12X12 VANCOUVER PHOTO MARATHON

image credit: 12x12 website

Coming up: The 12x12 Vancouver Photo Marathon is a fast-paced annual event that challenges amateur and professional photographers alike to shoot from the hip and flex their creative muscles.

Now in its fourth year and backed by an enthusiastic following,  it is a not-for-profit initiative that aims to bring together local creatives for a day of quick-thinking fun using a classic but fading medium. While plenty of photo marathons happen around the world, 12x12 is the first and only photo marathon happening in B.C.

Though it's called a marathon, running isn't a requirement. Instead, participants are provided with a roll of film to fill up once an hour, every hour, for 12 hours, with their own interpretation of a designated theme.

This year, participants pay homage to the age-old medium of black and white film in their sprint through Gastown and beyond. Home base is Coffeebar on 10 Water Street, where the hourly themes will be randomly drawn and released. At the end of it all, the rolls are taken in and developed for participants, and then put up for an exhibition physically on September 22nd, and digitally on the event's Flickr.

To keep tabs on the happenings, you can check out their website, like them on Facebook, or follow them on Twitter.