Earthwatcher's photos with the keyword: scale distortion

Eyam Moor is a good location to view the gritstone edges to the east of the Derwent Valley - from High Neb on Stanage Edge in the north down to Baslow Edge in the south. All the main edges visible in this photo are comprised of a single gritstone unit - the Chatsworth Grit (a.k.a Rivelin Grit) in the 'Millstone Grit' group (Namurian). Faulting has fractured the gritstone into discrete 'slabs' each with it's own elevation and dip direction. This accounts for the different sections of the edges - e.g. Higger Tor, Millstone Edge, Burbage Edge, etc. This photo is comprised of 10 portrait-style photos joined together using Canon's 'Photostitch software, with some subsequent Photoshop cloning of the sky portion of the photo in order to give sufficient sky coverage along the length of the panorama. The vertical scale has been exaggerated x 2 in order to bring out the various faulted sections of the gritstone edges. The visible features L-R are: Higger Tor, Millstone Edge (part-quarried), Millstone Edge (eastern part - upfaulted, with the gritstone tors of Over Owler Tor and Mother Cap Stone) and Burbage Edge, southern part.

This is an experimental treatment of the previous photo. The vertical scale has been exaggerated three-fold and then Photoshop 'watercolour' filter applied. Normally I don't bother much with these filters (too much of a gimmick) but in this case I think it works well and might even be considered artistic?? The resulting image, apart from being interesting in its own right, clearly enhances the geological framework of this area. The incised V-shaped notch of the Derwent Valley cut down through a much earlier (Tertiary?) erosion platform is well seen. In the far distance on the middle-left skyline is the Kinderscout plateau; Win Hill is in the centre distance and Bamford Edge at about 0.7, 0.6. The brown smoke haze is a result of controlled burning of the heather moorland in the Strines area to the west of Sheffield.

This is an experimental treatment of the previous photo. The vertical scale has been exaggerated three-fold and then the Photoshop 'watercolour' filter applied. Normally I don't bother much with these filters (too much of a gimmick) but in this case I think it works well and might even be considered artistic?? The resulting image, apart from being interesting in its own right, clearly enhances the geological framework of this area. The incised V-shaped notch of the Derwent Valley cut down through a much earlier (Tertiary?) erosion platform is well seen. This is a view southwards along the low escarpment of White Edge in the Eastern Edges area of the Peak District National Park. The top of Curbar and Baslow Edges are visible off to the right with the Derwent Valley just visible in the distance. To the left of White Edge is Big Moor. Unlike most of the Eastern Edges which are formed of Namurian 'Millstone Grit', White Edge is comprised of Crawshaw Sandstone which is stratigraphically just above the base of the Coal Measures. I love the feeling of wide open spaces in the this area, yet we are only a few miles SW of Sheffield.

A screen-shot from a computer model which I constructed as part of my work a few years ago. It shows the geological structure of the eastern part of the South Downs in Sussex. The view is looking from W to E; north is on the left side of the photo, south on the right. The vertical scale is exaggerated 4 times.

Only half an hour previously, the cloud had been down to ground level, enveloping the scene in a damp drizzly mist. Then within the space of 15 minutes or so, the cloud lifted and shafts of sunlight beamed down on to a golden autumnal landscape. Taken from Burbage Edge in the Peak District National Park. Higger Tor is on the right skyline and the Carl Wark hillfort just to the left of centre. Vertical scale exaggerated x2 in order to emphasise geological and geomorphological features, but it also makes for a nice effect! The v-shaped notch of the Burbage Brook is especially clear in this vertical exaggeration. This probably indicates renewed downcutting during post-glacial isostatic uplift of the area. (The 'cheese wire effect')

Originally uploaded for the Guesswhere UK Group. Very gloomy flat light when I took this. Must go back sometime. This is a view looking north from Roach End in the Staffordshire Moorlands part of the Peak District National Park. The vertical scale has been exaggerated x2 in order to enhance the Namurian gritstone/shale dip and scarp topography and hence the geological structure. The Goyt Syncline can be seen running from the centre skyline down and off to the right. An eroded anticline is discernable on the left skyline, with the summit of Shutlingsloe dipping to the west (left).

The view down the Burbage valley from the north end of Burbage Edge. Higger Tor is the highest feature on the skyline, with the Carl Wark hill fort in the centre. The v-shaped notch of the Burbage Brook is especially clear in this vertical exaggeration. This probably indicates renewed downcutting during post-glacial isostatic uplift of the area. (The 'cheese wire effect')

Originally uploaded for the Guesswhere UK group. This is a southwesterly view over Church Stretton and the Long Mynd, from Caer Caradoc, Shropshire. This is a stitched panorama from three photos and then x2 vertical exaggeration applied. The heavens opened shortly after I took this and we got drenched through. Best viewed large.

I'm always interested in viewing landscapes in different ways and occasionally I experiment with exaggerating the vertical scale of my photos. I'm not sure of the validity of this as a photography technique or an art-form, but I do quite like the effect it produces and quite often this enhances geological and geomorphological features, and so is useful as a teaching aid. This is a view of Ladybower Reservoir taken from Bamford Edge in the Peak District. Here, the River Derwent has cut down through the Namurian ('Millstone Grit') succession - mainly Kinderscout Grit and the Shale Grit (an unfortunate name). The hillsides plunge straight down into the water, clearly showing how these are drowned valleys. Less obvious in a normal view, but brought out by this exaggerated scale is the relative flatness of the tops of the hills, above the 'V'-shaped notch of the valleys. This indicates a much earlier uplifted erosion surface (probably Tertiary age) on which the proto-Derwent and other rivers became established. The stepped topography of the hillsides is due to the presence of alternating hard sandstones and softer shales.

I'm always interested in viewing landscapes in different ways and occasionally I experiment with exaggerating the vertical scale of my photos. I'm not sure of the validity of this as a photography technique or an art-form, but I do quite like the effect it produces and quite often this enhances geological and geomorphological features, and so is useful as a teaching aid. This view is from Bamford Edge in the Peak District looking to the south west. On the left, the Namurian ('Millstone Grit') succession of Abney Moor, Shatton and Overdale contrasts with the older Dinantian (Carboniferous Limestone) landform to the right. Bradwell village nestles in the valley in between. The easterly (left) dip of the rocks is well seen, as is the stepped topography of Shatton and Abney Moor due to the presence of alternating hard sandstones and softer shales.

A panoramic stitch-together of three wide angle shots, taken from the southern end of Burbage Edge, looking from west round to north. The vertical scale has been exaggerated by x3 in order to emphasise some of the geological features, but it also makes an interesting effect!

I've used Photoshop to exaggerate the vertical scale in order to emphasise the gentle folding in this area. Notice how the Edge undulates where the fold axes cross the escarpment. It makes an interesting effect too!