Meet Beth Young | Architect & Nature Photographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Beth Young and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Beth, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
Growing up in upstate New York, I’ve always been deeply drawn to artistic endeavors, from drawing and painting as a child and then as a teenager, channeling that creativity into cartoon animation, writing, and storytelling. As an adult, I believe that childhood creativity eventually led to my current, full-time profession of architecture, but, really, it’s through my practice of nature photography that is my real creative outlet where I get to have fun, play and experiment. I think I’m drawn to photography for the same reasons I’m drawn to architecture: that the greatest creativity comes from what you are able to achieve within constraints. And I like to think that both architecture and photography strike a perfect balance of the technical with the creative; both require an understanding of light, composition and form. Now I live on the west coast, and I find so much diversity in the terrain and weather out here which inspires me greatly and draws me to California. Over the years, I’ve made many meaningful connections in the world of design and art which also inspires me tremendously and has encouraged me to build up a side business of selling my photography, teaching and writing.
My passion for photography is laser focused on creating nature photography for healthcare environments to help provide a more inspirational, healing environment for patients, their families and their caregivers in what can sometimes be cold, clinical settings. This truly is my “why” as a photographer. My own lived experience as a breast cancer survivor has reinforced the importance of healing imagery in clinical and healthcare environments and strengthened my conviction to produce images for the benefit of others.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
I’m not going to lie, this is a constant struggle, especially juggling a full-time career with a side business in photography. In architecture, my line of work is highly dependent upon the whims and schedules of my clients and my career requires me to be very responsive to that. So, it isn’t easy to say, “I’m just going to dedicate my day to photography today” because unforeseen project deadlines and client meetings inevitably arise all the time. I steal whatever time I can towards the practice of photography, but it is a constant struggle. I look forward to the time I’m ready to make the jump from the corporate world into a more creative one, which I know will not be without it’s own challenges.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Living in Sacramento, there are so many beautiful, natural areas close by that I love to visit. In early spring, Northern California gets beautiful green hills and carpets of wildflowers that I love to photograph. Just west of me, in the East Bay, there’s a number of regional parks that offer hiking trails to vistas of rolling hills, poppies, and spring green oak trees overlooking the San Francisco bay. One of the things I love about living in Sacramento is our proximity to the Pacific Flyway, a major north-south route for migratory birds, and the numerous wildlife refuges and seasonally flooded agricultural fields in our area that provide a temporary habitat for dozens of species of migrating birds. In winter, I especially like to venture out with my telephoto, and capture the antics of the sandhill cranes, elegant in flight and amusing when performing their dancing courtship rituals.
One of the few upsides of years of dryer winters in Northern California is that it tends to create favorable conditions for lupine to grow on the shores of Folsom Lake, when lake levels are low. Seeing carpets of purple lupine stretching for miles in all directions is a sight not soon forgotten!
A little farther afield to the north of me is Lassen Volcanic National Park, a gem of a national park that gets a fraction of the visitors as Yosemite, but with fascinating geologic features including bubbling mud pots and fumaroles reminiscent of Yellowstone, and it is an incredible location to photograph deep, dark night skies in the summer, with the Milky Way over the park’s many volcanic peaks.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
One is Cynthia Lou, owner of the Sparrow Gallery in Sacramento, who took an interest in my photographic work and took a chance on me by giving me the opportunity to be represented in her gallery that primarily showcased the works of women artists. This tremendously boosted my confidence and opened doors to getting my photographic work out in the world in a tangible way. I also have to give Cheryl Gleason a shoutout. A talented acrylic painter and mixed media artist in her own right, she is a champion of local artists in our community in her role as president of Rancho Cordova Arts, and the Mills Station Arts and Culture Center, which also gives back to supporting the arts in our local schools.

Website: https://www.optimalfocusphotography.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/optimal_focus/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/optimalfocusphotography