Some of you might remember that last year I participated in a photo marathon in Berlin, which the organizers describe as:

…a competition under extreme circumstances. Within 12 hours participants must put together a series of 24 photos. One city, 12 hours, 24 themes.

You can take a look at how I interpreted last year’s themes over here, and get a sense of how exhausting and challenging it was — and maybe understand a little bit about why I immediately signed myself up for Fotomarathon 2012 too!

This year’s competition takes place next Saturday, and I’m already thinking about how I can learn from experience and make this year even better.  Here’s my plan:

• Wear comfortable shoes.  That sounds so ridiculous, but last year my legs were aching from being on my feet for almost the entire 12 hours.
• Bring snacks with me.  Seriously, surviving only on Red Bull (provided at the check-in points along the way) and breath mints because I was pressed for time was not pretty.
• Use of my tripod.  Last year I carried it along the entire day but never bothered to use it.  Mistake.
• Keep it simple.  I used props in last year’s photos (which should vaguely be related to one another and to the theme provided), and it got really annoying toward the end of the competition trying to figure out how to incorporate them into the photos.  Some photographers are able to do that really well (see examples of previous winners here), but I’m not one of them.  This year I’m focusing on my photography, the city, and the story I want to tell.

Cross your fingers that my new strategies improve the quality of my photos.  That Queer Expatriate and Snooker in Berlin (both old pros from last year) will be participating too — so keep your eyes out next week for our reports!

P.S. If you’re interested in participating, it’s still possible to register online for the Fotomarathon here!  Not in Berlin?  Check out this list of Fotomarathons around the world.