Perception is the identification, collection, organization, and interpretation of sensory input information. Often the sensory input arrives through our eyes, the sense known as vision of course. The brain will organize and interpret this as best as possible with the given information. Sometimes this may create a different image in the mind than what is actually presented to our eyes if the amount of information is incomplete, an effect known as an optical illusion. This image captured by The Wild Images Team is a good example of that. From this viewpoint, the blue sky streaked with clouds appears to be below rocks and trees along a cliff edge, or perhaps the trees are growing at an odd angle, maybe even upside down, and the sky actually is above everything as should be the case. The effect of optical illusions may be disorienting, until further information is either found or given. In this photo, that extra information can be discovered at the top center where there appears to be ripples in the clouds, but closer inspection will reveal ripple in the “sky” as well. And that is because this image is looking down, and the deep blue, almost completely calm surface, is that of Crater Lake in Crater Lake National Park. It is the deepest lake in the United States at 1949 feet, and the third deepest average lake depth in the world at 1148 feet. A continuous crater wall surrounds the lake at an altitude between 7000 and 8000 feet, and hundreds of feet above the water surface, But this implies that the lake bottom is well above sea level, unlike the two other lakes that have a larger average depth: Lake Baikal in Siberia and Lake Tanganyika in East Africa each have their lake bottoms below sea level. Crater Lake sits in the caldera of an extinct volcano that erupted somewhere between 6000 and 8000 years ago. After the caldera eventually cooled down, rain and melt water from snow began to slowly fill up the lake. Crater Lake has no tributaries, and all water that enters it comes solely from precipitation. This has led to the lake having an extremely high water purity due to lack of pollutants. It also has a very high water clarity, which has been measured to a record of 149 feet. It is this ultra purity and high clarity that imparts such a deep blue color, rivaling that of the sky above. The blue color is so striking, that it really is disorienting to see in person, even with a complete view that includes the crater rim and the sky above. The Wild Images Team has captured many other photos in Oregon and neighboring Washington such as the deep blue hues of swirled clouds and rim peaks reflected in Crater Lake, the Hoh Rainforest green moss covers every possible branch, and the right place at the right time rainbow over the Mt. St. Helens remnants, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from Oregon and Washington include the sharp looking view through the Lava Cast Forest, the optical illusion of blue waters and white streaks in Crater Lake, the starkly colorful rainbow rises over the devastation of Mt. St. Helens, the moment The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina is imprisoned by rainforest tree roots, the interesting story of the Port Angeles waterfront Rocktopus Sculpture, and its accompanying bronze plaque of charitable organizations. The Wild Images Team has also captured many other photos in nearby California such as the scene of a blooming thunderstorm over Joshua Tree National Park, the lava flow created streaked ridge in Lassen Volcanic National Park, and the high altitudes where a giant sequoia is larger and redder than others, the steep Hyde Street view of Alcatraz Island and San Francisco Bay, the drastic slope of the abrupt drop off of Taylor Street, the Pine Street colorful terraced houses with background buildings, the historic looking beautiful terraced houses and a Classic VW Beetle, and the Asian inspired intricately ornate Chinatown scene, each of which are available for sale in our store. Blog posts from California have documented the long and winding road climb to the giants of Sequoia National Park, the size comparison of The Wild Images Team Coordinator Christina and the giant tree, the massive view where giant sequoias maintain their diameters over hundreds of feet, an overlook into the Merced River Valley with Liberty Cap, the road heading towards the sheer monolith of El Capitan, the road heading towards desolate ridges of Joshua Tree National Park, the location where the road rises out of Bumpass Hell, a beach dune covered view of the secret underground World War II bunker, the reflective tower of the Marriott Marquis over the Yerba Buena Gardens, the distinctively ornate Asian architecture and decor of Chinatown, the musically inspired melting records with album covers mural, the long strange trip of the Grateful Dead Jerry Garcia mural, the places where steep sidewalks have stairs cut into them, the street where a tree gives a sense of the steepness, the expansive view of Nob Hill from Telegraph Hill and the oppositely directed view from Telegraph Hill to the northeast, the descent in the upper portion of the Filbert Steps, followed by the middle portion of the Filbert Steps with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator on the steps, followed by the lower portion of the Filbert Steps, and at the bottom a view up the Filbert Street steps again with a pose by The Wild Images Team Coordinator below the steps.
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