355/365 - Jim - Alameda Gazebo

( f/16 24mm 1/13 sec ISO 200 Nikon D300 )

We went down to Alameda park today to let the kids play. I took this shot to later do an HDR with it, but ended up just blending exposures. It is similar to HDR, but not quite the same. Then I used Photoshop and duplicated the layer, and blurred it. On the sharper layer I chose a Lighten blend mode. This gives it an Orton effect look. I also used Picasa to add a soft focus so that only the gazebo is sharp.

277/365 - Jim - Dutch Wonderland

( ISO 200 Nikon D300 )

Today we went to Dutch Wonderland so that Jameson could go on rides and see the Thomas the Tank Engine show. Nolan was able to go on a couple things like the train, but was too little for most of the stuff. I just took a bunch of snapshots there, so I decided to compile them into a collage.