Slipping Away ...

[abraxas]

I'd like this mountain even if I weren't into photography. In fact, I've made quite a few trips up just to wander around in the years before I messed with cameras. It's an incredible place with the Jeffery pine twisted and distorted by the wind, the steep slopes, and the vast views of the desert.

The mountain sits on the edge of the San Andreas fault on the North American continental plate. Earthquake flour, a fine pumice-like white dust can be found in the cuts where the road has been graded through the mountain. The 'flour' is the result of the pressure build up of the Pacific plate pressing against and forming this uniquely-shaped mountain over the last 12-14 million years.

The mountain is whipped by the high winds that have escaped over the top of the San Gabriel Mountains across the narrow valley to the south, building up from the coastal basin nearly 7,000 feet below. The trees have learned to lean and grow only a little higher than the tree to the windward side, and in less and less amounts as the elevation increases toward the near-flat summit.

The shaping of the mountain and its vegetation by the predominant forces to the south have given the appearance of everything slipping off of the top. Like a table cloth being slowly pulled off a table into the deep rift wherein the earthquake fault lies.

I got to admit though, I fooled with the distortion to exaggerate the look. What the heck?-

and a couple more.

I toned down the color processing a bit more than my usual. I think it doesn't, don't, not suck as much as what I like though and after this thread will go back to my hyper-saturated, we'll call it,... style.

 

[abraxas]

meh.- I'm going back to my usual processing.

 

[RKW3]

Yeah I agree you should go back to your usual processing. These shots aren't bad at all but we like your normal style.