This is a recurring column by Daily Item Creative Director Spenser Hasak, featuring and discussing his favorite photos of the month.

Every other time I’ve sat down to write this column, it’s hard to believe that the month is over, but July feels different for some reason. Maybe I’ve been making the most of my weekends, because there has certainly been no shortage of assignments to cover during the week, but the month has seemed to go on forever, but I’m not complaining. I’ll take the warmth and sunshine!

Here are my favorite pics from the month:

1) The number one slot has to go to the thing that everyone seemed to be talking about (and photographing). I missed the peak yellow sky the first day, so I was ready for it when forecasts were calling for the same smoke conditions floating in from the wildfires of Canada. I started my day noting the gloominess, but the world didn’t seem as yellow as images from the day before had made it seem. That was until I headed out onto the causeway for an assignment in Nahant. My eyes must’ve adjusted while I was driving in it, because once I hit the “clear” beach air, it became immediately apparent. Lynn looked like it was on a different planet; it reminded me of “The Martian” by Andy Weir, which I was reading at the time. I parked at the beach and grabbed my 300mm to get shots of Lynn cast in the yellow/orange glow. It was surreal standing there and looking back at the view. After 10 minutes, the wind had done its thing and blown the smoke out to sea.

2) Number two goes to my photo of John Kostopulos, of Swampscott, as he photographed the tall ships anchored off the coast of Nahant. I was tipped off that Lodge Park in Nahant would be a great viewing spot. Not being one to pass up a trip to that area of town on a warm summer day, I grabbed my cameras and hopped in my car. Photographing events like this is always interesting because I have to keep two things in mind. I have to photograph the subject (in this case the tall ships), but I also have to look for photos of the people that are there to take in the spectacle. In this case, I spotted Kostopulos as soon as I made it to the top of the hill and was able to get both shots in one! I was immediately drawn to his American flag cap, perfectly fitting the theme of the ships celebrating America’s 250th birthday, and he just happened to be standing in between two of the ships anchored offshore. The framing of everything helped show that he was there to photograph the ships, and it was my favorite frame from the shoot.

3) Frame number three goes to a celebration shot of the Lynnfield Little League team as they celebrated defeating Peabody West and becoming the Massachusetts Little League District 16 Champions. It was the first time the team had done that in 17 years. This was a nail-biter of a game; either team could have walked away with the win at any time, but a big sixth inning had lifted Lynnfield above Peabody West, resting the weight of the game on relief pitcher Luca Mandell, right. I always have an internal struggle deciding what the best spot will be for a celebration photo, but I locked in on the third base line expecting something good to happen at the mound. As first baseman Ben O’Hara, second from right, snagged the throw at first for the final out, I knew I had made the right decision. The Lynnfield dugout, to my right, emptied and a celebration ensued on the mound, and this image captured that immediate joy perfectly.

4) The Revere Beach International Sand Sculpting Festival is another great excuse to get away from the office and hang around the beach for a few hours. I love walking up and down the row of artists, mouth agape as I struggle to grasp how they’ve created such intricate designs out of SAND. This image of California’s Joon Park stood out to me because of the way his sculpture framed his face. It highlighted the concentration it takes while leading the viewer’s eye right to his hand that was carefully scraping away sand to make the perfect curve.

5) And the final slot goes to this portrait of Richie the rooster. I had brought my flash and softbox with me to take photos of the roosters that had been dumped at the Wood Family Farm in Peabody. What I hadn’t anticipated, but should have, was that the roosters wouldn’t take too kindly to a 6’2” photographer with a giant softbox in his hand. Every rooster ran away, justifiably so, apart from Richie, who was more than happy to hang out with me as I got the shots I was hoping for. It’s not every day I get to do a portrait session with a rooster; I wanted to make the best of it!