Photo: John Albers-MeadWe put out a call for submissions for this Your Photos on Quest segment a little late. As a result, we only got a handful of submissions. Thankfully, John Albers-Mead was one of them. Everyone who looked at his photos inevitably ended up calling a nearby colleague over to their computer screen saying, "Wow, you've GOT to take a look at this photo!" We were amazed by the details, the light, the colors, the textures and the compositions of his images. And we were especially blown away when we learned that he does not do any underwater photography! Looking at his photos, you would swear that his camera is in an underwater housing. In fact, we really didn't believe it and I ended up asking him about it three times just to make sure.

If you've ever tried to photograph something beneath the water's surface, you know how challenging it is to make sure there's enough light on the object to reveal its details but at the same time, to be careful not to get reflections on the water, thereby obstructing the view. It takes patience. And time. Albers-Mead says he composes the whole photograph based on the light. At one point in the interview, he told me (with the giddiness of a child at Christmas) that one time, he lay at the lip of a single tide pool for 2 hours waiting for the right light. He was perfectly happy just observing the tide pool drama unfolding, in which a couple of nudibranchs munched on each other. He is the quintessential "amateur," meaning he makes these trips to the tide pools a couple of times a month for the LOVE of it.

He shares his photos on Flickr and has quite a following. But he is also a docent at the Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach. If folks have an interest in tide pools, this is the place to go. Of course, this area is also prime real estate and it wasn't so long ago that this area was slated for development. Now, with rising sea levels and temperatures, as well as the acidification of ocean water, these tide pools may not be around forever. But while they are, I would recommend looking at John Albers-Mead's Flickr set BEFORE you go see them in person. I guarantee that you will have a deeper appreciation for the tide pools when you first see them through his loving eyes.

Watch the Your Photos On Quest: John Albers-Mead television story online.

For those of you who are interested in entering your photos for consideration in future YPOQ episodes, sign up for our email newsletter to get an announcement for the next submission call, or head on over to our Flickr photo group for KQED QUEST.

Congratulations to jalbersmead!

Flickr photo community member jalbersmead (John Albers-Mead) will be collaborating with KQED staff on our next 2-minute YPOQ segment for broadcast and web distribution. It will air on November 18, 2008.

His wonderful set of tidepool images from Fitzgerald Marine Reserve in Moss Beach wowed our KQED QUEST editorial staff. His winning submission did a wonderful job of expressing a sense of locale, with a passion for nature, via a process that captures something unexpected and essential.

In his own words:

"Going to tide pools is like a treasure hunt that changes by the minute. The colors, textures, smells, movement, and general feeling of life makes this one of the places where I feel connected with the world."

This was a very difficult decision to make for us – we hope to do more YPOQ calls in the future. If you wish, you may leave your submissions open and we will consider them again in the next round. Sincere thanks to all who participated.

For those of you who are interested in entering the future, sign up for our email newsletter to get an announcement for the next submission call, or head on over to our Flickr photo group for KQED QUEST.

Do you love photographing Science, Environment and Nature in Northern California? Would you like to collaborate on a 2-minute QUEST TV short about your photography for an audience of over 100,000 viewers?

We're launching our 3rd call for submissions for our new series of TV shorts, "YPOQ: Your Photos on QUEST." These are broadcast alongside our feature stories.

Previous and upcoming winners:

• Russ Morris
• Erin Malone
• Cris Benton (coming soon)

Could you be next?

We're looking for more than stunning nature photography. We seek to collaborate with a local photographer from our QUEST flickr groups who is inspired by science, environment and nature in Northern California, and uses innovative approaches to express their unique vision of our region.

Key Dates for YPOQ #3

Submissions due: August 21st, 2008
Selection annoucenment: August 26th, 2008
TV Broadcast : November 11, 2008

Although we can only broadcast one photographer's work on the air on November 11, we also plan to feature selected submissions on the KQED QUEST Community Science Blog.

Requirements

* You must be an individual over 18 (no minors or group submissions)
* You must be a current Flickr user in good standing
* You're a resident of Northern California – loosely defined as spanning the region from Mendocino to Monterey counties (N to S) and Sacramento to Santa Clara counties (E – W). This is the coverage area of our show.
* Be able to make available 20-50 images as source material (2 minutes moves fast!)
* If selected, you'll need to sign a release for materials use specifically for the QUEST TV show, web presence, blog and the promotion thereof (see fine print below)
* Available for an in-person audio interview and photo review/selection with a QUEST TV producer & audio engineer, either at the KQED studios in San Francisco, or other agreed-upon location, during business hours between August27th and September 12th.

How to Submit

* 1 entry per person
* Original photographic work only
* 1920 x 1080 minimum resolution (higher is better)
* Create a set that best represents your submission, and tag them with: YPOQ
* Add a 100-word description to your set telling us about your creative and technical process, and why you'd like us to consider your work
* Join the KQED QUEST flickr group and add all 10 photos to the pool
* Add your YPOQ set URL and a brief introduction to the YPOQ 3 Submissions discussion topic.
* If you submitted for YPOQ before, your entry is automatically eligible for consideration in YPOQ #3. You may also submit a new or updated set to the topic above.

We'd also like you to make KQED QUEST a contact, though it's not required.

Fine Print

* You will retain the rights to your original work.
* Rights clearances: in order to make the TV piece and promote it, KQED will need you to grant rights to recordings and derivative works for use in connection with QUEST. We won't do anything else without asking you first.
* This not a paid commission, but a collaboration. As a result KQED is unable to cover costs (e.g. travel & time, prints / processing, royalties)
* The choice of photographer is solely at the discretion of KQED.
* The producer's & editor's decisions are final regarding all aspects of the finished video work.

Thank you and we look forward to seeing your submissions!

KQED QUEST Team

Congratulations to Flickr community member Erin Malone (erin_designr) of San Francisco, CA!

Windy Grass – by Erin MaloneErin will be collaborating with KQED staff on our 2 minute Your Photos on QUEST segment for broadcast and web distribution.

Her stunning set of Alviso Slough pinhole images wowed our KQED QUEST editorial staff. Her winning submission did a wonderful job of expressing a sense of locale, with a passion for nature, via a process that captures something unexpected and essential.

In her own words:

"…My process is primarily to make long exposures with pinhole and zoneplate rather than a glass lens. These long exposures made on Polaroid material force me to slow down and to appreciate the beauty around me. I make beautiful, impressionistic images in a place that many see as ugly. My hope is that these images change their mind about the hidden beauty here."

This was a very difficult decision to make for us – we hope to do another YPOQ call in the near future. If you wish, you may leave your submissions open and we will consider them again in the next round. Sincere thanks to all who participated.

For those of you who are interested in entering the future, sign up for our email newsletter to get an announcement for the next submission call, or head on over to our Flickr photo group for KQED QUEST.

Craig Rosa is the Interactive Producer for KQED QUEST.