Pulse - March 2023 - 44

FROM THE SCVMA OFFICE
JENNIFER HAWKINS, DVM, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
JENNIFER HA
Getting Back to Nature
W
hen I attended UC Davis Veterinary School, I lived in South Davis. If you're familiar with the
area, you know one must travel west on interstate 80 to get to campus. Some days, when driving
to campus, I was met with escapist fantasies of continuing west to Mt. Tamalpais State Park for some
meditative hiking and awesome views rather than turning onto campus. And, on some weekends,
that's just what I did to recharge after a busy week, quarter, or year.
I would drive my little Toyota Echo to the
bay area, hike the Mt. Tam hills and pause to
take some photos along the way. As this was
in the dark ages, before cell phones, I carried a
point-and-shoot camera to capture some of nature's
glory. Afterwards, I would go to Sausalito
for a coffee and ocean views to recharge before
heading back to Davis.
Years after veterinary school, I met my husCactus
flower
band Scott, a graphic designer and photographer,
who just so happens to enjoy nature photography.
I quickly learned that I lacked the
camera gear for the Nat Geo quality photos I
was aiming for. Over time, I began to acquire
higher level cameras and lenses to capture the
images I desired. My husband and I would
take long weekends to wine country, national
parks, or local hikes with our camera gear in
tow. Though our primary purpose was not taking
photos, this always added another dimension
to our trip. I learned that Scott prefers to
take landscape photos while I enjoy close-up
macro shots. So, we could be standing with
our cameras in the same meadow and leave
with entirely different images.
Though I once enjoyed drawing and painting,
photography recharges me much the same
way and offers more immediate results. When
I'm looking through the viewfinder, I find myself
holding my breath and the world seems to
slow down (hypoxia, maybe?) and I feel connected
with the subjects I shoot. I feel a calm
come over me when I'm looking through my
view finder at a bee on a flower or a drop of
dew on a leaf.
Fast forward to the realities of parenthood
and, well, long weekends in wine country have
definitely been paused. My photo subject shifted
to the baby and, sometimes, the cats, and
often no photos at all.
In November of last year, I had the pleaLady
bug
44
sure of reconnecting with that part of myself.
Though the event was bookended by
evening meetings and weekend events, I
pushed myself to attend the Bolsa Chica
Ecological Reserve photography seminar
MARCH 2023
PULSE
hosted by Dr. Carl Palozzolo. You know, the
guy whose Africa photos are in nearly every
PULSE magazine? Yeah, that guy!
When I arrived at Dr. Palozzolo's place, I
was greeted warmly and served fresh baked
goods. And then Dr. Palozzolo handed me a
huge camera lens that I really didn't want to let
go! He showed me and the other guests how
to use his binoculars and the long lens that I so
coveted. And then, he took us to Bolsa Chica
reserve.
Walking along the path that led to the wetlands,
I was fairly oblivious to the nature that
was all around. But not Dr. Palozzo. His keen
eyes spotted distant coyotes through the tall
grass, a hawk on a tree a hundred yards away,
and much more. I looked through his camera
with that amazing lens and saw, up close,
beautiful animals in nature. I'm sure that I
took many blurry photos of them but I truly
enjoyed the adventure.
I was instantly transformed into a peaceful
state as I walked through the wetlands during
the golden hour. We saw pelicans, kingfishers,
osprey, and coyotes. I took terrible photos of
all of them. And I had an amazing time doing
it. On the walk back, my colleagues and I
connected over our shared experiences in this
majestic place. I was so glad that I made the
effort to join them.
If you ever get the chance to join Dr. Palozzolo,
whether in Africa, or somewhere local,
I highly recommend it. Not only does Dr.
Palozzolo enjoy teaching photography and
nature appreciation, he is a fantastic host and
you will not leave hungry.
JHAWKINS@SCVMA.ORG
JHAWKINS

Pulse - March 2023

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