Dynamic Earth

Posted in Science and tagged with , , , , on 07/25/2009 02:18 am by Mika

I’m trying to pick an image to enter into a geology photography contest. Judging on looks alone, which photo is the most visually interesting, and which one makes you most curious about the geologic process behind the photo?

Click thumbnails for larger (and correctly-shaped) images and brief descriptions of why the geology is interesting. I have everything in ridiculously higher resolutions than I uploaded, so most images can be crop/zoomed to adjust framing. If selected, the end product would be printed (up to 36″ long) and mounted to hang in a geology photo gallery during a conference along with a (spacemika-authored) brief blurb about the relevant geology.

Thank you to the Lady K & the Magic Monkey for narrowing down the over-100 choices, and to y’all for getting us from 35 to these finalists!

6 Comments

  1. Jim DeLaHunt Says:
    July 25th, 2009 at 7:19 am

    I make my pick based on which images look most compelling at this 100×100 pixel size. I figure that’s how big the image would be if it was in a catalogue of talks at a conference or something. That is, which one most makes me want to find out more?

    On that basis, I favour:
    1. Uluru weathering
    2. Salt Weathering 2
    3. Glacier scour & human blasting

  2. Betty Morton Says:
    July 25th, 2009 at 9:23 am

    Okay,
    Here are my choices:
    1. I like the Tasmania Beach (Friendly Beach) paving best on the basis of curiosity about geology.
    2. Uluru and salt weathering 2 are both lovely but I don’t think they are as unusual based on my non-geology scientific sampling.
    3. Glacier scour & human blasting is interesting but I think it’s a fuzzy photo? Am I correct that the foreground is out of focus?

  3. Mika Says:
    July 25th, 2009 at 9:59 am

    Yes, glacial scour’s foreground is out of focus; I don’t know how to have up-close and far-away in focus at the same time. I have other photos from the exact same position with different focal ranges set, so I could conceivably layer on a focused foreground if gentled editing of the photos is permitted (still waiting to find out).

    Other votes:
    —-
    As an overall photo: Uluru colours
    Geology-is-cool: Mail Run Weathering 2 or
    Columar Basalts

  4. Ar! Says:
    July 25th, 2009 at 3:11 pm

    My choices are based purely on aesthetics. I have no idea what I’m looking at. I like, in no particular order:
    -Tasmania Beach Weathering
    -Salt Weathering 2
    -Coast 2
    Too bad about the focus issue on the Glacial Scouring…I’m sure you’re sick of hearing it. I think what you would have needed is called deep focus…whatever was used in Citizen Kane. I have no idea what that exactly entails, but I wish I did; I’ve had similar problems with photos. :(

  5. Narelle from Aus Says:
    July 26th, 2009 at 5:10 pm

    Love the frozen fern :)

    Went to a couple of wineries who were effected by the fires on the weekend Mika. Green, green grass, dead and black trees. Wonder if the new grass is the native or the introduced troublesome one. Some of the trees were only black on one side even though the fire had continued forward.
    Let me know if you want any photos. Took a few showing the landscape.

  6. opendna Says:
    July 26th, 2009 at 11:05 pm

    Re: Glacial Scouring.
    Call Noah and describe the problem: one long focus, one near focus, need a composite. There is software which combines the two, and it’s all the rage in some photography circles. He was showing me a bunch of examples not long ago.

    Now I look at the rest of these, I wonder where our pictures of the Phrygian tombs went (also the NM cliff dwellings). If you haven’t aready, ask Betty to look through her collection.

    Regardless of which one you choose for the conference poster, I think you should print up calendars of the rest of them. Beautiful photos!

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