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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 20h

On a memorable camping excursion in the eastern Sierra, we awoke to see the mountains illuminated by clearing storm light and adorned with a fresh layer of #snow. While I came for the fall color, I was most inspired by this ephemeral #atmosphere.

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 4d

My take on the often photographed curved #aspen, likely caused by avalanches that shifted the soil, in the San Juan Mountain range in #Colorado on an overcast #autumn day

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 7d

During a family visit, I got to watch these tiny #hummingbirds feeding in the backyard garden, and inspired by their playful activity around my aunt's favorite purple flowers, I grabbed the telephoto to capture some shots as they were gathering nectar 💚💜

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 7d

Dramatic clearing #fog revealing the peaks of Cimarron Ridge in #Colorado on an early #autumn morning. Seeing the mountains socked in by the clouds, I never would've thought to head out in the middle of the morning to photograph, but glad I was encouraged to go! What a fun and inspiring morning💛

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 8d

What better way to usher in my favorite month of the year than with dense groves of old growth aspen in Northern Utah’s Wasatch National Forest in their beautiful autumn glory for this month’s desktop calendar wallpaper?
#October
www.optimalfocusphotography.com/Free-Desktop...

October 2025

What better way to usher in my favorite month of the year than with dense groves of old growth aspen in Northern Utah’s Wasatch National Forest in their beautiful autumn glory for this month’s desktop...

www.optimalfocusphotography.com

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 8d

The morning of my uncle’s passing, I was unknowingly photographing this colorful early autumn scene in Colorado’s San Juan mountains. He served as a father figure to me and I know that the vibrant colors and panoramic views were something he would have loved and appreciated💚

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 13d

The Many Glacier region was closed to visitors in Glacier NP Fortunately, a last-minute reservation at Many Glacier Hotel provided an opportunity to photograph along Swiftcurrent Lake. At sunrise, the dense #fog slowly burned away, revealing the dramatic peak of Mount Wilbur bathed in a golden glow.

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 14d

Colorful Baring Creek in #Glacier National Park which hosts an array of rainbow colored rocks, offering great opportunities to experiment with shutter speeds for unique #abstract effects. Oxidized iron brings out rich red hues of hematite, enhanced by the complementary green color of chlorite

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 16d

The early morning sun casting soft shadows on a dense grove of old growth autumnal #aspen in Dixie National Forest in Southern #Utah. 🧡🍂

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 17d

Wishing all my fellow leaf peepin' shutterbugs and nature photographers a very happy first day of #autumn! Who knew you could find scenes like this in #Utah, known for it's desert landscapes, but in the high elevations, dense old growth aspen forests abound in the #Wasatch Range. Happy fall, ya'll🍁

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 22d

One of my favorite memories spent in the Chicago Botanic Garden was finding and photographing the many critters. For every reasonably sharp image, I have about a hundred blurry ones, but that is OK! Finding my little #garden friends brings me so much joy! 🦋🐛🐝❤️

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 23d

Sharing my passion for photographing flowers instructing at the Out of Chicago #Botanic conference was an absolute dream come true for me! The water lilies were perfect for demonstrating some multiple exposure techniques in the garden for a painterly #impressionistic effect 🪷🩵

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 23d

G Dan, being a native New Yorker it took me decades to come to terms with western wildfires and even longer to embrace those conditions in my photography. It’s still a struggle for me, but slowly accepting that wildfires are a story in our photography that needs to be told. Still scares me though!!

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · 24d

A smoky visit to #Glacier National Park serves as an important reminder of the impact wildfires have on shaping and transforming the area’s #landscape. The view from the Blackfeet Indian Memorial highlights a thick haze and evidence of burned forest resulting from the Red Eagle Fire.

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Sep 2

The Chicago Botanic Garden, known for its diverse plant life, attracts many pollinators, including monarch #butterflies. After visiting the #garden, I chose this fitting image for September's free desktop calendar wallpaper.🧡
www.optimalfocusphotography.com/Free-Desktop...

September 2025

The Chicago Botanic Garden, known for its diverse plant life, attracts many pollinators, including monarch butterflies. After visiting the garden, I chose this fitting image for September's free deskt...

www.optimalfocusphotography.com

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Aug 23

Hot temperatures entice me to spend time in a cool digital darkroom processing some overlooked images from past #autumn seasons. I'm looking forward to taking a much needed sabbatical and visiting SW #Colorado again in our trusty truck camper! Hit me up if you're in the area in late September!

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Aug 16

Today is International Honey Bee Day, a day that highlights the importance of #bees for pollination, food production, and biodiversity, so I thought I'd share a few of my favorite shots of my favorite little garden friends 🐝💛

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Aug 16

Joshua Tree inspired me to photograph #abstract representations of desert plants, employing wide aperture and selective focus techniques to emphasize each plant's distinctive structure. It was a valuable exercise in careful observation, which allowed for the appreciation of subtle #desert features

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Aug 2

www.optimalfocusphotography.com/Free-Desktop... August 2025 - 2025 Free Desktop Wallpaper - Optimal Focus Photography

August 2025

When I think of August, I typically think of astrophotography, and in the wee hours of the night, the moon illuminated the desert textures of Joshua Tree National Park while early morning twilight ill...

www.optimalfocusphotography.com

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Jul 11

An overcast day in the garden is the perfect opportunity to spend time playing and experimenting with multiple exposure #abstracts of plant leaves. I especially like finding curling leaves as in the first image that create a more dynamic effect.

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Jun 25

Exploring some of the less traveled backroads of Grand Teton National Park revealed some healthy patches of yellow balsamroot to use as a foreground to the dappled morning light dancing across the #Teton range in the distance.

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Jun 15

A little compilation of soothing images from Northern #Minnesota, captured during my first visit. This area's verdant foliage and striking sunsets provided a wealth of inspiration, a perfect area to capture images appropriate for #healthcare settings

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Jun 7

A magical morning of dynamic foggy atmosphere ebbed and flowed throughout the #redwood forest providing ever changing light and small spotlights of warm sunlight on the #forest path lined with blooming rhododendrons.🌸✨

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Jun 6

Volatile weather in Yosemite's high country, from ominous storms to bright blue skies provided variable light over the #Sierra crest, including these brief conditions overlooking Tenaya Lake and Mount Conness bathed in late afternoon pink. I am so in love with these massive granite peaks💕

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Beth Young @optimalfocus.bsky.social · Jun 2

Recent high temperatures at home provided an ideal opportunity to visit #Yosemite's high country during the first weekend that Tioga Pass was open. A vibrant sunset was reflected on Half Dome’s sheer granite cliffs accentuating the pines that grow in these high elevation conditions.

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