The last 6 months, recapped.

*4 Seas*. Calgary, October 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke. *(All images in this blog have been highly compressed to improve load time.)*

I started compiling this blog post in November; now in May, I’m amazed how quietly a half-year passed by. I’ve been working a lot commercially these last 6 months - I’ve been photographing plenty of interesting and inspiring interiors. (See my recently updated portfolio if you’re curious about that work.)

You might have noticed (or not) that I haven’t been on social media much lately - it’s been feeling really negative, constraining, and noncreative on there - even more so than usual. I’ll still share some new work on Instagram very soon, but I don’t plan to spend much time on the platform. (If you’re finding me slow to respond on there, feel free to send me a note.)

Market Collective just wrapped up a few weeks ago at the time of writing, and once again I was reminded just how sentimental Calgary can be. I really do love talking about the city: listening to feelings and throughts about spaces and places with neighbours and strangers alike. If you look at the shape and direction of development in this city, you would be easily forgiven for concluding people here don’t really care about older spaces, but the truth insofar as I see it is otherwise. These conversations and commiserations lend purpose to my street photography work as a sort of sentimental documentary process and I’m looking forward to photographing more communities and spaces this year.

For now, I’ll go back to the end of last summer to adjoin my last blog post with the present:

Mara Lake, British Columbia, August 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

On a trip to a rental cabin near Mara Lake with my family, my X100V made it into the bag. I found myself wanting a longer reach here and there but the wider perspective worked for the photo above. The depth a retreating rain storm lent to the rocky hill protruding from the lake, and the diffuse sunlight rim-lighting the trees was too much for me not to capture.

Frank Lake, Alberta, August 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

A road trip south with friends to the Birds of Prey Centre in Coaldale was the perfect excuse for some rural photography along the way.

Southern Alberta, August 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

*Farewell Condon Building.* Calgary, August 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

After months of failed attempts to get a meaningful photograph of the Jimmie Condon building before its looming demolition, conditions finally came together one late August morning.

*Tim’s For Rent.* Calgary, August 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

Rocanville, Saskatchewan, September 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

A friendly gas station attendant told me the best time to get a sunset photograph of the Rocanville grain elevator. Catching up with family in town, I lost track of time and ended up running over 15 minutes late to make this photograph. The sunset would’ve been nice, but I still find this photo interesting - especially the metal textures brought to life by the nearly-gone sunlight.

*No Going Back.* Calgary, September 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

The parkade in No Going Back has caught my eye before - but the light and the foot traffic never came together until this day. Standing off to the side of the sidewalk, I noticed the two ‘no left hand turn’ signs and thought they would make nice vertical (but with depth) bookends to the composition. Then as I was looking through the view finder and finding the right in-frame balance, someone walked into a small reflected pocket of light 5 feet or so in front of me. I knew this had to be part of the photograph. When these two gentlemen walked by on opposing sides of the street I thought I had it; what I didn’t see until I was working on the photo at home was the look the man on the left was throwing either at me or the man in front of me. Together with the signs, a story came together in my mind.

Calgary, September 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

Elbow Lake, Alberta, October 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

A late-season hike with a friend was the source of some scenic inspiration.

Calgary, October 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

Going to high school and working for nearly a decade in Forest Lawn made me a bit blind to its photographic charms; call it ignorance via familiarity. A drive through the neighbourhood last October was a revelation. The next day, I made my way back down and spent a few hours walking up and down International Avenue, feeling very inspired by scenes I had once relegated to the mundane everyday. I will be back down there soon to continue this work.

*Paradise Lanes.* Calgary, October 2025. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

*A Crossing.* Calgary, February 2026. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

A Crossing was pretty much the first street photograph I made in 2026. It was colder but no longer slushy, the main snow pack having melted off with a prolonged chinook. I was focused on capturing the passerby across the street with the aging apartment building - the second man with the hat was one of those happy accidents that happen every so often on the street. I shot a few more frames as I noticed him pass and was satisfied to have caught his silhouette against the illuminated side of the building.

Calgary, February 2026. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

A fair-weather (i.e. chinook-enhanced) walk to get coffee with a friend - and fellow photographer - turned into a short photowalk as the low-sun position made for some interesting high-contrast compositions.

Instructions unclear (above).

*This Part of the Galaxie.* Calgary, February 2026. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

Feeling re-attuned to the streets after the coffee photowalk, the next day I went off on my own. I walked over to 11th to try and document one of my favourite stretches of aged buildings in the Beltline, aided by some wonderful late morning sun and shadow. This Part of the Galaxie and Kalamata were the results of that morning’s efforts and capture the more colourful, warm, and lived-in feeling that these remnant parts of the city have always suggested to me. Character is the word that comes to mind and character to me is a high in value.

*Kalamata.* Calgary, February 2026. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

Calgary, March 2026. © Tyler A.W. Burke.

The above photograph shows the western side of the old Public Library - captured on a quick walk with a friend for coffee in the early afternoon last month.

That just about brings us up to the present. The commercial side of things remains quite busy, but with spring proper just around the corner, I’m feeling a pull to get out and start documenting more prolifically. My intention is to put together more of these blog posts this year: shorter but more frequently (and I’ll surely post to Instagram as well).

That’s it for now, talk more soon.

Spring, Summer, so far…