I owe you all an explanation. Leaving you in the dark was rude, especially given how loyal you’ve been—looking at the server logs, I can see you’ve been checking back regularly. Thank you.

To be honest, I needed a mental break. Back in April, I got heavily wrapped up in helping a friend liquidate their business. While it’s still ongoing, they’ve made great headway, realigned their plan, and are finally moving forward. But at the time, my head was so full of it that I found it difficult to focus (literally). For my own sanity and my family’s, I had to put the camera down.

Fortunately, I feel like I’ve turned a corner. Last weekend was a real milestone: we had a meetup in London for what we affectionately call a “print fling.” Even though only four of us made it, the day was packed with pictures and inspiration.

It’s always great to catch up with old photography mates. Left to right in the shot are moi, Craig Morton (of Craig’s Random Ramblings), Alun Bull (English Heritage), and Matt Taylor—all of whom I respect immensely as both friends and photographers. We met up at the Royal Festival Hall on the South Bank, and it was a brilliant day. Thanks again, guys; let’s not leave it so long next time.

I can’t really claim credit for this shot since I didn’t press the shutter. A friendly passerby was kind enough to point and shoot with my 5D. See? I’m a trusting chap… 😉

• taken|11/05/2008 13:45
• camera|Canon EOS 5D
• lens|17 – 40mm L
• focal length|22mm
• aperture|f/6.7
• shutter speed|1/90 sec
• shooting mode|Manual
• exposure bias|0
• metering mode|pattern
• iso|400
• flash fired|No
• image quality|RAW
• raw converter|Photoshop CS2
• cropped|3×2