Sunflowers, summer 2011
By Johna Till Johnson
Photo by Vladimir Brezina
Sometimes you need to bring the sun inside. Particularly on a cold winter’s day, it’s good to remember the warmth of the sun, and the brightness of flowers.
What can be better than sunflowers?
... kayaked the waters around New York for more than 15 years in his red Feathercraft folding kayak. He was originally from (the former) Czechoslovakia and lived in the U.K. and California before settling down in New York. He was a neuroscientist at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City. He died in 2016.
... is a kayaker and technology researcher at Nemertes Research. She's an erstwhile engineer, particle physicist, and science fiction writer. She was born in California and has lived in Italy, Norway, Hawaii, and a few other places. She currently resides in New York City.
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Wind Against Current 
I needed this. Thanks, Johna. Here in sunny Florida, it is 22 degrees!
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Oy… and we are getting our “bomb cyclone” here! Yes, winter has arrived with a vengance!!
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Be careful out there!
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Agreed. Beautifully sunny and uplifting.
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Thanks, Agnes!
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Love the colour combo!
Did you use a filter or is the softened effect lighting?
(Or maybe I need to clean my glasses!)
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It’s Vlad’s photo, but I suspect (based on a knowledge of how he worked) that it’s a combination of creative lighting and image post-processing. I’ve recently discovered the joys of fiddling with contrast and shadows.
If I had to guess, he cranked the saturation and contrast way up, and pulled back on the shadows–but that’s just a guess.
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Thanks for the suggestions, Johna! I don’t do much image processing, but might try what you’ve described!
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For the record, the easiest tool by far I’ve found is the free previewer that comes with the Apple OS. There’s a little menu called “adjust color” that lets you do what I described.
The Photo app also has some tools but they’re not as easy to use–the only one I use regularly is the “crop” tool, because it lets you slightly rotate a photo (to get the horizon level, for instance).
There’s also a “touchup” tool in Photo that you can use to get rid of things like pimples, skin blemishes, and unwanted blobs of light in night shots. And an anti-redeye thing. Most of my photos don’t require those; so I’ll fiddle around with the saturation and others.
I’m sure Photoshop has way more, but it’s also more expensive and complicated. Preview works just fine for me!
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Didn’t think of Preview for photo editing as I’ve an old copy of iPhoto that I’ve used for ages. It has those features you describe but in a slightly easier format to use. (IMHO.)
Agree with you on Photoshop (although I’ve an old version of the watered down Photoshop Elements I never bothered to learn. (red face!)
Hope you guys don’t get hammered badly with this storm. Seems to have about left my area in NC with barely an inch. But all schools are closed as eastern sections are getting lots more. Times like these I really wish that locals had Chicago knowledge of snow procedures.
Oye is all I can say – and roll my eyes!
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So beautiful. Hope it is going well for you.
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Thank you! So far so good, though I’m bracing for the storm…
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Wonderful idea! Be safe in this freezing cold ya’ll are having. We haven’t had snow in the in the South like this past week since 1989. Burrrrrrr. Enjoy your personal sunshine. :)
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That’s a little while ago now! :-) Hope it warms up for you over the weekend!
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Just arrived in the library. Your post is a beautifully warm greeting – I was perished’
Thank-you Johna.
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