At first we thought about buying you all milkshakes in gratitude, but then we were like, "What if we just threw them a big art show instead?" Thus, DCist Exposed was born. The good folks at Warehouse have rented us a space next spring, and in the spirit of Unbuckled, we intend to bring you a gallery show full of local talent that demands an audience.

Unfortunately, though we love you all, we don't have the space for every single one of our contributors, so like a torn mother we're going to have to choose between you. So here's the quick and dirty, with more formal guidelines and rules after the jump:

First, if you haven't already, register for free with Flickr, then fill out our quick application form (also free), so we know who's who. Submit your photos to the DCist Exposed group by January 21, 2007. We'll judge 'em, pick a bunch that we just adore, and ask those photographers to hang them in our first ever DCist Exposed at the Warehouse Art Gallery from March 9-16, 2007. You'll get to sell your photo and advertise your work, and more importantly, mingle and drink beers with your lovely DCist writers at the opening reception.

Remember, everyone is encouraged to submit their work. Professionals and amateurs, folks who've had twenty images on Photo of the Day and folks who just decided to go buy their first camera right now because this show sounds so awesome. And hey, it's no milkshake, but it is free to submit your work, so what reason do you have not to?

Good Luck!

1. Please fill out our quick application form. This is so we can match your Flickr user name to your contact information and we can get a hold of you if we choose your photo for the show. We won't distribute your information, but occasionally we may send you email pertaining to the show. We won't consider photos for which we don't have a matching application.

2. Join the DCist Exposed Flickr group. Please limit your submissions to three photos. You may change these photos in the pool up until the closing date, January 21, 2007, but we will go through the group periodically and delete anything over three submitted by one user, so be sure to delete your prior images. If you have over three in the group after the closing date, the later ones will not be considered.

3. Remember that this is DCist. Now, we certainly aren't asking for 300 versions of the Washington Monument (unless, of course, you've got a really sweet one), but we do ask that you live and take your photos in the general geographical area. Sure, you can upload your awesome photo of the Eiffel Tower, but we won't choose it for the show. Anything you've seen in Photo of the Day would be appropriate.

4. We're lucky to have a broad range of talents who submit to our regular pool. Some of you are professionals with serious equipment, some of you just carry along your point-and-shoot in case you run across a funny sign. We promise to judge your photos equally, without consideration of your background, and similiarly, we'll require some equalization from you. If your photo is chosen for the show, you will have to get it printed as an 8x10 and matted and framed according to our set standards:

— Black metal moulding 16x20 frame with regular glass
— White acid free mat
— White acid free foam core backing

We know some of you have never had your work professionally framed before, but we want your work to look its best, so no homemade jobs unless you've got some experience doing this. At most framing stores you'll find this can run from $60-$90; however, we've contacted Apex in Alexandria, who is offering our photographers a significant discount at $25. Though it's a little out of the way, we highly recommend using Apex.
*Big thanks to Lenny Campello for help with this section and pointing us to Apex.

5. We know that some of you have never sold your work before. Our hope is that the DCist community can assist each other with this process when it comes to pricing and other issues, both here and on the Flickr discussion board. We're always here to answer questions or give advice, as well, so feel free to email us.

6. We will begin contacting the selected photographers Sunday, February 4, 2007. Some photographers may have more than one image selected. If you haven't responded to us by Sunday, February 11, we will select another image. (If you know you'll be out of town that week, just let us know beforehand.)

7. You'll have just over three weeks to mat and frame your photograph (another reason to use Apex — they'll be expecting this demand; if you use another framer be sure to ask how long this will take because some may have a wait of over a month). During the week before the opening reception, folks from DCist will be at Warehouse at times to be announced later, so you can deliver your photograph for hanging in the show.

8. Flickr is free and your DCist Exposed application is free, but we do have some costs behind this venture. We will kindly ask for 10% of your sales, should any of your photos be included in the show and purchased by a smart investor, to pay the folks at Warehouse for hosting our show.

9. Bring your family and friends to the opening reception at Warehouse on March 9, 2007 at 6:30 p.m. to celebrate our awesome contributors, spy on gallery-goers as they gush over your work, and maybe buy a photo yourself! The show will run until March 16, 2007, so you'll have a week to encourage everyone you know to come check it out.

Do you have questions? Did we leave something out? Please don't hesitate to leave a comment for discussion here or send us an email.

Good luck!