all the stops on our tour and ended up with a nice assortment of shots.

LH Today: What came next?

Lamb: Since then, we’ve made a couple of additional tours to try out more of the legendary places on the Texas Monthly list, and recently I took a tour of East Texas BBQ joints with the Texas BBQ Posse, a group of guys, mostly writers and photographers, from the Dallas Morning News.

We all have a shared love of BBQ, and it was a really fun time.

LH Today: How did your photos end up on display at Highlands Cafe?

Lamb: I eat there with my family all the time. They showcase local artists and photographers with the goal of displaying quality and affordable art.

I asked Kathy Stewart if she would be interested in displaying my collection of photos, showed her some samples, and she loved them. I selected some, printed and framed them, and we hung them in the dining room.

I also have photos hanging at new restaurant here in town, Lockhart Smokehouse, which is located in the Bishop Arts District.

LH Today: Any plans for additional trips or shows?

Lamb: I mostly take photos of my family and my travels, and of course, barbecue joints.

But one thing I realized from these trips and tours is that so many of these restaurants have great stories, either through their history or their owners, or both.

I hope to keep shooting them and ultimately put them together in a book.

---

You can see Phil’s collection, currently on display at Highlands Cafe, located at 9661 Audelia Road, Suite 105.

Know someone whose story would make an interesting feature? If you'd like to see a friend or neighbor highlighted in People & Places, email us at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)