Found this interesting rock on a recent wander through the southwest. I experimented with cropping off the right side, but I like the tension of having vertical window in the image.
D850, 70-200mm
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Harley, this is mind bending; it looks like something that would come out of a Sci-Fi movie. The pattern on the wall makes it look like some ancient/alien tablet of some sort. Love it. I can see the image with or without the window; each tells a different story. My only nit about this is the vertical line very close to the right edge of the frame. If it’s not against your ethics, I think it would be pretty easy to clone out.
This is very interesting and quite enjoyable to look at. I really like all of the patterns and the nice vivid colours.
I like this a lot Harley. I see a face. Stunning color, patterns, and texture. One minor nit - I would burn down the upper right corner to reduce its brightness.
Outstanding photograph Harley! It is mind bending thinking about the forces involved in folding the rock in that way. I to oat first thought maybe crop out the right side, but the dark void adds to the already mysterious forces at play. Great find and execution.
Cool shot of stratification, Harley. As a geologist, I find images of rock very interesting to conjure ideas about the rock’s formation and evolution to today. Red in rock is usually iron deposits and here it makes some puzzling contours.
If this were my image I would crop to include the caves on the right and the most interesting parts of the red banding. I would also see if I could remove the reflection of light in the middle left part of the image to restore the vivid color there.
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WOW…kaleidoscope it is. A truly wonderful formation here, Harley. This is one of those images you could go crazy with using various focal lengths and various individual post crops. A lot of scenes in one in the end…Excellent… 
Only change might be to bring down the brightness or gamma just a bit. Totally subjective thought on that point… 
Kaleidoscope indeed Harley. My first reaction too was the patterns on the left are so cool, even mesmerizing and kind of don’t mesh with the more literal formation on the right. But clearly a good call to present as you have; I don’t think just the patterns on the left would have the same impact as it would as you’ve presented.
Personal choice, but I think you could selectively burn down some of the brighter areas, but that’s pretty minor.
Great eye! And I really like the square crop. Works beautifully.
Lon
Harley, these are some of the most interesting patterns I’ve ever seen in rock. The colors are presented beautifully.
What an amazing find Harley. In the left half of the image I see a face with eyes and a nose, it’s pretty neat. I agree with @Paul_Breitkreuz about dropping the brightness slightly. And you may want to consider adding some more vignetting.
And just for fun here is a mind bender alternative to consider. In your version as presented the swirls are in-ies, and in the flipped version they appear as out-ies.
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Harley, what a neat find. The colors and shapes are wonderful. I could also see focusing in on the largest swirls in the upper left, which hopefully you did.
What a wild set of patterns Harley. The rich colors and swirls are fantastic. I do agree with the thoughts on lowering the brightest areas a tad. Looks like a second image focusing on the right 2/3 would work very well too.
Wonderful vivid presentation. Your eyes were working overtime to nail this capture, The lines and curves and symmetry in the rock are amazing. I agree with @Eva_McDermott about burning in some of the highlights. And @Ed_McGuirk’s flip of the image is most worthy too. Are the whitish highlights ( that are bit distracting) the result of using flash? This is a most effective image that is both realistic and abstract at the same time. Great seeing.
Cool find! I love these abstract patterns in rocks. Youssef, these are not “folds” in the rock. The colorful bands are the result of chemical reactions which involve the diffusion of oxygen through subterranean water in pore space containing soluble ferrous iron. A German Chemist named Raphael Liesegang first investigated the phenomenon, and they are now known as Liesegang rings. If you look closely you will see that the bands cut across the sedimentary structures in this sandstone.
Harley,
This is so cool and a great find for sure. I am always amazed with the patterns that nature has created for us if we only take the time to seek them out. I am enjoying the horizontal red striping along with the square format, but what I find most fascinating is the face. I too like the visual tension with the vertical window on the right. Great eye to spot this unusual formation and present it for the rest of us.
Soft of takes me back to my sandstone days. Just amazing stuff, and this captures it’s unique beauty very nicely. It almost looks like it’s reflecting a camera flash. Might consider painting in a bit lower exposure in the flashed areas.
Of course Harley’s original capture and interpretation is wonderful as he presented it. But I have to comment that your rendition @Ed_McGuirk really elevates this. I don’t know if it’s a “left vs. right” direction of reading this, but flipping/reversing this for me has really taken a very cool nature abstract to a more elevated mind-warping level. thanks for sharing your vision.
Can’t go wrong with the original capture - but for sure, the abstract nature of the original opens things up for interpretation.
Lon
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