The original photo was taken in mid-March from a bridge over a creek that winds through the Arboretum of the University of California, Davis. At that time (and for just a short time), the Western Redbuds were in bloom, adding a nice contrast to the scene. The camera was a Nikon D7000 with a Nikkor 16-85 mm VR lens at 26mm. The exposure was f/8 and 1/80 sec. Topaz plugins were used to adjust the sharpness, tonal balance, etc.