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12:45pm | For most, Justin Rudd needs no introduction.  He's widely known as a the organizer of 'Haute Dogs' events, including the Bulldog Beauty Contest and Howl'oween Parade, countless beach clean-ups, the Long Beach Losers! weight loss contest, and the Belmont Shore Sidewalk Chalk Art Contest, taking place October 23rd.  He's also a successful pageant preparation coach, and a good egg to boot.

Last Saturday, he organized the "SAY CHEESE Long Beach" 24-hour digital photography contest, where approximately 100 photographers scoured the City to capture unique images of life.  This Friday, September 3rd, a jurored exhibition of select photos will be presented at Expo, located at 4321 Atlantic Avenue.  The exhibition coincides with the Montly Bixby Knolls First Fridays event, which features art, music, theater, and dining along the Atlantic corridor between San Antonio and Bixby. 

I asked Justin about the contest.

Justin: The hope is to create a yearly photo book, sort of like a high school yearbook, but, we do it in one 24-hour period, as opposed to throughout a high-shool's school year.

Sander: How did you get people involved?

Justin: Over the years, I've collected email addresses of photographers that I would run in to.  And, I have 39,000 subscribers to my various email newsletters, and 5,000 Facebook friends, plus my "Belmont Shore" and "Long Beach, Calif." fan pages.  I use all those resources, and send press releases to local press.

Sander: So, when you came up with this concept, what was the response?

Justin: We had 64 photographers in the first contest.  We have 115 in this one. We hope to feature approximately 700 images in the exhibit on Friday.  Approximately 1200 images were submitted.

Sander: As you've sorted through the submissions, did you notice any interesting themes emerging?

Justin: yes, the waterfront is always a theme. And the Queen Mary and Villa Riviera typically get their deserved share of photos.

Sander: Any surprises?

Justin: Yes, some photos from a funeral wake. It was interesting to see several of the photographers capture the fire at the old P-T building.  And, plenty of images from the Horny Corner water polo tournament, and Buskerfest.

Sander: Was anything missing?
 
Justin: I always try to encourage folks to take photos inside, too.  Like at their work, or of their homelife.  Hopefully we'll see more of that the next time. We have an award this year for best indoors photo.

Sander: Can you talk a bit about who oversaw the selection process?

Justin: Judges will be announced Friday night, but one is a photojournalist and one is a University photography instructor.  Some of my images will also be in the exhibit, but they're not being jurored.

The event is free, and a photo book is going to be created in the coming weeks with images from the contest. $1500 will be awarded on Fri. night.

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You can find out about all of Justin's local and professional efforts at JustinRudd.com

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