I’ve started to produce higher quality image CDs for all the paid assignments I’ve come across. The process is fairly simple. In photoshop I set up the images I’d like to use for the front, insides and back covers.

What’s really nice is that I also have a template for the actual cd that sticks right to it after the images or video has been burned. The quality is exceptional as long as your prints are high resolution printed on a semi professional printer.

To top it off, I include a seal which I heat with a hairdryer that results in a similar look to wrap you tear off a DVD you buy from Best Buy. Overall, I’m impressed with this new system as it’s highly customizable and allows me to be completely flexible.

Looks like my site was down for the night and through the morning. I’m glad my hosting company, eleven2, was right on top of it. They’ve always been great with support and that’s what counts the most. I was making some changes to the domains I have under my account and I guess photosbyrowell.com got mixed up somewhere in there but all is good now!

Hey everyone! I’m taking the wordpress app for a ride on the iPhone 3g. Let’s hope that this app is worth the time and space

On Sunday, I decided to walk my dog, Dax. I went quite for with him and since he’s still kind of young (2 years).. I didn’t know if it would be too much. Low and behold, he got tired 4 times on the way back home. The photo here is the 3rd rest stop and he just would not budge! I can drag him by the legs and he wouldn’t even care.

This reminds me of when working with photography. I’ll shoot shoot and shoot, eventually having tons of photos to process. Sometimes it can get overwhelming to the point where I’m just burned out. I’m sure many of you have felt this and continued to work through the night because you needed to have the images complete by the deadline. I’ve realized that I need to plan ahead and make sure I take frequent breaks. All day I spend my time in front of a monitor, hands on keyboard and mouse in a sitting (often non-ergonomic) position.

As we speak, on my plate, I have baptism photos from Saturday to process and also a ton of photos from Pop Noir fashion show on Friday. Of course, the paid work will take priority but if you work full time, like me, things can get quite hectic and tiring.

So, I’ll need to work on my system here and I’ll post the pictures!

5.4 magnitude earthquake

I was at my cube when it shook the building and around 11:45am. It was pretty scary and I’m sure I wouldn’t know what to do because I just sat there and looked up. Got that image from www.usgs.org which keeps track of earthquakes here in California. I haven’t felt one this strong in a while. At first, I thought someone was jumping up and down but after realizing that there isn’t anyone that large here at work.. it had to be an earthquake. My co-worker thought it was the same. Near our desks we have a weak section on the floor where, if someone were to jump, you could really feel it. Luckily, nothing big came after that but there were numerous aftershocks after the big one. Please, Earth, do not scare me during my lunch. kthxbai.

0 emails (click image to view large)

I’ve seen numerous people who’s inbox is just cluttered with unread emails. I don’t know about you but I can’t stand to have unread emails sitting there. I used to mark emails unread as a way of letting me know that I would have to follow up with that email. Now, I use gmail’s built in tools such as “starring” an item. If you look at the image, all my spam is actually in the spam folder.. all 600+ emails. The best thing about gmail is the anti-spam system. So how do I keep my inbox clean and clear?

1. Set specific times to check email.

I think it’s terrible to constantly check emails.. possibly unhealthy. I’ve done a pretty good job at closing my email client so that I cannot see it.

2. Don’t sign up for newsletters.

I suggest using a different email account if you’re going to sign up for any newsletters or sign up for something that offers a free product or trial. These sites may sell your email address to those who spam.

3. Empty the deleted items.

The trash folder is for trash. It’s not an organizational folder for important emails. I’ve had people come up to me asking how they can recover emails from the deleted items because they’ve used it as an organizational folder.

4. Next Action

Do what you need to do to clear that inbox. Reply to the email now or put it in a “need to process” folder. Develop a next action to get to zero.

This post doesn’t include any photos but an actual video. The video is from The Original Joe Fisher from Vimeo in which he documented his trip to the Natural History Museum in LA. Look at the video closely and you’ll find out exactly what’s happening.

Extinct, my ASS! from The Original Joe Fisher on Vimeo.

Today, I say goodbye to my beloved dog of nearly 10 years. I am deeply saddened by this but it’s just another one of life’s lessons. My family received her as a gift from a friend of my dad’s. She was just a little pup that loved to play in the grass. She grew up to be a tough mean dog that protected our house and family. I would dare not let anyone touch her because she can sense fear and will often bite but when the right person comes along she will let down her guard and make friends. I had a lot of fun memories with her and our family will forever miss her.