2022: presidio of san francisco
Last January, I moved back to San Francisco after spending the better part of 2021exploring the country in my car and living on the road (more on that here if you're curious). I wasn't sure how I'd feel being tied to one place again after feeling such exhilarating and affirming freedom. Part of me was expecting to feel a sense of loss for a life that I no longer was to live and to resent my new home as though it was some sort of prison. Thankfully, I was completely and utterly wrong.
I quickly learned that my new home in the Presidio of San Francisco had incredible things to appreciate, admire and experience. Just steps from my bedroom were groves of grand Monterey Cypress trees and imposing Eucalyptus, coastal dunes filled with soulful and flittering birds, steep bluffs overlooking a tremendously intimidating yet peaceful Pacific Ocean, and a beach with endless sunsets and melodically beautiful waves. I knew immediately that I had to find a way to share the experiences I was having in my backyard with others and to convey the unique beauty of this small plot of Earth that I was lucky enough to live in. This set of photographs are my personal love letter to a place that has taught me so much and that I expect to continue to learn from and admire.
In making this gallery, my goal is also to highlight the beauty that abounds around us all. I often forget how incredibly perplexing and wonderful it is that I, you, we and anything exists. There is no reason to believe that things are meant to be in any particular way or that the way the world is now is the only way it could be. Yet when going for a walk near my home, the stark beauty and mystery of reality is so present that it's impossible to ignore: a litter of pinecones slowly dissolving into the earth, the remnants of high tide imbedding geometric patterns into wet sand, violent swaying of tree limbs creating an unrepeatable symphony as the ocean breeze roars, a sea of flowers each so bright and assured they create a living artwork. This type of beauty is not exclusive to my home; this type of beauty exists everywhere. In being open to experiencing the beauty there is, you can look at the world around you in a new way. The world is no longer "something out there", but is inextricably part of you.
The following photographs were all taken within 1 mile of my apartment and reflect not only the natural wonders of the Presidio but also my personal interpretation of them. I hope to keep adding to this collection as I continue to draw inspiration from a place that now feels like home. Thank you for your time in reading or viewing these photographs.
