The poppy has long been a symbol of remembrance — its vivid petals a quiet tribute to those who gave everything so we could stand in fields like this one, taking in this beauty. In honor of Memorial Day, thank you to every soul who made this moment possible ❤️🌸

From the base of Mount Whitney in the Alabama Hills to the shoreline of the American River in Sacramento, native lupine paints the California landscape in violet and lavender every spring. Get low, find the light, each petal catches a soft halo of gold and the world blurs into something luminous.💜

My second "Healing Frame" article is live this morning getting a little more into the science, and answering a question I get asked all the time: does it actually matter what kind of nature images hang on hospital walls? It does! open.substack.com/pub/optimalf...

I just launched a series called The Healing Frame about something I’ve lived from 3 distinct angles: as an architect with decades of healthcare facility design experience, as a nature photographer whose work hangs in hospitals, and as a patient who spent nearly 2 years in treatment for cancer.

Winter wasn't done with Yosemite. A late spring storm rolled through Ahwahnee Meadow overnight, leaving a fresh dusting of snow on trees that were already weeks into leafing out. Half Dome emerged slowly through clearing fog — the valley caught between seasons.

A seed head growing along an ordinary sidewalk on an ordinary day. I had a quiet hope in mind while editing: that someone having a hard day might look up and feel, for just a moment, like the world is still full of quiet, gentle things.

We talk a lot about autumn color in photography. But spring's palette in Yosemite is just as inspiring with the Valley's black oaks actively budding out, their new leaves a vibrant lime green glowing against the cool blue shade of the Valley's massive granite walls 💚

That moment you crest a hill to find the slopes blanketed in a skittles rainbow of native flowers, hillsides dissolving into waves of poppies, desert candles, and wildflowers so dense they defy description, here for a heartbeat, gone before you know it, and worth every mile 💐

Not every great image requires a road trip. In early spring, the American River Parkway is a green ribbon of life running right through Sacramento — and the native lupine growing along the rocky shoreline is a quiet reminder of just how biodiverse this stretch of river corridor really is 💫💜

A late season cold snap brought welcome snow to the Sierras. Watching the weather forecast all week and hoping for winter scenery in Yosemite, it was a rare treat to experience Ahwahnee Meadow and Half Dome putting on a transitional display of winter dormancy and active spring growth

Camping on public lands in the Eastern Sierra with our truck camper provides the opportunity to explore our surrounding campsite in the early hours with coffee in hand. Prior to sunrise, I was drawn to this small grove of aspen that presented a tranquil scene🩵

In the early morning, after the landscape photographers had already packed it up and left, I found dozens of sleepy ladybugs nestled in the pedals of the native lupine that grow in the eastern Sierra 🐞💜

Today is California Poppy Day, and these little wildflowers hold a special place in my heart and my photography journey. Find that harsh, midday light that most photographers hate so much, and suddenly they’re not just flowers — they’re little luminous cups of sunshine. Happy April 6, California!🧡

There's something quietly magical about this time of year where everything feels a little brighter, a little softer, and full of possibility. Wishing you all a beautiful Easter weekend surrounded by the colors and warmth of the spring season.✨

Although I primarily photograph wildflowers in remote places, I’ve adopted an annual tradition of visiting the flowers around California’s state capitol early in the morning, and I was especially drawn to this fragrant fuji cherry tree covered in blossoms, a perfect subject in morning light✨

With the arrival of April, golden poppies bloom across California’s hillsides. I enjoy getting down low for a bug’s-eye perspective when photographing them, and thought they would be perfect for this month’s free desktop calendar wallpaper. www.optimalfocusphotography.com/Free-Desktop...

Contrasting dramatically with the jagged peaks of the Sierra Nevada, bush lupine thrives in the dry, sandy soil and granite boulders of the Alabama Hills, providing a dramatic foreground to Mount Whitney and Lone Pine Peak at sunrise. Wildflower season arrived very early this year

In the early spring, the American River parkway in #Sacramento is a green oasis that I am thankful to have close to home; sharing a few of my favorite shots from this morning’s hike showing the diversity of plant life, both native and non-native, in the beautiful morning light 💚✨

Happy first day of spring! One of the many things I love about nature photography is the full sensory experience, not only of the visual scene before you but also the fragrant smell of the blooms, the gentle sound of birds awakening and the feel of the gentle breeze on your skin 💐

I'm deeply honored to have my work selected for the new Enloe Cancer Center in Chico, bringing cancer care closer to home for thousands of patients. As a cancer survivor & photographer who’s devoted to the therapeutic power of nature imagery — this placement means more to me than I have words for 🩷

The Desert Candles found in Carrizo Plain National Monument, a native plant that resembles something out of Dr. Suess, are especially fun to photograph as both a foreground element in wide angle landscapes, and isolated with the telephoto. A card full of rainbow colors is my idea of an ideal day!💐

I keep coming back to these ephemeral moments as winter slips away — not just the views, but the way they make me feel. The cold air in the Rockies as the sun finally broke through. The surprise of waking to snow after a night camping in the eastern Sierra. The humbling quiet of Death Valley 🩵

California's wildflower season kicks off with a bang 🌼 Triggered by consistent rainfall and warm sunlight during the winter months in the Mojave Desert, a “superbloom” occurred in Death Valley this year, with Desert Gold, a drought resistant, native wildflower, blanketing the rocky terrain.

In Yosemite Valley, the alpenglow that is barely visible to the naked eye lingers long after sunset, and is captured using a long exposure at 30 seconds to pick up the colors on the massive granite peaks and in the sky after dark. The moments I live for as a photographer 🩵

In the Sierra foothills, on a muddy trail, you might stumble across a spot known only to locals, next to an old homestead. It's clear that somebody, a long time ago, thoughtfully planted these daffodils that have flourished beneath the protective shelter of an old oak tree.💛

Happy Valentine's day, peeps ❤️ Playing around in the digital darkroom today of some photos of the colorful Persian Buttercups that grow in the Flower Fields in Carlsbad, which I'm hoping to visit again very soon!

Do you guys ever dig through old image files and find some that speak to you more in the present than they did at the time you captured them? The Utah desert is a fascinating landscape as seen from the air, revealing intricate desert folds highlighted by subtle golden hour light.

The landscape was covered in a thin coating of ice, so when the sun rose, I had intended to capture backlit sparkle on the foliage that grows along the shoreline of Vermilion Lakes. Instead, the frozen lake itself provided a beautiful bokeh in the background for a dreamy effect. 🫧

Good morning Sacramento ☀️‼️ A dense #fog layer hovering over #Sacramento this morning revealed only the tallest downtown structures including 450 N Street, the Wells Fargo building and 500 Capital Mall Tower at sunrise.

In the heart of winter, Two Jack Lake reveals its most tranquil moments. Each scene a fleeting gift of light and stillness in the Canadian Rockies. 💫 ...

I'm excited to again be an instructor at Out of Chicago’s Flower & Garden Photography Conference! Save the date and join me at Out of Longwood, happening August 25-29, 2026.💐 Receive $300 off your deposit when you register and use the code: YOUNGLONGWOOD300 expires January 19, 2026.

In a meadow in the Canadian Rockies, clearing storm light adorned snowcapped trees with Samson Peak in the far distance warming the winter landscape. A fitting image to wish everyone a very happy new year! 💫

Sacramento has been getting copious amount of fog this winter season, and when photographing at my favorite local park close to home, I happened upon a tiny patch of #snowdrops covered in #dew 🩵

Armstrong Redwoods Natural Reserve, once a hub for logging, now serves as a peaceful sanctuary preserving a small fragment of untouched nature. Early in the morning, patches of fog ebbed and flowed throughout the towering #redwood trees providing peaceful solitude. #mindfulphotography

The California coast is gorgeous in the wintertime. Dramatic clouds build up, swells pound the coast, and the sea spray illuminated by the low angle of winter light creates a painterly effect. I’m not much of a coastal photographer, preferring mountains, but the Sonoma coast was beautiful yesterday

A snowy scene from the Canadian Rockies that to me, resembled a holiday postcard. Happy holidays to all who celebrate 💫 ... #happyholidays #winterseason

Wishing everyone a happy first day of winter with a little image collection of the season's first #winter storm that swept through Banff, transforming the landscape into a pristine wonderland beneath a soft dusting of #snow ❄️

Is there anything more inspiring than watching the setting sun piercing through a dense cloud cover to cast dancing slivers of light on towering snow-capped peaks? The subtle warm and cool tones of the landscape after the first dusting of #snow creates a magical #landscape of violet and gold✨

I love the winter season's quiet solitude and I love to celebrate #simple scenes such as a #subtle sunset's colors reflected in the #calm waters of Lake Minnewanka framed by bare winter trees in the Canadian Rockies 🩵 #naturephotography

With autumn quickly coming to a close, thought I’d share some #aerial views of eastern Sierra #aspens displaying their late-season colors. Flying my #drone feels like using a giant tripod, letting me capture unique patterns and perspectives from above.

I captured some black and white imagery of Chico & Redding for a corporate client this weekend, which was an entertaining challenge because I photographed 3 things I NEVER do: #architecture, #monochrome, and subjects in bright sunlight. It challenged my brain to look for architectural #simplicity

Our very last night in #Banff, I finally got clear skies which resulted in hastily dragging myself out of a warm bed at 1am, throwing on some winter clothes and braving single digit temperatures for starry shots, an #aurora display and even a little late-season Milky Way 🌌 #astrophotography

A tiny sliver of sunlight illuminating the intricate textures and late season #autumn color of one of Yosemite Valley’s many stately black oaks just before the setting sun dipped behind the granite peaks. A fitting image for the waning season of autumn ... #yosemite #naturephotography

Wandering along the shoreline of a glacial lake in the Canadian Rockies, I couldn’t help but notice the intricate #patterns of lines and circles caused by decomposing plant matter at the lake’s bottom releasing methane gas #bubbles frozen in place by the frigid cold. ❄️

Is there anything more blissful than calm #autumn mornings spent on the Merced River? To avoid the crowds in #Yosemite during the shutdown, I elected to explore quieter scenes along the Merced River and found some beautiful reflections of fall color. 💛#mindfulphotography

I love photographing along the American River near home every November when the #Sacramento weather gets #atmospheric, the water gets calm reflections, and there’s the slightest hint of fall color along the shoreline. A collection of images from this morning's jaunt. #shootlocal #healthcareart

Yosemite always getting her Glow Up in the late autumn! 🥰 One of my favorite times of the year to visit which was rewarded with low lying #fog that provided ephemeral atmosphere in Ahwahnee Meadow on a peaceful #autumn morning. #yosemite

Who says monochromatic images in hues of #green need be boring? The emotional impact is calm, unity, and elegance. It's minimalist and, particularly when used with bright tonal values, presents a very #serene mood 💚

Swiftcurrent in Blue💙 Overcast conditions dramatizing the dark mood of Mount Wilbur that rises prominently through the clouds at Swiftcurrent Lake in #Glacier National Park while the cool air stirred ripples across the water carrying the exhilarating scent of pine

Late season eastern Sierra #aspen showing off their #autumn textures in soft shade on a crisp, clear morning. A tiny, zoomed in detail from the same scene as yesterday's wide angle, panoramic post 🧡