I know I’ll get the treatment from my friends when I tell them I just released version 8 of my site. It seems like every year I get the itch to redo it and while this year was no different, there was a reason why I did it.

For the past 3 or 4 years I have been carving this website into a blog slash portfolio slash all encompassing portal of sorts for myself and my business. While that was working to a point, it wasn’t really honing in on what my ultimate goal was, generating more business. The site traffic is there and the content is up, but the focus was lost and got mixed up on things that I never really paid enough attention to, ahem, the blog.

Moving forward in 2011 I gave myself a personal goal of getting more high end business, doing more commercial work and less focus on editorial. While it’s nice to do editorial and the challenges that come from it, I really want to hone in on my skills and really start producing more high end commercial content. I needed to redo my portfolio.

Rewind 6 months.

When I first thought of this, I knew I would have to do this in several parts, design a new site and redo all my content. Starting with an already good platform, I started researching and tweaking my current design until I came up with something I felt was going to be good. After the design mold was set, I had to update my flash gallery scripting, this isn’t any easy going process because I had to question whether or not I wanted to continue using flash or not, but ultimately, I wasn’t going to fall into the Apple cannon fodder and stop because a few select systems wouldn’t run it.  After the design was done, the flash was working, I had to focus on the content, I had to redo all of it if I wanted to compete at a high enough level to win jobs based on portfolio samples.

Over the course of a few months I took each picture I decided was going to go in my gallery and did all new edits on all of them. New techniques, old techniques and a lot of time spent making sure they’re up to my new standards to be in my portfolio. Blood, sweat and tears and the site is ready to go. Good friend, fellow colleague and programmer wiz Mike Bowen lent his craft to the code and we were in business.

I hope everyone likes the new site and direction I’ve decided to take it being more about the portfolio and less about the blog

There is a story I have that dates back to when I was a child that involves coffee. My mom, who had to take care of three of us, was an avid coffee drinker every morning and to be honest, was probably the only fuel that kept her going throughout the day. When she wasn’t looking (or maybe she was!) I would sneak a sip of some of her brew. Fast forward several years and amazing how things come back to you like a boomerang. I wasn’t into coffee that much as a teenager and even into my 20’s. I suppose I still had enough energy to make it through the days without the need for it. Things however changed over time as I started getting more serious jobs that required me to wake up earlier, work harder and longer. I needed something to help, so I turned to coffee, like most people do it in Seattle.

The downside to enjoying coffee from a cafe and/or store, it’s expensive! So I naturally went the way of learning how to brew it myself. I picked up a standard espresso machine that you can pick up at Macy’s or Target (IE: Krups, Mr. Coffee, etc) but I already knew that this still wasn’t what i wanted. After some serious digging and researching, I found the guys over at 1st Line Equipment. Not only was there staff very knowledgable with all the products they have, but they were extremely nice! This day is age, great customer service that knows what they’re talking about that offer competitive rates is a huge plus!

I ended up getting a slightly used QuickMill 3000 Espresso machine which completely changed my coffee experience. It will never be like the best brew houses in Seattle, but I can come pretty damn close from the comfort of my own kitchen.

1st Line Equipment has everything that you could possibly want and/or need to fulfill your home brewing or commercial brewing needs.  A special thanks goes out to Jim and John for their continued help in making all my coffee dreams come true!

Please visit: 1st Line Equipment

Good Evening to everyone in Digital Communication Technologies!

I appreciate Armin taking the time to showcase my site in front of all you of tonight. It’s not everyday that you get the opportunity to have yourself presented to a new group of young talented people. If there is one thing that I have learned over the past few years with my website and blogging in specific, is never underestimate how powerful your word can be. This really has never changed, and will always remain this way, however since we’re in a digital age where data is the consumption of our lives, it’s more important now than ever.

Any blog, whether it’s your own personal website, Twitter, Facebook or another medium, what you write, can literally be sent out to thousands of other websites and users that share your same points of view within seconds. This web of people has no end, so choose your words wisely, because you can say it without restrictions, doesn’t mean you should.

If you decide to visit my site after the class, let it be known that I would be happy to answer any questions you might have regarding my website and/or profession. Because of this website, and my work with NWMotiv.com with Armin, I now hold a full time job as a Marketing & Communications rep for a large company. My main duties of updating Facebook, Twitter and the website and just a few of the responsibilities I do on a daily basis.

If you work hard enough, you’ll get to a position you want to be in!

Thanks again Mr. Ausejo. You’re my hero.

I was personally invited out to Evergreen Speedway in Monroe this past Monday to be the official photographer for the unveiling of the V-LEDs.com – Intec Racing Nissan S14 Formula Drift car driven by Dean “Karnage” Kearney. I really wanted to do something special for Lawrence and Dean and stretch my skills.

For immediate release: V-LEDS.COM / INTECRACING.COM NISSAN S14 FORMULA DRIFT RACE CAR

More pics after the break!

Read the rest of this entry »

Here is my February 2010 Wallpaper featuring the Team Menace Lexus GS. Enjoy!

Download 1920x1440 (right click save as)

Download 1920x1200 (right click save as)

This picture is protected by Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works License. Please do not use without permission or you will be held responsible.