Texas Wall Art – Texas Landscape Fine Art Photography
Welcome to a Collection of My Favorite Texas Landscape Photos!
By Tim Maxwell
As a passionate photographer and a lover of the great state of Texas, I am thrilled to share with you a curated collection of my favorite Texas landscape photos. These images represent the essence of what I find most captivating about this remarkable place I call home.
Texas is a land of breathtaking diversity, from the rolling plains to the rugged mountains, and from the tranquil rivers to the vast deserts. It’s a state where every turn of the road reveals a new and awe-inspiring scene. Through my lens, I strive to capture the grandeur, the serenity, and the untamed beauty of this incredible land.
In this collection, you will find vibrant sunsets painting the sky with a palette of warm hues over the vast open plains. You’ll discover ancient oak trees standing tall and proud, bearing witness to the passage of time. You’ll be transported to the enchanting lakes, where the water and gentle breeze create a sense of tranquility.
Each photograph tells a story, evoking emotions and memories that are uniquely Texan. From the wildflowers that carpet the fields in a riot of color to the towering peaks that reach towards the heavens, these images reflect the majesty and spirit of Texas.
Whether you’re a fellow Texan seeking to connect with the familiar landscapes that make this state so special, or an admirer from afar yearning to experience the beauty of Texas, I invite you to immerse yourself in this collection. Let these photographs transport you to the heart of Texas, where the land is as vast as the sky and the beauty knows no bounds.
Thank you for joining me on this visual journey through my favorite Texas landscape photos. I hope that these images inspire a deeper appreciation for the natural wonders that surround us and ignite a desire to explore and protect this extraordinary state we call home.
Caprock Canyons, Texas
A Focus on Texas
West Texas Landscape Photos – Canyons
Did you know that Texas is home to grand canyons? The canyons here may not be the namesake “Grand Canyon” found in Arizona, but Texas is home to some of the greatest canyons in the United States – Caprock Canyons and Palo Duro Canyon.
These parks host some of the most iconic Texas images, but they are probably two of the best kept secrets when it comes to outdoor destinations and photography. While the Grand Canyon is beautiful, the Texas canyons are more intimate, allowing you to explore from the base of the canyons and across. This leads to many great landscape photo opportunities, especially around sunrise and sunset.
Sunset looking towards the Window – Big Bend National Park
A Focus on Texas
Big Bend National Park – Images of Texas
Big Bend National Park in south Texas is a gem of a National Park. It is part of the Chihuahuan Desert and can get extremely hot in the summer.
October through March seems to be the best time to visit. April you are starting to push it, but sometimes April can be good. If you time your visit after seasonal rains, the park comes alive with wildflowers.
The geography varies as the low point is 1800 feet (550 m) and the high point is over 7,832 feet (2,387 m). Chisos Basin is a great place to camp as it is higher up and offers slightly cooler temperatures.
Art Print: Desert Highway and View, Big Bend National Park, Texas
A Focus on Texas
Road and Highway Landscapes
One of my favorite styles of shots are images of roads heading into the country. Using a road or highway as the primary subject can make for a compelling composition.
For me, it inspires peace as it means I am out in nature, with no care in the world.
I love visiting areas where there are few people and a lot of scenery.
Texas has some gorgeous lakes! One such is Steinhagen in the Southeast (pictured here). When the morning fog hits, and the sky lights up, you can bet you’ll find some beautiful landscape scenes.
Another beautiful lake in east Texas, on the border with Louisiana, is Caddo Lake. The lake is frequently ranked as one of the top lakes in the United States by various publications.
In both lakes there are these beautiful Cypress Trees sitting in the water itself, casting reflections. Fishing here is terrific, with Caddo lake hosting major fishing tournaments.
Instead of driving to and hiking in the remote places of Texas, it’s nice to have local spots to photograph. It allows for almost unlimited opportunities to get the perfect photo. One such place for me is Fort Worth. Downtown is only 20 minutes from my house, and not only is it close, but it is an enjoyable place to visit.
This iconic Texas image of the Tarrant County Courthouse I took from Sundance Square. It is a busy area, so time is key to compose this image. “Time” because it takes multiple photographs to remove most of the people and cars, and then stacking these images together in Photoshop to produce one clean image.
Autumn Landscapes of Texas? While Texas may not be known for its fall foliage, it certainly has areas where the landscapes shine during autumn.
Dinosaur Valley State Park in Glen Rose, TX is known for its fossilized imprints of Dinosaur tracks. But, if you explore in the fall, you can find compositions like the one pictured here.
Another is Pedernales State Park, located a little over an hour east of Austin, Texas. The Pedernales River flows through the park, and autumn is a great time of year to capture landscape scenes.
If in DFW area, the Japanese Garden located in the Fort Worth Botanic Garden is another terrific spot for fall foliage.
An excellent choice for landscape photos is to seek out creeks and ponds. The landscape photo here is within a 15-minute drive from my home.
This image was taken at Bowman Branch in the Spring where the sunrise was at just the right place, the creek was running with water, and first light formed at the rear of the photo composition.
Mansfield once was a tiny town but seems to be quickly growing. What was once rural roads, farmland, and landscapes is giving way to more and more houses.
There are still many good places locally for me to take landscape photos. A few favorite areas are Britton Park, a hidden pond, and some areas yet to be touched by an ever-expanding DFW Metroplex. Would you be surprised if I told you the image of the lake and moon is surrounded by houses?
Landscape Image of Tree and Field in West-Central Texas
A Focus on Texas
Driving and Hiking for Texas Photos
Seeking the ultimate Field of View – Driving and hiking around, to places I’ve never been, sometimes leads to great photos. I recently visited the Bluff Dale Suspension Bridge. In the late 1800s and early 1900s, this was “the” bridge to cross the Paluxy River. Now it remains as a relic from the past, aging, bending, rusting, looking as if ready to fall in the river.
From the bridge, I took a chance and continued north on a dirt road, which ended in another one-half mile or so. I traced back, found another road (if you want to call it that), and continued north. This was 4×4 country, so I was happy to be in my truck. Sometime later, as the road was becoming better, I found this tree and field. Sometimes driving or hiking, unaware of what’s out there, will take you to a place where a great landscape photo is waiting for you to capture.
While things don’t always go as planned, often times they do.
Texas in 2022 had been experiencing a drought. It got to the point where it felt like it hadn’t rained for eons. That all changed in late August when a storm system came in, rained buckets, and stayed around for a few days. On one of these days, as we approached the golden hour of photography, the clouds were looking very cool.
I was thinking this could be one of those days where the sunset was spectacular, and I wanted to be ready to photograph. I had the place I wanted to be in mind, about 15 minutes away, and went. And while I can’t plan a great sunset, I can look for the right conditions, hope, and put myself in a position to take that beautiful photograph.
Often you will hear the term “Cityscape” used to describe a photo of a city’s skyline. It is a highly specific term which describes a type of photography.
I frequently use the term ‘cityscape’. In the end, I think of ‘cityscapes’ as being ‘landscapes’ with just a bunch of buildings on the land. Call them what you may, as part of photographing the Texas landscape, I have plenty of beautiful Texas cityscape photos in my collection as well.
