Elgin in 4 months, not just a day

Elgin’s 7th annual community photography event is getting a fundamental redesign this year.

Elgin 1440 started in 2006 asking photographers to submit photos from a single day. They had 1,440 minutes to find the perfect shot. This year entrants can take photos anytime between May 15 and September 15 to be considered for the Elgin 1440 exhibit, which opens Nov. 5.

Sylvia Grady, Elgin’s art showcase coordinator, is the liaison to the Cultural Arts Commission and in charge of this year’s program. She said people have complained over the years that they wanted to participate in Elgin 1440 but were out of town on the chosen day or had something come up. The 2012 theme, Sunlit Gardens and Shaded Paths, means a particularly bad day with the weather would devastate the photography.

Plus, the growing season lasts from now until fall for different flowers and produce.

“We thought, it’s been six years, let’s change it up a bit,” Grady said.

Anyone 12 or older can submit up to five photos for the exhibit, color or black and white. Grady said the guidelines have become stricter over the years, resulting in higher quality entries that end up in the show. Submitting photos is not a guarantee they’ll be displayed in the exhibit, which will run from Nov. 5-21 in the Draewell Gallery of Art at Judson University, 1151 N. State St., Elgin.

An opening reception will be held from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 9 at the gallery.

Grady said the contest is a great way to bring the community together.

“The photographers start looking around at places in the city that perhaps they’ve never studied before or looked at before,” Grady said. “It’s an interesting way to get the community involved and to sort of promote community pride.”

Entries must be submitted by 5 p.m. Sept. 28 at Elgin City Hall, 150 Dexter Court. For details visit the Elgin 1440 quick link at cityofelgin.org.