Adjusted and Applied Information Plus Sand

In my "learning" class we have been talking about how learning is never transferring knowledge directly from a teacher to a student. No matter what the teacher thinks they are teaching the student (or learner) will take that information and fit it into their own life experience and make it meaningful to them.
A couple weeks ago in one of my classes, GIS for engineers, the teacher talked briefly about how people have a hard time seeing relief (as in elevations) correctly in pictures unless the light source is coming from the top left corner. I got super distracted and as soon as I left class I found this picture on my laptop.

 This is the handprints of my oldest niece, nephew, and me. Don't they look like they are popping out of the sand?

Now look at it.

They look right now.
I just thought that was super cool. I forget what the rest of the lecture was about. But I took this information and remembered it.
I hope my professor wouldn't be too disappointed in me.

I have to admit... I wonder if this works because I naturally read from top left to bottom right though. Would this work for other cultures that read in a different pattern?