These photos are part of an ongoing project to document parts of San Francisco that have remained in their natural state. Lake Merced was originally a lagoon. Although it is no longer connected to the ocean, it has remained relatively the same.

I grew up in a very rural area of the California High Desert, surrounded by open and primarily undisturbed land. When I first picked up a camera, I would explore the desert and capture landscapes and abandoned places.

I came to San Francisco to study photography at the San Francisco Art Institute. When I arrived, I was so out of my element that I couldn't take photos. Every inch of the city felt covered in cement or drastically altered by man. Instead of culture shock, I experienced landscape shock. When I discovered there were parts of the city that were still in their natural state, I decided to document them.