Blind Print Exchange 39 (BPX39) – status & updates

[piu58]

Sent: 9/17 (piu58, Don Heisz, mfohl, Buzz-01, absalom1951, Cuprocene, T G McKenna, Bill Burk, LuisF-S)
Recvd: 5/17 ( absaolom1951, T G McKenna, gijsbert, Bill Burk, mfohl)

 

[Roger Thoms]

I just finished up packing up my prints and am headed to UPS shortly. I also received two gorgeous prints from mfohl yesterday, thank you so much. This was a very enjoyable exchange and I would also like to thank piu58 for organizing it.

Roger

 

[Roger Thoms]

Ok, mine are shipped.

Roger

 

[Luis-F-S]

I received a lovely table top floral arrangement from LuisF-S. Nice tones, no grain, definitely Large Format. Thanks Luis!

Shot on an 8x10 Deardorff V8 Hp5+ Film developed in HC-110. Got a very nice print of a Tree in return. Thank you!!

 

[piu58]

Sent: 10/17 (piu58, Don Heisz, mfohl, Buzz-01, absalom1951, Cuprocene, T G McKenna, Bill Burk, LuisF-S, Roger Thoms)
Recvd: 6/17 ( absaolom1951, T G McKenna, gijsbert, Bill Burk, mfohl, Roger Thoms)

 

[mfohl]

I just received two *beautiful* prints from Roger Thoms. "Beastie", a close-up of a door handle and shadow (my kind of photograph, btw), and an untitled shot of houses and foliage in Merced River Manor near San Francisco. Very, very nice! Thanks Roger!

 

[piu58]

Sent: 10/17 (piu58, Don Heisz, mfohl, Buzz-01, absalom1951, Cuprocene, T G McKenna, Bill Burk, LuisF-S, Roger Thoms)
Recvd: 8/17 ( absaolom1951, T G McKenna, gijsbert, Bill Burk, mfohl, Roger Thoms, mfohl, Luis F-S)

 

[Roger Thoms]

mfohl, great to hear that the prints arrived in good shape. It was nice, as you have posted plenty of images, so it was easy to get some ideas as to what to sent.

Here are links to the two images.

Lockset Detail

It was rusted, l was happy!

www.photrio.com

Merced Manor

In search for a better “truck camera “ I found a Nikon F80 on Craigslist, this is from the first roll from my favorite neighborhood photo spot.

www.photrio.com

Roger

 

[gijsbert]

Just shipped my prints with Canada Post.

 

[piu58]

Sent: 10/17 (piu58, Don Heisz, mfohl, Buzz-01, absalom1951, Cuprocene, T G McKenna, Bill Burk, LuisF-S, Roger Thoms, gijsbert)
Recvd: 8/17 ( absaolom1951, T G McKenna, gijsbert, Bill Burk, mfohl, Roger Thoms, mfohl, Luis F-S)

 

[spijker]

I put my prints in the mail today.

 

[piu58]

Sent: 11/17 (piu58, Don Heisz, mfohl, Buzz-01, absalom1951, Cuprocene, T G McKenna, Bill Burk, LuisF-S, Roger Thoms, gijsbert, spijker)
Recvd: 8/17 ( absaolom1951, T G McKenna, gijsbert, Bill Burk, mfohl, Roger Thoms, mfohl, Luis F-S)

 

[Buzz-01]

I put my prints in the mail today.

And I've had the joy of receiving them yesterday. Menno sent me two splendid prints, both made on Ilford Classic FB paper and selenium toned afterwards.
Two different subjects and both printed truly excellently, with deep darks and bright highlights.

The first print is a view on the Ottawa river, downstream from the Chaudière Dam. The photo was taken this spring and, as Menno also states in his letter, it's a hefty stream with all the molten snow after the winter. It's an impressive stream already like this, but apparently the most had yet to come.

Second print is a photo of the former post office in downtown Ottawa. Perfect straight lines with the Mamiya 50mm shift lens.
It's a well-chosen scene and the light coming from the left-hand side make it extra interesting.

It's difficult to choose a favorite between them and I like both of them a lot. So I'm simply not going to choose...

I hear you on the GAS part, my photographic gear collection has grown quite a bit during the pandemic as well! The 50mm shift will definitely be worth the extra carry on your upcoming summer trip!
You mention printing a bit smaller this round because of EU post and I know you've sent me two larger prints last year (they were close to 12x16", the mailman had to ring our doorbell because the didn't fit in our mailbox slot ). Unfortunately with regular post that's the smartest thing to do. Not too long ago I found a cardboard-backed photo-exchange envelope fully bent inside my mailbox, because that was the way it would fit most convenient I guess. Luckily they didn't make a hard fold in it so it didn't damage the photo, but still...

I think the prints you've sent me this time are 9,5x12" or close to that, which is the perfect size for our Dutch mailbox slots. It's also about as big as I can print comfortably. Anyway, I still consider them quite large.
My development trays go up to 12x16" and I've modified my enlarger a bit to allow for that much magnification from 35mm, but I struggle a lot with handling any paper bigger than 9,5x12" during the wet stage of the process.

Thanks again for two excellent prints!

 

[piu58]

Sent: 11/17 (piu58, Don Heisz, mfohl, Buzz-01, absalom1951, Cuprocene, T G McKenna, Bill Burk, LuisF-S, Roger Thoms, gijsbert, spijker)
Recvd: 9/17 ( absaolom1951, T G McKenna, gijsbert, Bill Burk, mfohl, Roger Thoms, mfohl, Luis F-S, Buzz-01)

 

[spijker]

Glad to see that the prints made it without problems and match your taste. Yeah, I think I'll stick to trimming the prints down to ~24x30cm so I can send them by letter mail. More "hufter-proof" as well, I see.

 

[Buzz-01]

Haha for sure! Unfortunately the postal service is no longer the honorable profession it once used to be, I guess...
But hey, I received your prints without additional import duties and in perfect condition, so it's still possible!

 

[halfaman]

Print in the mail!

 

[piu58]

Sent: 12/17 (piu58, Don Heisz, mfohl, Buzz-01, absalom1951, Cuprocene, T G McKenna, Bill Burk, LuisF-S, Roger Thoms, gijsbert, spijker, halfaman)
Recvd: 9/17 ( absaolom1951, T G McKenna, gijsbert, Bill Burk, mfohl, Roger Thoms, mfohl, Luis F-S, Buzz-01)

 

[Finn lyle]

Sorry, Im late to post. I received a stunning 11x14 print from Bill Burk, of what appears to be a fisheye view of a rocky beach complete with surfers. The fisheye effect makes the horizon almost spiral, and it draws the eye very strongly to a large pile of rocks in the center left foreground of the image. The tone is very light and creamy which makes it feel dream like to me. Even at this enlargement the grain is almost imperceptible! Bill, is it a 35mm print?

Oh, I have shipped my print out this week as well, apologies for the delay!

 

[Bill Burk]

Thanks @Finn lyle !

I just don’t know how to get grain! That’s 35mm HP5+ with three stops more exposure than necessary. It’s the first roll of this film I’ve used since forever. Developed for 13:30 in D-76 1:1 (0.5 CI). A new (to me) SMCT 17mm fisheye.

I was feeling sorry for myself that I could never have a campfire amphitheater in my backyard like one I had seen pictures of in a red rocky desert… then I realized I have a beach in “my own backyard” with awesome fire rings! There are several to choose from. I’d light a fire but the beach coalition knows me too well.

Many more spirals to come, because the locals love to create mazes from sticks and rocks, their designs are scattered along the beaches and hiking trails.

 

[Don_ih]

Just safely received, once again from Spain and @halfaman, a great colour print to add to my collection - this time of a nomad tent in endless-looking Moroccan Sahara desert, complete with a wide blue sky. Looks very serene and peaceful - if very very hot. Thanks again! It's an excellent print. Also, thanks for all the details you included.

 

[halfaman]

Just safely received, once again from Spain and @halfaman, a great colour print to add to my collection - this time of a nomad tent in endless-looking Moroccan Sahara desert, complete with a wide blue sky. Looks very serene and peaceful - if very very hot. Thanks again! It's an excellent print. Also, thanks for all the details you included.

So glad you like it...

 

[Finn lyle]

Ill admit it wasn't until I read your post Bill that I finally saw the ring, thats huge! Thanks!

 

[piu58]

Sent: 12/17 (piu58, Don Heisz, mfohl, Buzz-01, absalom1951, Cuprocene, T G McKenna, Bill Burk, LuisF-S, Roger Thoms, gijsbert, spijker, halfaman)
Recvd: 11/17 ( absaolom1951, T G McKenna, gijsbert, Bill Burk, mfohl, Roger Thoms, mfohl, Luis F-S, Buzz-01, Finn lyle, Don Heisz)

 

[piu58]

Important: How to avoid taxes / VAT:

I wrote some words in the annotations from the view of the sender: How to avoid expansive sending. It did not write, until now, anything about the situation of the receiver. Now I got some type of letter from a print exchange (not BPX) and had to pay taxes, all in all more than the declared value. We should avoid this:

If a sending goes outside U.S. (or more correct: outside your country) it should be a letter, and not a parcel or similar.

Everything you simply put in the letterbox should be a letter. Anything you give at the office may induce taxes. Everything with a custom declaration will induce taxes.

Please keep in mind what "counts" as a letter in your country. In the U.S. it needs to be flexible. In Germany it may be stiff. I wrote some words about the


I will add these lines to the annotations of the next round.
--
Uwe