Although Prosanta Chakrabarty grew up in Queens, he always loved nature. The wonder of the world's creatures inspired him to study biology, a field that illuminates which of Earth’s beings are related to one another -- and how an event in a single location of this interconnected planet can cause global repercussions. Chakrabarty offers his brief but spectacular take on life on Earth.

The documentary “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” about a community in the Alabama Black Belt, received an Academy Award nomination for best documentary earlier this year. RaMell Ross spent more than five years making the film, exploring the South as a black American from the North. He offers his brief but spectacular take on the black experience in documentary film.

Falu is a Grammy-nominated songwriter and performer who grew up in India, where she studied music religiously before even having the opportunity to touch a microphone. Although she had long blended American influences into her music, it wasn’t until she moved to New York that she started creating in English. Falu offers her brief but spectacular take on finding identity through music.

Marcus Yam is a staff photographer for the Los Angeles Times and the winner of two Pulitzers. Having covered California wildfires extensively, he is deeply familiar with the challenge of documenting tragedy and humanity up close. Yam offers his Brief but Spectacular take on the sensitivity and perspective he brings to his work.