Southern Focus
Blanco River, Texas
Photographer Kenny Braun captures the Texas Hill Country

photo: Kenny Braun
Deer Crossing, 2016.
Just south of his home in Austin, in the Hill Country near Kyle, Texas, the photographer Kenny Braun captured these four deer crossing the shallows of the winding Blanco River shortly after sunrise. Braun shares this image and more natural beauty in his newly released book of photography, As Far As You Can See: Picturing Texas (University of Texas Press), a retrospective of his work that spans twenty-three years and the mountains, rivers, prairies, lakes, beaches, plains, deserts, and swamps of the Lone Star State. “It was serendipity that led me to this spot,” Braun says. He had set out with a different location in mind, “but when I got there, the river had no access due to construction. I frantically drove around until I saw a park that had river access. As the sun came up, I could see fog rising from the water, and it was beautifully backlit. On cue, as I was setting up the shot, deer started swimming across. Luck plays a role in many of the best photographs, whether the photographer admits it or not.”
Related Stories:

Arts & Culture
Come for the Coast,
Stay for a Show
A dreamy beach town and a world-class arts scene unite in Pensacola
Sponsored Content

Arts & Culture
The Heart of Texas
An epicenter of both independence and generosity, the state—and especially its people—has a way of surprising you

Arts & Culture
Garden & Gun’s Best Photos of 2022
A look back at fifty of our favorite shots from the pages of the magazine this year
Trending Stories:

Arts & Culture
A South Carolina Seafood Company Reveals a Piece of Forrest Gump History
How much shrimp is required to create a movie classic? About six thousand pounds, apparently

Food & Drink
7 of the South’s Tastiest Breakfast Joints
Heavy on the classics

Due South
Exploring the Hidden Florida Keys
A lollygagging road trip off the main drag of Florida’s overseas highway