Bio:
Pamela Naab is a photographer based in Boston, MA. She draws her inspiration from animals and the natural world. She has found that experiencing feelings of awe and contentment through nature, noticing often overlooked details through photography is incredibly healing. Biking or running in nature, while bringing along her camera and pausing to take pictures of landscapes and animals, is her favorite activity. Her golden retriever, Willow, had learned the trick of smiling for the camera while on these outings, which only fueled Pam’s love for photography!
With her art, Pam seeks to capture the awe she experiences as part of being in the presence of animals and the natural environment, and to help pass that along to others.
Statement:
The dog in the photograph, Sweetheart Willow, always persevered. As a major foodie and stick connoisseur, she wouldn’t give up when she wanted something badly. In the photo, she stood there with those giant tree branches, doggedly trying to get them through the gate until her humans helped her. She once grabbed hold of a buoy anchored to the ocean floor and swam in circles trying desperately to bring it ashore until someone went out to “rescue” her. When she got a brain tumor that seriously affected her ability to walk, she received treatment and determinedly strove towards recovery until she was literally dancing to K-pop.
When the tumor came back and affected Willow’s ability to eat normally and bark (a condition called Megaesophagus), she adjusted by eating in a high chair, kept up with physical therapy, bounced back from setbacks, and seized as much joy from life as she could. Her vets remarked that she taught them so much about the importance of resilience. Willow taught her humans the joy of dancing in the rain when her final days and weeks seemed to be closing in, but we were trying to enjoy every last moment. To not lose hope even when things seemed bleak, and to never give up!
