One Photo a Day: August 2016

The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white dawns and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color. Often at night there is lightning, but it quivers all alone.

Natalie Babbitt

August. High summer. Not exactly my favourite season for taking photographs, but it is lovely when you can enjoy hot days and warm evenings in the English countryside or along the coast. The sunny weather is ideal for walking, and perfect for the start of another long distance walk - The Cotswold Way. August is also one of the busiest times for us. We usually spend a lot of time with family and friends, especially when celebrating birthdays, including Martin's and mine. I normally put photography aside and spend most of my free time on enjoying the life in between.

However this year I had to squeeze time for photography as well. I knew it would be hard, especially after feeling so low and exhausted at the end of July. So I decided to make August an iPhone only month. I needed a break. I needed to save time on uploading, editing and processing. It seemed like an ideal solution. I really enjoyed the freedom, and it felt like with the phone I also got a new pair of eyes. Seemingly ordinary scenes suddenly started to look much more interesting. It was great while it lasted. When the month finished I was facing quite a surprise. I realised that using the Hipstamatic app on my phone destroyed the quality of some of the pictures. I still had to re-process some of them in Photoshop in a more gentle way.  So it was questionable whether I really saved some time or not. But I did my best, and at the end of the month I learnt my lesson. There are no shortcuts, and there are no substitutes for my real camera.

So another month completed, four more to go. It seems like a lot, but when I look back it still feels better than even a month ago.

Give it your very best every single day. And don't be so hard on yourself come nightfall.

WRDSMTH, street artist

If you would like to see any of the images and read the stories behind them, please us the links below. There are also a few outtakes that didn’t make it as a picture of the day, but which I found hard to part with.