Well here I am lying in a comfy bed on the NSW side of the river taping away on the iPad wirelessly sync'd to the iPhone thinking god technology is great and at the same time pondering how I can better use my film and use more of it, and work on older processes. I am originally from Mildura and now I visit my folks every year at Easter, and my wife joins me and the kids by flying up from Melbourne after finishing the final Easter Sunday church service where she is organist.
I brought up the pictures I was sent with the intention of posting from here. Being the organizer has a bonus in that I get to see all groups pictures, as well getting three bonus pictures kindly sent by Andrew k, munz6869 and SMBooth.
So my comments in no specific order.
Kevin Caulfield - First day of school. Thanks for sharing such a proud personal moment. I can look forward to my son starting school next year and I have no idea of what to expect or how his younger sister will find it. The colour and tone and speckle of bright sun coming through the leaves makes a wonderful portrait.
Hoffy - Steel post, Second Valley. Ashley if you had not told me I'd see a halo about the steel post I would not have seen it. I actualy had to look for it. No one else whom i have shown the print to has spotted it. Your depth of field is so broad, from the rocks in the foreground to the jetty and hill in the background. The viewer is drawn into the scene.
Fleath - The leaf. Thank-you ever so much for this print. I can now say that I am lucky enough to have two of your prints and eagerly await you next print knowing that it might be some time before I get one. Yourself and Andrew K have pushed me into trying these alternative processes and if photogravure was not so resource/hardware intensive I'd be trying this as well. But I really appreciate the hours that go into preparing for the image.
Barrie B. - Bread. Brilliant! The brown toned image with the bread and wooden chopping board and wood handled bread knife would make you think the image was a colour photograph. I leave all the prints out in the kitchen at my place and being the high traffic area all the regular visitors to my house are asking to what pictures have come in. When they see this print very few believe it is a B&W print.
Seabird - Weeping rock in the rain. This was the first print to arrive in this print exchange. Great tonal range, and in having used an unsharp mask I would like to know what the original image was like because this view of the falls is so vivid.
SMBooth - Couta Boat. You have asked for comments to improve, well I am not the person to ask as I am blown away by the image as it stands. Love the detail of the early morning light, the long shadows and the balance of light and darks. This is a print that I would like covering a feature wall in my home.
munz6869 - Salzburg! When I was last in Austria I never got there but wished I had. But it is not possible to go everywhere with limited time I guess, so I have a good excuse to make time on my next trip... With the image you have captured did you try to replicate the old 1914 image or was it purely by coincidence? Shame the big tree was there as I can just make out the spire being hidden by the tree's foliage. Now tell me do you process when on your journeys or do you bring all your exposed film back to Oz and process?
Andrew K - Eagle, modern ambrotype. Well I can say that I have lucky enough to see this plate with my own eyes and this print included in the exchange is pretty damn close to the real thing. Now if we all had received a real ambrotype in the exchange, well that would have been something. Not to mention a real challenge in posting out to everyone
There was a second print from Andrew the Holga bird. This is enthusiasm, two prints. I like the print because of the inclusion of all the film detail as well.
Next exchange round #4 starts with signup next month.
Lastly, I also have some very sad news to give all in APUG in that an active member of APUG-
Seabird, Carey Bird, passed away in the Christchurch earthquake back on the 22nd Fed this year. He made it a priority that he get his pictures done for this exchange before he left Sydney on the 20th Feb bound for Christchurch to work in the NZ office of his employer's company. It was his wife Jan's request that I let the APUG community know of Carey's passing.
The print I sent was close to the look of the ambrotype, and was the only practical way to share the image with everyone....