August is a bittersweet month for me. Reality sets in, summer no longer feels endless, and the threat of winter looms (autumn barely exists where I live). With photography demanding more effort in winter, I addressed the dread with an August photos project. The goal: bring my camera (preferably the mirrorless one) everywhere and take a photo every day. In addition to simply taking more photos, I'm trying to explore subject matter and types of photography that are outside of my comfort zone.

I started a monthly project for two reasons. Firstly, I hope this turns into a habit and I continue bringing my camera everywhere (the iPhone will do, but I really should bring the mirrorless considering how portable it is). I really mean everywhere too. I brought it to the grocery store this week. Secondly, a yearly project is a monumental commitment and I don't think I'm ready for that yet. I want to develop a sustainable photography habit I can continue with.

When I was planning out the Sunday drive I wanted to stop at Siksika 146 and visit the Blackfoot Crossing Historical Park. I'm working through an online Indigenous Canada course so seeing some of the places in real life adds more to the education.

The centre is closed on weekends so we had the surrounding trails around the river valley to ourselves.

Our destination for the Sunday drive was Bassano Dam. A few families lined the riverbank, fishing and swimming in the Bow.

On the way home we saw a Rolls-Royce on the highway. I tried a frame within a frame technique instead of pressing the camera up against the glass.

Levi always falls asleep on drives. The light coming in through the window created strong geometric shapes and I tried to emphasize them by underexposing the interior of the car.

Part of bringing a camera wherever I go in August means more running photos. The daytime heat in midsummer is intense so sometimes I run at night. The Peace Bridge is always impressive and attracts Calgarians and tourists alike.

As part of the “bring a camera everywhere in August” thing, I'm also trying to bring my mirrorless camera more places instead of relying on my iPhone. Rain was on my shot list for August and this photo captured the mood of the drive home perfectly (Mazzy Star was playing in the car).

Part of the August photos project is shooting in ways I'm not comfortable with. I watched a few videos on lighting glass and liquids and wanted to give it a try. I didn't have much of the equipment they used in the video, but I did have a diffuser which helped soften the light and remove hard shadows. Some improvements I'd like to make: softer reflections in the glass, larger depth of field (does the cap need to be out of focus?), and more liquid in the bottle. But hey, this stuff is tasty.

Summer Nights, Walking by Robert Adams is one of my favourite photo books and I tried to emulate the style while walking one night this week. I went out around 10:30pm but I think these photos would be even more successful after midnight.

Something I didn't realize about the Summer Nights, Walking book until much later was the anxiety in some of the photos. The photos aren't all about innocence, quiet suburbs and warm nights.

I love how the repetition turned out in this one. The road branches, and on one side is the streetlight and on the other side is the the moon. I recognize the luck in this photo. The moon isn't always in this position and it's an essential part of this photo.

I take many, many photos of my cat, but they're almost always snapshots. So for Pawpaw's second birthday I decided to spend a bit more time setting up the environment so I could make a photo instead of take a photo.