Postcard Exchange Round 15 Results and Feedback ...

Mark Fisher · Nov 1, 2008

I was really disappointed with Jon's photo.....I thought it had to be a photoshop creation until I looked at the back A very fun image and well printed....well done

kraker · Nov 2, 2008

Time to catch up on 'cards received'. Since my last update, I have received cards from:

wazza, Eucalypts, absolutely great composition, works like a charm, but to be honest, I miss the whites. Great to see it upside down as well.
Mark Fisher, well, that's contrast, sure enough! Nice one, it's really great to see you sticking to (well, getting back to) your series of county fairs.
Black Dog, Gathered from coincidence. It's a beauty. The reflection of the sun on the water... As a side note: you really have a very ...errrr... artistic way of thinking up titles for your photos. Wish I had a bit of that!
sly, The Head Gardener (talk about nice titles!)... mystical, colourful, a lot to see.
drpsilver, when I found this on the doormat, I thought: hm, looks slightly underexposed? Oh, wait, let me read the back. Ah! Fog! That changes things! I think it's a beauty! Thanks!
MattKing, a great find, great composition. Nature can be such an inspiration. I like it a lot!
Jon King, a gem indeed. Is this the Bronica RF645 again?
Anke Drewitz... just great! I really should try to visit Jena while my cousin still lives there (too bad he's leaving in a few months...). Didn't visit Dornburg castle when I was there... Great shot, and the print comes out well!

Hm, things are moving quite fast, I have a feeling I'm lagging behind (I know I'm not the only one, though). And another weekend without spending time in the darkroom has (almost) passed... better luck next weekend?! I'll keep you updated on my (lack of) progress!

erikg · Nov 2, 2008

Went away on a vacation and found 6 more cards in our mailbox upon my return. I got jon king's Egyptian Bull, great shot, love how you framed it and what a perfect subject for a travel postcard. Folks in SD must have a lot of time on their hands. Really nicely printed too.
I got BlackDog's Chance Encounter: something rather mysterious about the interactions of these people and dogs. Nicely balanced.
Next is Tim Gray's Paris shot. Crime scene is exactly what I thought even before I read the caption. Really looks like something sinister happened, but what have the birds been up too? Cool find.
Anke Drewitz' Pear House: very romantic rustic window. I like the warm tone of the paper, seems right for the subject.
I also got MattKing's picture of the driftwood along the Fraser river. I like the angle and the high horizon line, really moves the eye into the picture. Has an Ansel-near-far thing going on, well done.
Finally for now is drpsilver's Pines in Fog. Darwin, I guess the lesson is be careful what you wish for, but it could also be to work with what you are given. Well handled, the picture has a really nice mood to it.
Thanks everyone.

Anke Drewitz · Nov 3, 2008

kraker said:
Anke Drewitz... just great! I really should try to visit Jena while my cousin still lives there (too bad he's leaving in a few months...). Didn't visit Dornburg castle when I was there... Great shot, and the print comes out well!

Hi Jacco,

love to hear you like the print and you and all other here are welcome to Jena even if your Cousin will have left it

And wow, only three days for a card to go overseas to the USA, this was obviously faster than within Germany, thanks Erik for your kind words.

Anke

Pete H · Nov 3, 2008

Hopefully I'll get an internet connection at home today. Then I'll be able to comment on all the great cards that have arrived without spending work time on it ...

I finally got the wiring done in the new darkroom too, and inaugurated the darkroom with a postcard printing session. There are still about 20 to print, so they should be out in the next week or so.

Pete

rst · Nov 4, 2008

OK, my postcards are not ready yet, but I will have time at the weekend to print them and then they should go out into the mail next week.

In the mean time the postcards of my daughter went into the mail and should receive your mailbox soon. She is 10 years old and during last round when I got all the nice postcards and she just did not get any mail, she decided that she wants to get more mail. So she signed up in the exchange although I described to her that it is not only about receiving postcards, but also about printing and sending postcards. "That is no problem, I can do this!" So I assisted in the darkroom. That means I was allowed to operate the paper-safe and watch her doing all the rest.

I received a lot of great cards so far, as there are:

Mark Fishers continuation of his county fair series. Great, I like this series, so don't stop it.

stu sent a funny card which I also would say it shows a county fair at night.

Then I got a very nice color image The Head Gardener from sly. I do not know why, but to me it looks a bit like a coloized B&W. Thanks for the glowing colors.

As I already said, Mike Wilde sent a reminder to my summer vacation. Thanks a lot for that. And I also like the image composition-wise.

Black Dog sent me a Christmas Pudding. Delicious.

Hal9000 was so nice to send me a photogram. I usually enjoy his images showing the current state of Berlin. Now, it is also autumn in Berlin, so I enjoy this one too.

johnnywalker sent a beaver to me. Definitely one of my kids favorites. Well, I like it too.

The gem that Jon King found in South Dakota looks funny. Well printed. I like that contrast. Thanks. Also for sharing your time when we met in Nashua, that was a great morning.

I like the Eucalypts sent by wazza. Due to the dark tones in the water, the lower part looks nearly as if it was the negative for the upper part.

Pines in Fog from drpsilver carries very nice light tones. I am usually not a friend of not enough contrast. In this case it is just great.

MattKing sent an image of the banks of Fraser river. I like the composition. This is just great. One of my favorites of this round.

And that brings me to my next favorite of this round, Anke Drewitz sent Birnbaumhaus (yes, I got the German title), a very nice composition, perfectly printed on some old Orwo paper which very well contributes to the subject. Thanks.

And then I also got the postcard of jst, my daughter. The Flume. Well, this was no surprise since I watched her when she took the image during our summer vacation and I also watched her when she printed the postcards.

That is all the cards of round 15 that I received so far. I am looking forward to the rest.

Cheers
Ruediger

Buster6X6 · Nov 4, 2008

Wow, I have printed and send my cards today, what a marathon, enjoy.

Last two days I have received three more cards.
First: by Matt King Beautiful image on the banks of Fraser river great diagonals and tonality.
Second: by Anke Drawitz " Birnbaumhaus " another beautiful image with exquisite tonal value , so far my favorite image. Very well done, I love it Anke.
Third:Tim GrayGood observation and execution . Nice.

Greg

mooseontheloose · Nov 5, 2008

I feel guilty -- all these cards coming in, and I have at least a few weeks ahead of me before I can get into a darkroom while I move to a new apartment.

Tim - I really like the way you framed this image of the pigeon tracks. I've seen scenes like this so many times in my life but you've managed to capture the underlying humour implied.

Anke - Your card's arrived with plenty of time to spare! Lovely shot of the pear house. I really like the play of light in this picture.

KWhitmore · Nov 6, 2008

Sent my cards out yesterday. Thanks for all the great cards guys!

Johnny Walker - At first I thought it was an abstract, I turned it over and over several times until the light bulb finally went on. And wow! I grew up near a river with lots of these inhabitants so thank you. Your card really brought me back.

Warren Hinder - You know, I've never really lusted after a Hasselblad until now. Thanks alot! Your Eucalypts are just stunning.

Lillian Sly - A bizarre and interesting mix of colorful foliage and human heads. Excellent workout with the Nikon for Halloween.

Jon King - I would never have guessed South Dakota was the origin of this shot. Never. So glad you went for that drive...

Black Dog - This one is full of mystery. What's the story here...what's the guy with the hat thinking? Afraid of dogs? Love it.

Mark Fisher - This close-up is sweet...great composition with bold tones.

drpsilver - How lucky are you that the weather gave you just what you wanted? I really like the high key tones...soft and dreamy.

Tim Gray - Crime scene? Definitely. I think the pigeon had an accomplice or two...

Thanks again, another great round.

-Kathy

nyx · Nov 7, 2008

I managed to send my cards today. I hope you'll like them.

I already got plenty of nice cards from other members. I especially liked MattKing's, Tim Gray's, wazza's, Mark Fisher's. Also the card from Marrakech was nice, I returned from Morocco and found it in my mailbox. It looked very familiar and then I read the description.

Only disappointing thing is that I have some orange barcode printed on most overseas cards. Is it normal or just some czech post speciality?

rst · Nov 7, 2008

nyx said:
... Only disappointing thing is that I have some orange barcode printed on most overseas cards. Is it normal or just some czech post speciality?

No, I also get these marks. Sometimes they put it on a paper strip which they glue on the postcard. These are the lucky cases because one can remove that paper strip very easily without damaging the postcard. Never mind this is part of the postcard exchange - all our postcards are just treated as ... postcards

Cheers
Ruediger

johnnywalker · Nov 8, 2008

I just finished writing comments about all the postcards received so far, the screen flickered and all was lost. Oh well, here's a shortened version. I've received cards from Warren Hinder (commented earlier), Tim Gray (the mystery of the pidgeons and bicycle), Lillian Sly (spooky, looks old and hand-painted), Jon King (why is that bull looking at me?), Mark Fisher (nicely seen and printed), Darwin Poulos (I'm a sucker for trees in the mist pics), Jake Williams (makes me wish I could still eat that kind of pudding) and Anke Drewitz (very nice subject and composition). I like them all, what a great round so far.

Nicole · Nov 8, 2008

When's the next signup?

rst · Nov 8, 2008

Nicole said:
When's the next signup?

Hi Nicole,

The next signup starts January 1st.

Cheers
Ruediger

Pete H · Nov 8, 2008

The last batch of cards is hanging up to dry.
Writers cramp coming up tomorrow ...

I've received lots of great cards; in no particular order:

Mike Wilde's very dramatic light trails.
Pines in Fog from drpsilver - I like to shoot in fog too, but how do you keep the water out of the bellows?
Warren Hinder's Eucalyptus: I sniffed the card, but it hasn't cleared up my cold
Lillian Sly's Head Gardener - I like the composition.
Anke Drewitz' Pear House at Dornberg Castle has a nice, old feel.
The Scene of the Crime from Tim Gray - maybe the next shot will have a pigeon wearing a deerstalker and carrying a large magnifying glass?
A wonderful diversion for the family from Jon King.
jst's Flume: Lots of movement in the water & nicely printed. Great job!
A pair of hot lips from Mark Fisher makes a good abstract.
Jake Williams' Normandy bunker - nice creamy paper and beautifully printed.
A photogram from Hal9000 - the tonality in the leaves is interesting. Why do they come out so patchy?
JohnnyWalker's great shot of a beaver - I love the swirls in the water.
Matt King's selenium & sepia toned wood by the Fraser River - did you tone Churchill on the stamp too?

MattKing · Nov 8, 2008

Pete H said:
Matt King's selenium & sepia toned wood by the Fraser River - did you tone Churchill on the stamp too?

Pete:
The toned Churchill is courtesy of Karsh's estate, and Canada Post
Thanks for the comment.
Matt

Pete H · Nov 9, 2008

Kathy's one dark shirt arrived yesterday. I hope you've kept some shirts for yourself too, Kathy!

Nicole · Nov 10, 2008

rst said:
Hi Nicole,

The next signup starts January 1st.

Cheers
Ruediger

Thank you Ruediger. These postcards are unique.

Sending and receiving these postcards reminds me of how excited I used to get receiving mail from family and friends during my years in boarding school. I hope one day people will return to the magic of the written word on paper. Emails have made life so much easier, but we've lost so much in return.

Pete H · Nov 10, 2008

Mine are in the post.

rst · Nov 10, 2008

Nicole said:
... I hope one day people will return to the magic of the written word on paper. Emails have made life so much easier, but we've lost so much in return.

That is exactly what I think Nicole. In 1000 years from now, the internet generation in history will be called the dark ages II because they will almost know nothing about us.

Cheers
-- Ruediger

Tim Gray · Nov 10, 2008

rst said:
That is exactly what I think Nicole. In 1000 years from now, the internet generation in history will be called the dark ages II because they will almost know nothing about us.

Cheers
-- Ruediger

Because of this, I make a point to write actual letters to friends still. Not many, but one every once in a while. The post cards are a great touch too. I always print about 10 extras to mail out to friends and family with a nice, somewhat random note.

Buster6X6 · Nov 10, 2008

Last couple of day's received three more cards.

First: stu I am not sure how the title reads" Berber boy"?
Great resolution and contrast, what equipment did you use? Very nice tones.
Second: "The flume" From Judith Stobbe? Great water movement,captured well. Good contrast. I am always interested what equipment was used?
Third: KWhitmore with " The roads are boring" very interesting image captured well against the light.

Greg

rst · Nov 11, 2008

Buster6X6 said:
... Second: "The flume" From Judith Stobbe? Great water movement,captured well. Good contrast. I am always interested what equipment was used?

Hi Greg,

I jump in for my daughter. She used my Nikon FE2 with a 85mm lens attached. That was also the reason I have not many images from the Flume because she had my camera most of the time. This image is one of the less experimental ones Film was a Fuji Neopan 400 which was developed in ID11 1+1. She printed on Ilford MG IV RC developed in Moersch SE2 WT.

BTW, she is very excited. She got some really nice postcards so far and yours is one of her favorites. How come?

Cheers
-- Ruediger

Akki14 · Nov 11, 2008

Sorry I've not been posting my received cards lately. Had some family things pop up in the last week or so. I think these are all the cards I've received:
sly
wazza
Mark Fisher *I think? I can only really make out Mark on the card sorry!
DRPSilver
Jon King
Tim Gray
Black Dog
Anke Drewitz
Kathy (KWhitmore?)
Buster 6x6
nyx
I have about 2/3s of my cards printed and filled out at the moment so hopefully will still make the deadline...

stu · Nov 11, 2008

Buster6X6 said:
Last couple of day's received three more cards.

First: stu I am not sure how the title reads" Berber boy"?
Great resolution and contrast, what equipment did you use? Very nice tones.

Greg

Thanks Greg. Glad you like it. I shot it on my Leica M2 with 50mm Summilux on Tri-x. As for the rest of it, film in ID11, the print in Multigrade.

Titles... I'm never sure what to do there. I usually go for matter of fact. This kid was a 'berber boy,' and that is as much though as went into it.

Just after this shot, the 'berber boy' got up and started hitting the hoop down the mountain with a stick. unfortunately, the sight of me and my camera (unoticed until that point) put him off and we both stood and watched the hoop bounce and roll into the valley below!

So much for my unintrusive approach to photography. Ooops.

Postcard Exchange Round 15 Results and Feedback ...

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