Mitsu Yoshikawa

Golden Gate Park 150th Anniversary Exhibit

Between 2008 and 2013, I created a series of portraits of Stow Lake in Golden Gate Park.

During that time, I encountered small objects here and there that caught my eye and captured my interest. Though small, they were also aspects of the landscape of Stow Lake. They had arrived in the world created by Stow Lake, reached the peaks of their lives, and were dying, soon disappearing from sight as they dissolved into the Earth.

For me, despite their small sizes, these objects carry strong and deep visual stories—and great beauty—that can sometimes surpass what is revealed in full landscapes. It is not true that a large image necessarily reveals a better story.

Read these images and enjoy their details and the stories they tell.