This Thursday, December 6, is the opening of the third annual Philly Photo Day at the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center. Visit the Crane Arts Building from 6–9 p.m. to catch a glimpse of the many perspectives submitted by photographers from around Philadelphia. The project was funded in part by a Knight Arts grant that truly allows this year’s event to prove that the third time is, in fact, the charm.

Photo by Stefan Abrams for Philly Photo Day 2012.

With roughly double the submissions of Philly Photo Day 2011, there are some 1800 unique vantage points all taken on October 26, the designated day for this year’s event. Professional and amateur photographers alike from around the region hit the streets (or even just their own apartments) within the city of Philadelphia near the end of October to get interesting shots of anything and everything.

Using anything from point-and-shoot to SLR cameras, or even just their cell phones, Philadelphians got the chance to come together and document the city from as many angles as possible. Whether the photos are portraits or abstractions, forgotten corners of nearby streets or famous, recognizable landmarks, they all come together to form a fully contemporary and powerfully democratic view of the City of Brotherly Love.

Photo by Shira Yudkoff for Philly Photo Day 2012.

Thanks to this year’s Knight Foundation funding, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center got the chance to greatly expand the scope of the project by taking the exhibition outside of the gallery. While the focal point is still the Icebox space at Crane Arts where every photo will be displayed in one large show, select images will also appear on SEPTA buses and billboards, giving Photo Day a broader reach to the public that may not be privy to the project or PPAC in general.

At a time when photography is a vast and accessible form of art, communication and documentation, the Philadelphia Photo Arts Center works hard to provide a space for photographers of all levels to get their feet wet or bolster their skills. Philly Photo Day is certainly an event not to miss. Even if you didn’t get to submit a photo this year, there is always 2013. In the meantime, don’t forget to swing by the gallery after December 6 and see what Philadelphia is made of.

Philadelphia Photo Arts Center is located in the Crane Arts Building at 1400 N. American St., Philadelphia; [email protected]; philaphotoarts.org.