More than four decades ago I left the familiarity of the bright city lights to follow my man to the back of beyond. In Australia’s Remote Outback John and I commenced from scratch the development of our cattle station called Riveren, sprawled on the headwaters of the historic Victoria River.

From infancy our four little ones contributed to the development of our cattle station home, situated 600 kilometres south west of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Their childhood was in a way an apprenticeship as they reared poddy claves and handled responsibility with a maturity well beyond their years – and always with much love and laughter.

I love where I live. This ancient land that has claimed us is stunningly beautiful, but also treacherous and unforgiving. In this timeless land of contrasts and contradictions, we continue to give our all. Early each morning I walk fast and far, to fill my lungs with the most  pure air in the universe and revere the glorious sounds and scents and colours of the impending daybreak. How fortunate I am to live in a country teeming with surprises. In a land where mirages mischievously distort reality and water evaporates before one’s eyes in long, hot, dry spells, I have faced truth and cried oceans of tears. Our animals are family and our very existence revolves the safety and welfare of people and animals. With unwavering commitment and an invigorated environmental awareness, we care for our country, our creatures and each other. We are one.

As a passionate advocate for the bush and its people, I delight in public speaking opportunities. One of my major projects for 2002 Australia’s Year of the Outback was the Katherine Icon, which pays tribute to our courageous pioneers and all who follow the trails they blazed. My overnight best selling autobiography In The Middle of Nowhere was followed by my photographic sequel RIVEREN My Home, Our Country.

My family and I remain overwhelmed by ongoing responses from readers worldwide who subsequently cherish a new understanding of the harmony of our land, its people and animals.

Our story has also been captured in various television documentaries, including Australian Story and LANDLINE.

There has been mystique and romance associated with the Australian bush and its people since time immemorial. I believe it is essential to keep the camp fires of our history glowing. With faith, courage and determination we face the challenges of tomorrow. Our love for each other and for the land we live in and which lives in us is as powerful as it is eternal.

Terry Underwood left the familiarity of the bright city lights to follow her man to the back of beyond more than four decades ago. Her dramatic photographs illustrate just how the power of the man and his land touched her soul. Terry passionately identifies the harmony of the inhabitants and their land, a place of never ending horizons, never ending until the earth and sky meet. This is cattle country in Australia’s Outback. This is vision splendid. Follow Terry’s experiences throughout heartaches and hardships, victories and joys in her overnight best selling autobiography In The Middle Of Nowhere and Terry’s journey at www.terryunderwood.com

Its features include a simple Drag and drop your photos. It creates High Resolution photos and you don’t need to worry about your original photos fading away.  It is a must have for graphic designers and slideshows designers.  Go on… have a bit of fun!

Photo Credit: Alison Dias-Laverty

What inspires You to look beyond … and live extraordinary lives…

I’ve been asked this question many times.

From a very young age, I was taught to be patient, to listen and to pay attention. “If you don’t know how to listen, how are you going to learn to trust yourself.”

But honestly, who amongst us don’t get distracted by everything around us and get tired of waiting. Waiting for that first interview; Waiting to know if I got accepted at Uni; Waiting … waiting … for something good to happen.

The first time I ever learned to listen was when I was searching for answers … At 16 years old I lost my dad … That was one of the hardest experience in my life. It was also the most enriching.

A whole new world opened in front of me and it taught me to appreciate the simple things in life. And again my mother “The Voice of Reason” reminded me to be patient, to listen and to pay attention. All good things comes to those who are patient.

One day, I came across this quote and everything just came into place for me as I began to understand and see things in a different light.

“I hope you’ll hear what I’m about to tell you. I hope you’ll hear it all the way down to your toes. When you are waiting, you’re not doing nothing, you’re doing the most important something there is. You’re allowing your soul to grow up. If you can’t be still and wait, you can’t become what God created you to be.” ~ Sue Monk Kid

All of us have this energy within us, it inspires us, gives us strength when we need it. We in turn can trust our instinct and find the courage within, to help us through anything. All we need to do to call upon this energy to work with us is to believe that nothing is impossible and have faith in ourselves and in our worthiness.

Whenever I read this quote by Sue Monk Kid, I feel inspired to look within, trust my instinct and seize the day. What inspires you to Seize the Day?

The process of converting a video tape takes time. If your tape is 2 hours, it will have to be played through for the whole 2 hours to create a digital file in AVI format. The digital file must then be compressed onto a DVD so that you can view it on TV. This process can take an hour or more depending on the speed of the computer.

If you would like for us to convert any of your video tapes, do call us on 07 3103 9438.

Image Credit: Stuart Miles, www.freedigitalphotos.net

1. Click upload;
2. Select video or slideshow files from your computer;
3. It will automatically download your files;
4. Choose to privacy:
• Public: anyone can view
• Private: only people you give permission to view
5. Your changes will automatically be save.

The next steps are vital for businesses.

Title: Give your video or slideshow a title using keywords.

Description: Give a description of your video or slideshow and provide a link to your website if you have one. Try to include keyword in your description if you can.

Tags: This is the best place to add all your keywords.

I was recently told that an average wedding can cost around $20,000 or more. Wow! That is a lot.  I love the idea of simplicity in a modern Wedding and that is why I chose to have a simple traditional Church Mass ceremony in a Cathedral and a Wedding Reception held in our family home patio decorated by family and friends. Everything we had was handmade by our family or friends and we had less than 50 guests.

What was important for us were the highlights that made up the special moments of the day. This was re-created in our Wedding DVD Slideshow which I personally made. Using our photos and videos mixed to our song, we re-created the atmosphere and moments we remembered on a DVD Slideshow Presentation. The highlights of the day for me was the exchanging of our vows because we broke tradition and chose our own vows.

We can help You to create a Wedding DVD Slideshow using your photos and short videos mixed into a beautiful DVD presentation, to tell your story. Please look at our packages or call us on 07 3103 9438 or send us an email to find out more.

How did you celebrate your Wedding and what was or will be the highlight from your day?

Sending Christmas eCards

Do you still send Christmas Greeting Cards? Why not try something new this year and send a Christmas eCard instead?

I use to love receiving Cards by mail but now I get excited watching an animated slideshow eCard. I have relatives all around the world and since the birth of my second child, I’m always trying to find ways to cut preparation time in half.

This year I’ve done something new and really unique and will be sending out a Christmas eCard. I do have elderly aunts and uncles who do not have a clue about emails so with them, I’ve transfered the Greeting onto a CD/DVD.

All you need to do is choose your favorite moments in photos and videos throughout the year, or just use your iphone or digital camera to record a personal message for Christmas.

Create your slideshow eCard and upload it onto YouTube or transfer it onto CD/DVD, send an email to your family and friends with this link to view it on YouTube. You can choose to make the video or slideshow public for all to see or private on YouTube. You can even share it on Facebook or Twitter.

Try something different, send a Christmas eCard that will amaze and put a smile on your family and friends.

Image Credit: Kookkai nak / Free Digital

Plan Early

Gathering photos and videos is very time consuming. It took 21 years or even 60 years or more, to collect all your wonderful memories in photos and videos, give yourself at least a couple of months or more to choose the photos and video moments, to include in the presentation.

Organise Yourself

Will you be planning a party for them?

Would you need invitations or just a call to invite?

Where is the party or celebrations?

Do they have the equipment or technology to play a DVD or USB?

These are question you would need to consider when planning and creating your Slideshow presentation.

Time Management

Do you have the time to create your DVD Slideshow Presentation? If yes, then start arranging your photos and editing your videos to choose special moments to include in your slideshow presentation.

 Get to Work

Once you have organised all the photos and videos edited the way you want, start working on your slideshow presentation. The longer you wait, the harder it gets to create it. The reason for this is more psychological due to the lack of time.

Remember, if you give yourself ample time without rushing yourself, you will be able to create that slideshow.

Create Your Own YouTube Channel

Did you know that you can create a YouTube Channel for your Business? PhotoshowDVD is my YouTube Channel and I display all my Video Slideshows. If you do not have your own website, the YouTube Channel is a great way to help you have an online presence and its free. What can you get from a YouTube Account?

1. You can create your own Channel;

2. Tag your videos to as many keywords as you like;

3. You can add your YouTube Channel to your email communications;

4. Promote your videos through your website, blog, Facebook and Twitter;

5. Create a playlist for your videos and organise them;

6. People can rate your video and post comments.

If you have a Video Camera or photos of your products, create a Slideshow and upload to YouTube. You can use simple Video Editing softwares like Movie Maker (comes with windows) or iMovie (comes with macs) to add transitions, caption, music and special effects.

Be creative and watch how your community grows.

1. Smilebox – Creates Simple Slideshow
2. Animoto – A more creative Slideshow

You can create unlimited short slideshows using your photos and short videos. It is easy to use and allows you to add text and motion effects and use royalty free music. Once you’ve created them, you can upload it onto YouTube or Facebook to share with others or burn it onto DVD.

Slideshow are not limited to just individuals or families but even small businesses and non profits can also benefit by creating web slideshow for their website. You can use photos of your products or even just a short video of you introducing your services and incorporating your brand, logo, contact details and add text or captions showing information on your products and services, use music or even a voice recording. You can do all this without burning a hole in your budget. All it takes is a bit of time and practice.

Image Credit: Renjith Krishnan / Freedigitalphotos.net