Braden, Al

You will most likely find Al Braden outdoors photographing environmental subjects with a passion - in Texas or beyond. Wildflowers have become a real attraction. His work takes many forms including writing, photography and video.

Al has been published in many national and regional publications - including Texas Highways and Texas Parks and Wildlife Magazine. Images from his photo book The Connecticut River: A Photographic Journey into the Heart of New England, published with Wesleyan University Press, allow him to continue supporting conservation efforts through the Connecticut River Conservancy.

Raised in El Paso, Al moved to Boston in 1967 to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). At MIT, he studied with both Minor White and Harold Edgerton. White was the poet, muse and spirit. Doc Edgerton, inventor of the strobe and high-speed photography, never ceased to be excited when showing someone high-speed phenomena for the first time. Those two sources, with their blend of technology and spirit drive Al’s outlook on photography.

Al worked in various capacities in graphic design, advertising and marketing and, in 1986, founded an offset printing company in Keene, New Hampshire. He was able to return to work on photography upon returning to Texas and settling in Austin in 2004.

In 2007, Al earned a BA degree in Photocommunication from St. Edward’s University, completing a course of photographic study begun some 40 years earlier at MIT.

For portfolios of Al’s work on many topics, go to albradenphoto.com.

The Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center is committed to developing the premier resource for native plant images in North America through continued growth of the Plant Image Gallery. You can help us achieve our mission ...to increase the sustainable use and conservation of native wildflowers, plants, and landscapes... by becoming a contributor.