Harold Davis as he prepares to shoot a variety of plants in his beautiful garden.

You might think that TV producers look down their noses at still photography, but that's far from the truth! Photography is a big passion for many of us here at QUEST; the production stills from some of our field shoots show some amazing talent.

Looking back on previous winners and submissions, I really wanted to find someone for this YPOQ whose work was really different than what we’ve done in the past. It was much harder than I anticipated! So when I came across Harold Davis’ photos on Flickr, I knew he was the one, and I instantly contacted him. (And at every possible email address I could find!)

The hardest thing about pulling this segment together was determining which of Harold’s photographs to use! Browsing through his thousands of photos on Flickr, and his professional website, you can see the breadth of his subjects. In the end, the ones that spoke to me, the ones that really pulled me in, came from his flower garden at his home. How fabulous, to have your “models” right outside your door!

The other thing that really made an impression on me was the way Harold is able to show you things in a way you wouldn’t normally see. His water drop images and night photography really showcase his ability to create what his mind can see, but the naked eye cannot. This is my favorite approach to art: playing with expectations; inviting your audience to experience things in different a way than in your day-to-day life.

If you enjoyed this segment, I highly encourage you to check out more of his work at his website, and his digital photography blog. Once there, you will discover that he holds Night Photography workshops and has several books published.

Watch the YPOQ television story online.

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.