As a photographer for some 20 years, I have captured Texas’ people and places on numerous occasions, but my passion lies in shooting our wide-open spaces. I’ve photographed in the Hill Country and the Big Bend, on the High Plains and the Gulf Coast, and I still experience a fresh sense of awe every time I turn my lens to the state’s great outdoors.
One of the things I have always loved about landscape photography is that at first glance, the scene looks static—essentially frozen in time—but in fact, the vista is alive, an ever-changing organism. It’s hard to just look at a good landscape photograph; you want to look into it.
On the following pages, some of our frequent photographic contributors share their favorite wide-open spaces, and as Texas Highways’ new photography editor, I’ve included a memorable panorama of my own. These visuals tell a story, a shared interaction between the photographer, the viewer, and the land. There truly is no better place than Texas to have that experience.
—Brandon Jakobeit
Wind currents buffet clouds above the high desert grasslands just east of Marathon. Photo © E. Dan Klepper
Rainbow and clearing storm clouds at twilight, South Llano River State Park. Photo © Tim Fitzharris
Sea oats, bluestem, and asters beautify and stabilize the dunes on South Padre Island. Photo © Larry Ditto
A serene spring scene at Terry Hershey Park in Houston. Photo © Theresa DiMenno
Expansive skies over the Lubbock-area landscape. Photo © Jerod Foster
A stormy skyscape over Matagorda Island Wildlife Management Area. Photo © Lance Varnell
Canyon view at Devils River State Natural Area. Photo © Laurence Parent
Dusk descends on North Mountain at Hueco Tanks State Park & Historic Site. Photo by Brandon Jakobeit
