Experience and passion for photography and nature: discover the MedFoto 2022 Jury!
Next Friday, April 1, MedFoto 2022 opens its submission period. Until May 15, we await your images, your vision and your thoughts on the relationship between the Mediterranean Sea and people. But what will happen next?
It will be time to decide which are the most impressive photographs and those that best show the values of the contest, a verdict that will fall on a Jury of experts in the world of photography and the marine environment. Do you want to meet them?
We introduce the MedFoto 2022 Jury: All its members, their experience, their concerns and even some advice for the contestants!
Bernat Garrigós
Proudly born in Barcelona, he has grown up between Empordà and Garrotxa. Biologist and naturalist, he began his activity in the Aiguamolls de l’Empordà where, from the age of sixteen, he looked for birds and collaborated in various ornithological projects. Among the anecdotes of his time in the natural park, he was named father of the famous stork Guita, together with Jordi Sargatal.
His curiosity about the sea was aroused by the birds that he saw feeding in the Bay of Roses from the beach. In the 1990s he began immersions to discover the marine plant that extends in this area, to collect information and photograph that marine habitat and the species that lived there. This practice was made easier with the advent of digital photography. Since then, his curiosity to see all those groups of animals that can only be seen underwater and that we do not find on land made that, on each dive, he goes with the camera in hand.
He is co-author of the book “The dragonflies from Catalonia” and is currently the director of the Alive Foundation, from where he has created the SealifeCollectionen in iNaturalist and the Gram project, to monitor Cymodoceandosa in the Gulf of Roses, among others.
As a jury, he brings experience, passion for nature photography and enthusiasm for trying to improve this world. He specially interested in promoting knowledge and experiences that allow us to reconcile the use and enjoyment of nature in a more sustainable world.
He encourages everyone to participate because it can be a great personal experience and because they will be part of a great promoting and environmental education project where we all work for a better preserved Mediterranean.
Josep Pallí
A native of Girona and Empordà, a lover of music and outdoor sports and a staunch defender of nature.
Industrial mechanic dedicated to machinery assembly and repair, specifically in the packaging and converting sector, seeking logic above all else. He confesses that he is a person who likes to live in the moment, but when it comes to hobbies, he prefers to have everything under control.
In love with the sea and the mountains; skier and sailor. For six months, on winter weekends, he practices mountain and downhill skiing and, during the rest of the year, he becomes a regular in nautical activities and underwater photography.
You can find him living on his sailboat three months a year.
Josep Vilanova
He defines himself as a citizen fascinated by life on the planet and in the sea, concerned about the interaction between human beings and the environment.
He led the conservation campaign for Castell beach, in Palamós, a wild shelter in the middle of a Costa Brava devoured by urban development. Since then, he has dedicated his professional and personal life to helping make the relationship between nature and people beneficial to both parties. Currently, in the professional field, he lives dedicated to the protection and management of the environment of his hometown, Palamós, where he is the technical environmental manager of the consistory.
An enthusiastic scuba diver, photographer and passionate naturalist, he spends as much time as possible exploring the nature of his immediate surroundings and wherever he travels. In addition, he has been passionate about photography since he was a child and has been lucky enough to be able to travel with this photographic vision.
He feels lucky to live in what he says is one of the best areas on the planet, both in terms of its biodiversity, landscapes, culture, climate or people, as well as the good quality of life it offers.
As a jury, he wants to contribute his training as a biologist and diver, as well as his spirit and concern for the natural environment that surrounds us and how we relate to it. His advice when submitting to MedFoto is that the photos presented have feeling. If its author is moved, the jury will too.
Xavier Salvador
Born in the heart of the Costa Brava, he is a biologist specialized in the marine field and a dedicated naturalist. He has been practicing underwater photography since he was eight years old. He is passionate about photographing marine fauna, whether freediving or diving, looking for the less visible species, always appreciating the richness of places that, for many, are not usually very attractive (such as lagoons, muddy bottoms, etc.).
He has been absolute champion of Catalonia in underwater photography in apnea from 2016 to 2021, runner-up in Spain in 2015, champion of Spain in 2016 and champion of the first World Cup of Cazafotosub in pairs. He was the absolute champion of the first MedFoto contest and this year he has joined as a jury of the contest.
As a result of his passion and his work as a biologist, he has a photographic archive with more than 1800 species from Spanish waters and has written 2 photography books, on fish and on nudibranchs (with a guide with 247 species, the most complete in Spanish). The one about fish is included in the Fotosub collection of the Marcombo publishing house. This collection aims to publicize different aspects related to underwater photography. Each book in the collection deals with a very specific theme and is developed by the best photographers in the country.
In his last interview he advised us that when photographing: «First, we have to enjoy. We never have to focus on what others will think. You should be proud of your own photos. Enjoy and live it. Sooner or later the results of the work done will be seen! And second, do not despise the photographs you take. Sometimes things that may seem normal can actually be unique observations of great scientific value.”
Oriol Alamany
Born in Barcelona, citizen of the world. He feels part of the places where he travels. He affirms that each one of them stays with him, wich has shaped him. Until now, he has been a professional photographer for four decades very linked to the world of nature conservation. His works deal with endangered species and the natural and cultural heritage of remote areas of the planet.
He has always lived near the sea, but for now he prefers the coastal nature. He confesses that he leaves the underwater theme for the next life, since with this life it is not enough for him to see and photograph everything above the surface. Even so, he is attracted to the islands, and is now finishing a conservation project to spread the situation of the Balearic baldriga (Puffinus mauretanicus), an endemic marine bird of the Balearic Islands that is considered one of the most endangered species in Europe. .
He is the author of a dozen books and has participated in numerous radio and television programs. His photographs and writings have been published in magazines such as National Geographic, BBC Wildlife, Terre Sauvage, GEO, Lonely Planet, etc.
Oriol has served as a jury in several national and international competitions, and he likes to debate with the rest of the jury to enrich the final assessment. His advice to those who participate in the contest is that, although it may seem like a contradiction, you should make your submission without a competitive spirit, only with the illusion of participating with the photographs that you appreciate the most. If the jury takes them into consideration, fantastic. And if not, it will always be another experience.
Laura Carrau
Born in Barcelona in contact with nature, from Cadaqués to Viladrau, she now lives in Vallgorguina, next to Montnegre and with the sea twenty minutes away by car.
Marine biologist by training, she has always shown interest in communication. During an Erasmus in Lisbon, she got to know the world of audiovisual documentaries. This motivated her to specialize in science communication, and this new path led her to work with National Geographic TV & Film in Washington DC on a groundbreaking marine documentary about remoras and sharks.
When she got back to Barcelona, she was proposed to join as a scriptwriter for the television program Redes, by Eduard Punset on RTVE. After that, TV3 commissioned her to cover the Barcelona World Race in 2007 and, since 2011, she has been working as a freelancer for national and international sailing regattas. This sporting look at the sea provides the jury with a different vision that enriches the group of experts.
Currently, she is also working on nature documentaries for the CSIC on topics such as Posidonia or blue carbon.
