“I love the subdued tonal range of this landscape. It’s not a loud, burning sunset against silhouetted mountains, a shot that I’m sure we’ve all taken. This photo was possibly captured while taking a quiet, meditative morning stroll.”
—Michael Howard
2022 Alpine TX Photo Contest Judge
Originally from Oklahoma, Kimberly Peña grew up loving travel and landscape photography. While she currently works in education she takes every opportunity to expand her love of this type of photography. On her first trip to the Big Bend area, where her husband’s family had lived for generations, she was captivated by its quiet, unique beauty. The image, “Alpine Texas, God’s Country” was inspired by her husband’s late grandfather, Higinio Peña, who took her on many trips to see different parts of the Big Bend area and would always say how beautiful it was because this part of Texas was in his words, God’s Country. This photo was taken on a sunset drive along Highway 118 just south of Alpine, one of her favorite drives. She currently resides in Buda, Texas but visits the area as much as possible.
