A Waffle House in the suburbs was an unlikely but convenient low-fuss place to meet the night before. I was trapped in a hotel lobby downtown as the rain fell. With a break in the weather, I hailed an Uber and returned to the suburbs, not far from the airport and my Hampton Inn location. I was the first one to arrive at the Waffle House.

I waited for a while until the next person showed up, almost doubting if the meeting would take place. The trip participants began to arrive, coming from various parts of the country. We assembled at this location for a pre-trip talk and coordination, before meeting early the next morning at Tampa Airport. The real journey was about to begin. Tampa and its quick exploration were merely a warm-up. It worked out great for me, as I finally got a chance to use the Sony 24-70 f/2.8. But the real test would come over the next several days.

I made this picture inside the Waffle House as I waited, continuing to document the trip. Expect to see plenty of candids, street photographs, and even the occasional portrait in the second leg of this series.

Blog readers, you’ll love my free monthly photography magazine. Signup for the free magazine to get articles and topics not discussed on the blog.