Ashley accepts her new Canon Rebel.

It was great to meet our Scavenger Hunt winners at the Victoria Wellness gym last week and to hear their comments.  The Scavenger Hunt is a large undertaking for a small company like ours and it is very important for us to hear what we’re doing well and where we need to improve.

One thing was very clear, our overall winner — Ashley Hamilton — was excited and pleased that her images earned the votes of her peers.  Ashley not only won the Canon Rebel T2i and accessories, she also won the dinner and accommodation package provided by the Queen Victoria Hotel for producing the best self-portrait.

Moving forward, we hope to produce an even better Photo Challenge later this year or next spring.  In order to do this, we would very much like to hear your opinions about the workshop, the hunt, and everything associated with this year’s 2012 Photo Scavenger Hunt.

Our current thinking is to split the workshop and the hunt so that participants can choose just the hunt, or they can do both.  This would allow us to lower the cost of entry and also to better design the workshop to meet the needs of those who want it.  Conceivably, we could run the workshop on a Friday evening or Saturday morning, then run the hunt on one day only, probably Saturday afternoon and into the early evening.

So…we’d love to hear your opinions.  Please take the time to share them by completing this short online form.

– Mike

Karen T. and a friendly water buffalo.

I spent a wonderful day with five students photographing birds and water buffalo last Sunday.  We met in Victoria and drove straight to (business partner) Isobel’s property outside Courtenay.  Isobel regularly stocks a half-dozen bird feeders making her property a popular stop for many beautiful birds, especially in May and June.  On this trip we saw yellow grosbeaks, purple finches, goldfinches, flickers, rufous hummingbirds, a downey woodpecker, and a host of other birds.  Isobel has constructed a blind so photographers can setup quite close to the birds without scaring them off.

From Courtenay we drove to the Pacific Northwest Raptor centre outside Duncan.  Here we were able to photograph many raptors on their perches.  More importantly, the facility staff flew two hawks for us, providing a great opportunity to practice birds-in-flight photography!

We finished the day with a visit to Fairburn Farm, also near Duncan.  Fairburn Farm features some beautiful landscapes, picturesque wooden farm buildings, and a  herd of Bulgarian water buffalo.  The buffalo were amazingly friendly, poking their noses into all sorts of shots.

All-in-all it was a full day, ending with our return to Victoria around 6:30pm.  If you’d like to enjoy a similar day, please check out the Field Trips section of our website and book a trip!

–Mike

2012 Scavenger Hunt - Self-Portrait by Ashley Hamilton

At long last, the photographs have been submitted, the ballots cast, and the votes counted. In almost every respect, I was very happy with this year’s Scavenger Hunt. Virtually every comment we received out on the streets was that participants were having fun and enjoying the challenge. It didn’t hurt that the weather cooperated. And many participants found a new appreciation for Victoria’s downtown.

Almost inevitably, uploading the photos was a chore that frustrated many. Regardless, I think our approach this year was good in that it gave everyone a chance to review their photos and submit only the ones they were sure of. Now we just need to find an upload method that works — reliably and reasonably quickly!

Once the photos arrived I think the process smoothed out and worked well. It was great to see the variety and quality of photos submitted. There were some very creative efforts as well. The Clock Tower Images staff send their heartfelt congratulations to all participants and especially to those whose efforts gained the votes of their peers.

Being a bit of a numbers guy, I’d like to share a few. Of the 113 people who registered for the event, 102 participated (52 on Saturday and 50 on Sunday). Ninety-five participants chose to submit at least one photo and 75 chose to cast a ballot. Those 75 voters chose a different winner for each Photo Challenge and the overall winner is one of those ten. After counting all the votes, one challenge was tied – five ways! The Clock Tower staff submitted votes to break the tie. Of the 10 challenge winners, seven are female, three use Canon DSLRs and two use Sony cameras. Two winners use point-and-shoot cameras while one uses a four-thirds style camera. Eight of the winners were Sunday participants. The overall winner uses the same camera she is about to win!

So, without further ado, the winners are:

Photo Challenge 1: Jon Hurley, #352 *Photo Workshop or One-Day Field Trip
Photo Challenge 2: Michelle Jones, #350 *Photo Workshop or One-Day Field Trip
Photo Challenge 3: Ashley Hamilton, #313 *Queen Victoria Hotel package
Photo Challenge 4: Stephanie Lam, #321 *Photo Workshop or One-Day Field Trip
Photo Challenge 5: Evan Lock, #349 *Photo Workshop or One-Day Field Trip
Photo Challenge 6: Leslie Bradwell, #303 *Photo Workshop or One-Day Field Trip
Photo Challenge 7: Chantelle Johnson, #225 *Lowepro Camera bag
Photo Challenge 8: Cindy Ingram, #316 *Photo Workshop or One-Day Field Trip
Photo Challenge 9: Bruce Morgan, #330 *Photo Workshop or One-Day Field Trip
Photo Challenge 10: Gail Austin, #204 *Victoria Wellness Professionals Fitness package

The overall winner is…Ashley Hamilton, #313 !!!
Ashley wins a Canon T2i DSLR with an 18-55mm IS lens, camera bag, UV filter, 8 Gb card and a LensPen.

We will contact all the winners and arrange an informal awards ceremony.

Mike's Scavenger Hunt-day macro, trying to think like Isobel.

Voting Time!

It is time to vote for your favourite photographs for each of the ten 2012 Photo Challenges. Please review the galleries carefully as several images have been added throughout the verification process. Note the names of your favourite images using the filenames, such as PSH2-000-PC1.jpg. You will need to enter the full name of the image in your ballot and any typos can result in a vote going astray.

Only 2012 Photo Scavenger Hunt participants may vote, and each participant may cast only one ballot.

Participants cannot vote for their own photographs.

You can review the galleries by clicking here.

To cast your ballot, please click here.

Ballots must be submitted by 11:00 pm Sunday April 29, 2012. Results will be posted Monday, April 30, 2012.

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact us immmediately – email mike@clocktowerimages.com.

Good luck to all participants.

– Mike

Before voting can begin, we need all participants to confirm that their photos have been uploaded and are included in the appropriate gallery. Please note, at all times your photos belong to you — even though we have a default copyright stamp that protects the images while they are displayed on our website.

Please do not contact us unless you have identified a problem. If you do have a problem, we need to hear about it by 11:00 pm Thursday April 19, 2012, via email mike@clocktowerimages.com.

If we do not hear from you we will assume all is well with your images.

Voting will begin as soon as possible after the galleries have been verified. To vote, you will be sent a link to an online voting page, where you will enter your name, Scavenger Hunt number, email address, and your favourite photo for each Photo Challenge. The link will also be published in the next Scavenger Hunt update.

The galleries are password protected. Please use the password provided for our Dropbox. You can view the galleries by clicking here.

Thanks for submitting so many great photos!

–Mike

As stated earlier, we have removed the deadline for uploading images. We would like for all participants (Saturday and Sunday) to finish submitting their images by midnight Monday April 16. If, for whatever reason, you can’t make that deadline, please let us know and we will accommodate you.

I will begin sending emails to Saturday participants confirming the images I have received from them. Emails to Sunday participants will be sent out starting tomorrow afternoon.

– Mike

I have watched the upload process stagger along this evening and it appears that many photos have not uploaded properly (due to technology issues).

For any Saturday participants, I urge you to resubmit your images using our Dropbox account.  As at last resort, email them to us: heather@clocktowerimages.com or mike@split-seconds.com.  Due to the technology issues, we will waive the 9:00 pm deadline and ask you to resubmit your images by 3:00 pm Sunday April 15 or wait until Monday.

For Sunday participants, please submit your photos via our Dropbox account or, as a last resort, via email, starting at 4:00 pm Sunday.

As soon as possible, we will send every participant an email confirming which photos we have received, regardless of whether they were submitted using the original process,  copied to our Dropbox, or emailed.

My sincerest apologies to everyone who has spent excessive time trying to upload their images.

- Mike

Devon Chan, dancing "Make "Em Laugh"

Videos from Dansko’s Showcase 2012 event held at the Charlie White Theatre in Sidney on March 31 will be available for purchase and download on Friday April 13, 2012.  All solos and duets will be available on that date — performers in group dances are asked to wait until the year end event (videos may be available on a special request basis).  For a list of dances available, please see the list below.

Each dance is available as an individual downloadable file in high-definition format.  This format is compatible with viewing on computers, tablets and video-capable smart phones.  It can also be burned to a DVD or Blu-Ray for viewing on a traditional television.  To purchase, please click here.

Cost for the dances is based on the number purchased.

Cost for one dance is $25.  Two dances will cost $40 (a 20% discount).  Three dances will cost $50 (a 33% discount).  Orders for four or more dances will receive the maximum 33% discount.  HST will be added to all orders.

Note: at this time users of smart phones and tablets cannot download our videos directly to their handheld device. Use a computer to download the video(s), then use a program like iTunes to transfer the video(s) to your smartphone or tablet.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email or call us at 250.889.6700.

Available Dances

Matinee Session

• Sticky Sweet – Stephanie Gosvig
• Ashley’s Waltz – Ashley Popham
• So Dope – Terrick Harley, Taylor Jackson, Lexi Vindisch, Braydn Uppal
• Far Far – Teya Carter
• In Your Arms – Marlyse Joe
• Dock of the Bay – Samaya Harrison, Carly Heemskerk, Paige Leslie, Emma Rowe
• Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy – Amanda Youell
• Love Life – Avelyn Duncan
• Everybody – Madison Bains
• If it Hadn’t Been for Love – Sarah Coupar
• Be Back Soon – Chantal Hemsworth, Thea Lowey, Courtney Rowley, Kelsey Uppal
• Make ‘Em Laugh

Evening Session

• Gravity – Lindsay MacIassac
• Ashley’s Jig – Ashley Popham
• Wickeder – Jenna Buhrmann, Lauren McLeod
• Fidelity – Katie Tucker
• Nicest Thing – Stephanie Gosvig
• Dynamite – April Downs
• Heart and Soul – Katie Petropolous
• Rigaudon – Amy Rowley, Molly Wallbank-Hart
• A Long Walk – Amy Rowley
• The Duel – Maddison Charlton, Kelsey Webb
•  Another One Bites the Dust – Lexi Vindisch
• Animal – Devon Chan
• I Feel Good – Marlyse Joe

Likewise, if you purchased a Groupon for two participants and have only registered for one, please make sure the second person is also registered, including their name and choice of day.

This year’s event begins at the Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour Hotel.  Doors open for both Saturday and Sunday sessions at 8:30 and we will start our presentation at 9:00,  so please arrive early.  Our workshop session will end at about 11:00am and you will have until 4:00 pm to complete the ten photo challenges.

Please bring the following items to the workshop:

• if you purchased this event with a Groupon, you MUST bring the Groupon voucher (print or electronic version)

• your camera, with a clean (empty) memory card and a fully charged battery (and a spare battery, if available)

• tripod (optional but useful)

• external flash (optional but useful)

* lenses up to 200 mm focal length (you won’t need any big lenses)

• appropriate clothing and footwear (note, this event will NOT be postponed because of rain)

This year we have a new process for submitting your final photographs, where each person can upload their own photos from their own computer.  We will provide detailed instructions on how to do this at the workshop.  There will be options for people who do not have access to an interneet-enabled computer.

Camera note: any sort of camera beyond a cell phone camera is suitable for this photo scavenger hunt.  Cameras with manual controls for aperture, shutter speed and ISO may have a small advantage.

While we were very pleased with last year’s inaugural event (based at the James Bay Community Centre and hosted under our Split-Seconds Photography name) we feel this year’s event will be even better — a waterfront setting, an improved sound system, a stream-lined process for submitting your photographs, and, of course, ten great new photo challenges.

Oh yes, some nifty new prizes too: a Canon T2I camera package, including lens, camera bag, and more; a meals and accommodation package for 2; and a fitness package with a personal trainer. And more.

Like last year, we are working with Groupon to promote this event. Be sure to check Groupon’s featured deal on March 19, 2012.

For more information about this year’s Photo Scavenger Hunt, please click here.

Sponsors for 2012 Photo Scavenger Hunt