The rules are simple. 12 Hours, 12 Themes and 12 Exposures. ON FILM! Last year I found out about the Vancouver Photo Marathon but unfortunately I was too late at the time to register. This year was different and when the time for online registration was opened I was busy mashing the refresh button on the website and lo and behold I got in. I was going to be one of sixty lucky participants this year and I was thrilled. I dusted off my Canon Rebel film camera and tested it out with a roll of film which ironically I still have yet to develop so I went on faith that all would be good. I knew that on the day of the event that one roll with 12 exposures would be handed out to each participant so you'd have one shot per theme and you need to shoot it in the order that the themes are presented. Must not mess up! As the day unfolded and the themes were announced at the top of every hour I quickly realized that there was not only a huge element of creativity required but also a matter of logistics. How far can you go away from the meeting spot and get back to it and find your subject to photograph? Sometimes I would find something within a few blocks and within the first half hour. Then there were a few challenging themes that really had me creatively struggling. I didn't want to fall behind so I kept pace with one theme per hour and must admit that I compromised on a few shots with ideas that didn't exactly feel great. In the end I was pleased to have finished and each person got a big cheer as they handed in their roll of film. It was a great experience that I will definitely do again next year.
On September 25th all of the photos from all 60 participants will be on display at PhotoHaus Gallery at the Vancouver Photo Workshops: 14 West 7th Ave, Vancouver. It will also be the first time that the participants get to see them so it's going to be exciting.
Here are the 12 Themes and brief description of what I did for them and the P or L in brackets denotes whether I shot it landscape or portrait.
1. My entry number plus different angle - blue tile mosaic "29" (L)
2. The usual suspects - a group of four old guys (L)
3. Human Nature - lemonade stand sour faces (L)
4. Reliable - three firemen in front of fire truck (P)
5. My greatest wish - big yacht (L)
6. Odour - two fish heads (P)
7. Echo - Christine shouting under bridge (P)
8. Trapped - mannequin behind glass (P)
9. Take it to the grave - picture of guy in antique store (P)
10. Second chance - group of VPD prepping (L)
11. Not for sale - old mansion (L)
12. Expectation - girl looking into illuminated box labelled Top Secret
