Cat Reviews

When it comes to helping cat and dog owners, Traci (last name held by request) is willing and able to offer assistance where she can.  Traci has worked in the veterinary field for over ten years. Working from the same clinic under the title of Emergency Vet Technician, she has seen it all. Her clinic is fast-paced and as she says, “boredom is rarely a luxury there.”   

With the onset of the Internet, Traci began to notice a lot of misinformation being passed around on dog and cat message boards. Alarmed at the content of some of the posts she read, she decided to do something positive about this problem, and so in 1999 she started Cat Health Online. She was taught the basics of HTML by a friend, and learned the rest purely by trial and error, but over the months the board began to take shape and people started to join. 

At first, the board consumed most of her time as she put up an impressive array of accurate cat health information in a mini reference section. Everything from nutrition to kitten care can be found there, and since emergency veterinary care is her specialty, she placed a handy Emergency Reference guide on her site as well.   Developing a no-nonsense approach to answering posts, her board quickly gained a foothold with cat rescuers and other cat care specialists, as well as cat owners themselves. Several members have been with her from the beginning and along with her they continue to add to the substantial knowledge base that has grown there. She spends about two hours a day on her board answering questions, and her extensive knowledge of veterinary medicine is evident when you read her replies.

I asked her once why she hadn’t gone on to be a vet, and she laughed and said that in her position she has the best of both worlds. She works with a wonderful team of veterinarians, and in her duties as a vet tech; she gets the hands-on experience of taking care of each animal that arrives. Giving medications, doing treatments, monitoring the in-house patients and dealing with the emergency cases, all serve to keep her motivated to learn and helps to expand her knowledge base, for each situation she encounters at the clinic is unique. And after work is over and she comes home, if she can help someone on the internet who is struggling to understand lab results, or give them added

information to ask their vet so that an

informed decision can be reached and ultimately help a cat or dog, than her role is clear. For Traci, the animals come first and all pets are the priority.  http://www.cathelp-online.com/phpBB2/ 

When it comes to the field of Digital Imagery with Photoshop, John Lund is a pioneer and a quiet force to be reckoned with.  John is well known nationally and internally for his ground-breaking work and visual mastery.  When John was growing up, His dream was to be a high- profile lawer, but after enrolling in college and sitting in on a few lectures and classes he decided to  change his major to English.  After graduating he daubled in the art of being a writer. John quickly learned the realism behind the statement that writers sometimes do starve. Not wanting to eat beans and cornbread as his main meal, John picked up a camera. 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 and though he was advancing in the firm, John was left feeling unfulfilled.  Shifting his focus to animals,  his first animal image he created; a cat with a canary feather in its mouth sealed his fate.  

Now John focuses on animals and thoroughly  enjoys his work. Receiving emails from people all over the world telling him how his images make them smile is sweet reward. John, this is truly gratifying for him.  John has been working with Photoshop for fifteen 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 doesn’t work solo, his team of helpers stand by ready to help with positioning, treats and different points of view. Photographing animals can be painstakenly slow. He relies on his team to help handle the animals of his photoshoots provided by Bow Wow Productions. After a photo shoot, the process continues long into the night inside his studio where he carefully catalogs all the parts into his computer to be used at a later date.  

When I view John’s portfolio and the fact that he deals with so many cats, I am struck with how all of this is achieved and made into final prints, greeting card, or 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 or in his studio or makeshift sets. John is blessed with  insurmountable patience, a gentle nature and a wry sense of humor which he is grateful for these are the tools of his trade. 

Helping with this process, developing ideas behind all the creations are a collaborative effort on the part of 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. He has a recent book about Photoshop called Adobe Masterclass: Photoshop Compositing with John Lund. Portal Publication handles all sales of his amazing and whimsical greeting cards. 

For the little boy who dreamed of being a lawyer, John had no idea that his appearances 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 the Master Raster.  To visit John’s amazing website click here:  http://www.johnlund.com