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Written by Mary Anne Miller
 When it comes to Digital Imagery with
Photoshop, John Lund is a quiet force to be reckoned with. One of the pioneers in this field, he is now known nationally and internationally for his
work. When John was growing up, he had dreams of becoming a lawyer. In his junior year of college, John enrolled in a law course, and after a
few classes, immediately changed his major to English.
After he graduated, he tried his hand at being a writer. John soon realized that writers actually do sometimes starve, so he picked up a
camera instead. In 1989 John saw Digital Imagery performed for the first time. As John explains it, that first moment he watched the magic unfold
before his eyes, he knew he had to follow this technique, for it "would eliminate the barriers between imagination and execution." He started
fooling around on a Macintosh computer, while trying his hand at traditional advertising jobs. His ability to sell a product or an idea grew with each
assignment. But John was left feeling unfulfilled in life. He shifted his focus to animals and his first animal image; a cat with a canary feather in its
mouth sealed the deal for him.
 Now John focuses on animals and he
enjoys his work. He receives emails daily from people all over the world thanking him for bringing them a smile after they see his creations. For
John, this is truly gratifying. He has been working with Photoshop for thirteen years. When asked if he considers himself a Master? John humbly
replies, "Let's just say I am comfortable working within the realms of Photoshop."
John Lund doesn't work alone. He has help with the painstaking process of photographing every part of an animal. The dogs and cats he
photographs are supplied by Bow Wow Productions. After a photo shoot, the process continues in his studio where he carefully catalogs all the
parts into his computer to be used at a later date.
 When I look at John's portfolio and the
fact that he deals with so many cats, I am struck with amazement at how all of this is achieved and made into final prints, greeting cards, and
calendars. John tells me that when it comes to working with cats, it all boils down to "patience, a lot of shooting- and food!" The work is either
done on location, in his studio or on makeshift sets. He must be endowed with insurmountable patience, for being able to photograph cats and
dogs and other animals in the poses he needs would send an average man screaming into the street. John has help with his process. The ideas
behind all the creations are a collaborative effort on the part of himself along with his talented team; writer Peter Stein, Art Director Collette Carter
and two assistants known simply as Sam and Annie.
John works long hours in his studio in San Francisco. A visit to his website reveals cats and dogs and other animals in every conceivable and
inconceivable situation. In between his work, he has time to write books. Animal Antics, and Animal Wisdom are two of his first books. His third
book on Photoshop came out in November and is called Adobe Masterclass: Photoshop Compositing with John Lund. Portal Publication
handles all sales of his greeting cards.
For the little boy who dreamed of being a lawyer, John had no idea that his true calling would not be before the bench, but behind a camera
lens. The jury doesn't have to deliberate long on this verdict; with his email box filling up with evidence in his favor, John Lund is truly a Master
Raster.
To visit John's amazing website click here:
www.johnlund.com
Mary Anne Miller is a free-lance writer, and member of the Cat
Writers' Association. She is a web copy writer, and passionate about
feral cats/kittens and bottle babies. You can read more by Mary Anne
at her Feral
Cat Behavior Blog.
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