We've been using Photo Mechanic for a fair amount of time now, and integrating it into the DAM process in a couple ways. I wish I could say their brand and user interface was visually appealing like any mac or adobe products, but this is a case where function overrules design even though the product would be so much better it were designed well. Maybe everything I like about the program is the sacrifice of a visually appealing interface. Ok, so that said what do I like about it?

1. The Image Display Speed: The speed at which it displays RAW photos, and any photos for that matter is faster than any program I've seen out there. Bridge, Lightroom, Aperture, and Capture One all have to generate preview files, which sometimes can be painful in waiting time just to view an image.
2. The Editing Speed: I like to make edits fast, and most of the above mentioned are so slow when moving from image to image. You can fly through hundreds of RAW images making tags with a 1-5 numbered key stroke.
3. Easy File Browsing: You can click through the drive tiers on the left side of the window. Super easy to open image folders.
4. Meta Data Application: You can create an IPTC stationary and apply it easily to a batch of images.
5. Star & Label Rating toggles: You can toggle star ratings and label ratings on and off so you only see those rated images and it's super fast and easy. Makes it easy to drag and drop to Photoshop actions and/or copy and move files to different folders.

The overall speed is the biggest advantage with this program is the overall speed of everything. That's why it trumps the rest of them. Naturally its only a piece of the process.

I'm writing this as I'm on a flight from LA to Rio De Janiero, so it inspired this thought about international travel. As you travel more and more, you get accustomed to certain things you like, and the little details of traveling. Small things that help accommodate your journey in a more pleasant experience. The more and more you travel, at least in my experience, those details start to become of more importance. Here are a few of those details that I've learned to improve to have a more adaptable and enjoyable experience.

1. The first and biggest detail is Jetlag. Some if of this is modified advice from my homey Chase Jarvis. This little bugger can be big nuisance, and will always exist, but I've found some things that help minimize it. The first and foremost is to start thinking and operating on the time zone of your destination. The second thing is to try as best you can to plan the long legs of your flight to be an overnight flight. Over the counter sleeping pills work great to help get you to sleep during that time(I use one called Unisom from Walgreens). If I'm taking an overnight flight I much prefer to have a longer flight(8 hours at least) so I can actually get a full nights sleep. I usually take a sleeping pill with dinner on the plane, or maybe before to have it kick in as soon as possible. What's great is once you're out, you wake up and you're almost at your destination. The toughest, but most important part is when you get to your destination DO NOT sleep until your normal bedtime in that time zone. (say midnight or whatever) If you stay awake until then, it''s pretty easy to adjust to that time zone after the first day. If you take a nap, you are screwed, and it will take you much longer(more days) to adjust. If I manage to stay awake that first day, I'm typically fine by the next day. This mostly applies to destinations that are 5/6 hours or more than your normal time zone. Jetlag is always tough, but this stuff does help especially if you have a job you need to quickly get adjusted to the time zone for.

2. The second is airline status. My preferred airline is United(see why at this former post.) Being loyal to one airline allows you to gain perks that make your travel experience better. One thing I love about having status with United is that whenever I book an economy ticket, I get their Economy Plus seating without extra charge. This small detail of 5 more inches of legroom makes a hugest difference in being comfortable in an economy flight, especially on a long one. Other things like, being able to use miles for upgrades, and priority security lines. All these come from being loyal to one airline. When you make certain statuses with airlines, you get access to their special lounges too. You definitely get used to those little details.

3. ROLLER BAGS! This is the most genius idea in the way of travel bags. Again, you can refer to this older post for more details. My camera roller bag has saved me many of backaches and much energy. I definitely learned this the hard way as my first camera bag was a shoulder bag. Hoofing this through airports will wear you out extremely fast, where a roller bag, you are pulling much less weight.

4. Blackberry, iPhone, or any other similar device. These are a great time maximizer while you're on the road. If you think about how much time you're trying to kill in airports, then being connected with a handheld device can help you maximize time by writing those emails, and making those calls you need to make.