The Bow Valley’s annual photography festival begins in less than a month and as part of the 2011 offering, organizers are looking for your photographs.
Exposure: Calgary Banff Canmore Photography Festival, which runs from Feb. 1-28, is inviting Bow Valley residents from Lake Louise through to Morley to submit photographs that explore the theme of this year’s festival, Where We Are: A Sense of Place, for an outdoor projection in downtown Canmore in mid-February.
According to Exposure chair Craig Richards, the outdoor projection, which is being presented along with the Town of Canmore, is seen as a way to include local photographers of all skill levels in the festival, to take the festival out side and to help to create a sense of community.
All photographers living in and around the Bow Valley are invited to submit up to five photographs that express the theme, Where We Are: A Sense of Place.
Photographers can submit images that either pertain to the region – community or environment – or can feature similar topics from outside this region.
“We have a lot of people doing a lot in Kosovo, Fort McMurray or whatever and they are residents, and we don’t want to limit them,” he said.
Photographers from outside of the Bow Valley, meanwhile, are asked to submit images that pertain specifically to the Bow Valley region.
Richards said all of the entries received would be presented as part the outdoor projection.
Also, three photographs from all of the submissions will be featured on four by four foot murals, printed by Snappy Sign and Graphic Emporium of Didsbury, and hung in the windows of the old SAAN store on Main Street throughout February.
The projection event will also feature fires burning in 45-gallon drums and hot chocolate.
“We’ve got a wealth of people here that are doing photography in and outside this valley. That is one of the nice and exciting things about it,” Richards said.
The festival, now in its seventh year, is growing.
Last year, over 27,000 people toured the galleries and took in the events connected to Exposure and Richards said he is expecting over 30,000 this year.
The number of educational events has also grown from eight last year to 30 this year.
The festival, he said, gives photographers of all stripes the opportunity to learn and to enjoy photography.
“You learn something and can apply it to your own photography. You get better by viewing good work, listening to people and getting out and doing it,” he said.
The festival launch will be held at the Whyte Museum of the Canadian Rockies Feb. 5 featuring Slovenian photographer Marko Modic and the 14th annual Through the Lens.
For more information on the festival go to www.exposurephotofestival.com and for the Where We Are: A Sense of Place outdoor projection submission information, click on the link to the Exposure blog. The submission deadline is Jan. 21.
