Pamela and Jack Davisson: Nature is their Interest and Photography their Medium for Exploring it.
An interview by Patricia Roland-James
Pamela and Jack Davisson have been photographers for over forty years. They spend a lot of their time outdoors snapping photos of birds and other flora and fauna. They both have degrees in Biology and love nature. They say that birds are particularly “beautiful and special.” They “inhabit diverse ecologies and are incredibly successful. They are also endangered by human activity.”
When I asked them what locations they prefer, they said, “There is something to see in all locations, whether in a city, a beach, a forest, or a desert. You have to SEE, not just look.”
They took courses in photography mechanics and darkroom techniques. They use a Canon EOS 7D camera with a Canon Zoom lens EF 100-400 mm, a Digiscope: Sony Cyber-shot, DSC-W200; Swaroviski HD 20x-60x, Hasselblad 501 CM, 120 mm film and lens, and Epson Stylus Pro 4880 printer.
Besides photography, Pamela and Jack also enjoy cooking, gardening, reading, rock art, and travel. They are also interested in politics and campaigned for Obama and are advocates of environmental conservation. They were Vietnam War protesters and after getting their degrees in Biology, they moved to Canada.
I asked them what they liked about photography as an artistic medium. “Photography is capturing a specific moment, living an experience that can be shared by others. It’s a fragile memory made physical.”
When I asked them how they came to live in Rio Nido and what they liked about it, Pamela said, “Jack spent his summers here when he was growing up. We spent our honeymoon here 45 years ago. CA has everything anyone would want in life: great weather, liberal politics, mountains, ocean, desert, big cities, little cities like Rio Nido. Rio Nido has a wonderful community spirit. We love the redwoods. It seemed the natural choice!
You can see Pamela’s and Jack’s photography at the 12th Annual Rio Nido Art and Crafts festival on August 2nd from 9:30 to 2:30 at the Rio Nido Homeowner’s Park. Have a delicious breakfast first at the Homeowner’s Pancake Breakfast, served from 9 AM to 12 PM in the same locale.