Postcard Exchange Round 20 - Comments and Feedback

I received an envelope form Australia last week with a piece of cardboard inside. Any chance there should have been a postcard in there too.
No return address on the hand addressed envelope so i am not sure who it is from.
Gord

Thank you all for the comments on my card. The paper I printed on was from the '70s and this is why it's fogged. I'd have prefered to send double weight cards instead of single weight ones, but I wanted to liquidate some of my stash of this paper and also I was quite familiar with it.

Next round I'll print on fresh double weight paper!

BTW, for those who are interested, Forte Bromofort was one of the two standard papers of Forte before the '90s (the other was Fortezzo, faster and warm toned). It can be considered as a graded version of Polygrade which itself is the cold variant of the well-known Polywarmtone.

In no particular order:

Crispin: I liked the atmosphere, I could just turn on my left and start walking with the soldiers.
Alex: A lovely print on a nice paper, I received No. 35/70. I like very much how the rather static composition comes to life with the lines of Chantal's right arm and the traffic crossing each other. There is something sincer, undoubtly human in her gesture, which the traffic definitely lacks.
Mick: A completely different card compared to the one you sent me the previous round. It got me thinking what up there is. I like the tonality of her hair.
Darwin: An interesting photo for sure, and nice composition.
Slumry: At first look I thought your card was a still-life on four paprikas. After reading the title, I realised they are teeth. I'll be more careful with mine from now on.
Pete: A nice pinhole portrait, also, the background is quite sharp.
Photojim: The detail on this photo is quite amazing. Also, I like the slightly unusual (for these subjects) portrait format.
Mark: I like the tonality of this photo and the fact this beast's head is rather live.
Lori: I like the atmosphere of this half-natural landscape, although I might have printed it somewhat lighter and higher in contrast to render the snow a bit more punchy.
Laurent: Simple, good composition, very nice tones. I found great joy looking at all the rivets, finding out none of them retained their original form.
Steve: Your 5x7 in card was the first to arrive in my mailbox. I like the tones here, too. Your photograph brought me back my memories of using Fomapan 200, which I also used to shoot quite a lot.
Lillian: An exciting cyanotype print! I like the simple idea of tea-toning, after receiving your print I couldn't help trying to tea-tone myself, too.
Tim: Again an interesting, nonetheless somewhat frightening picture. I like how the dark sky and water frame the dam.

Rachelle: I'm happy you liked the card. I printed an extra in case something would have gone wrong during processing, but as a surprise all turned out OK more-or-less, so decided, why not post also the extra card…

Apologies for the late feedback.

I would like to thank you all for this great round, No. 20. Already looking forward to Round No. 21.

30 Sept 2010

Three cards were uncovered when I cleaned-off my desk.

I like gordrob's card of stairs into thin air. This image has a lot of stories to tell. This town, or what is left of it, must be a neat place to photograph.

The detail in rtbadman's photo is wonderful. The unsharp background creates some depth to the photo.

The close-up of a VW by rst is simple in composition, but gives the viewer lots to look at, and look for. Lots of things can be imagined in this photo.

Thanks for sharing your work. It is a joy to find Postcards Exchange photos in the mailbox! Now let Round #21 begin.

Regards,
Darwin

I received rtbadman's bull yesterday. The richness of the blacks is incredible, and the unsharp background makes the bull "stand-up" in the foreground !

The eye contact is also really amazing !

I’ve previously commented on 21 cards received from other APUGers. I finally realized that I’ve actually received and commented on two different cards from one APUGer (thanks Darwin). Another two cards have come in the last few days:

rst - “Volkswagen - Detail” - I always like a nice repeating pattern. This one is both intriguing and somehow calming. I’m also entertained by the fact that the postal service seems to like it as well - they’ve added a complementary barcode, in orange, that mirrors the scene.
rtbadman - nice bull!

This means that I’ve received cards from 22 APUGers and still await cards from six others (gr82bart; mckenna; Patrick Latour; Roger Bulcock; Samad Asad; trotkiller)

Thanks to everyone for participating.

Made it to the darkroom

Print turned out much better than the first run

I have noticed that a few people have moved/changed address, I will do my best to make sure your postcards get to you

Jeff

trotkiller said:

I'm sorry to say that I will be reprinting my postcards, really unhappy with what I printed.

I will do my best to have them in then mail in the next 4 weeks.

Sorry all
Jeff

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Got two post cards while on gone on a workshop with Per Volquartz in New Mexico.Rtbadman's meaty "Bull",some thing maybe a Matador would face. And I believe rst's,Riuduger (please excuse the spelling) VW rear air vent.Notched that the rear engine hood or bonnet is spaced out a bit for larger Carbs,may be Delaros or something.

Mike

Received a lovely postcard from Judith today -- I really like the different tones amongst the leaves, and the eye is really drawn to the window, where I believe there's a reflection of the photographer herself. ;-)

Received Samad's card yesterday - cool image; I like these creatures and this one captures their unique looks well.

ozphoto said:

Received Samad's card yesterday - cool image; I like these creatures and this one captures their unique looks well.

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Same here, received yesterday, cool image.

Also received since my last update:
rtbadman's bull, that's a whole different animal than Samad's. Nice rich, detailed blacks, and the look in the eye is just great.
mooseontheloose, I recognize your avatar in the postcard you sent me. So nice of you to return the favour, thanks a bunch! Nice print. The stamp is wonderful. I just saw a discussion starting up in the round 21 thread on the subject of stamps. I'm no collector, but this one is fantastic...

Thank you all!

Another card arrived today:

Samad Asad - “Red-Eared Slider” - An intriguing subject, and a really interesting angle of view

This means that I’ve received cards from 23 APUGers and still await cards from five others (gr82bart; mckenna; Patrick Latour; Roger Bulcock; trotkiller)

Thanks to everyone for participating.

Sitting down to address my cards, I'm sure I saw a post or two saying that some people had moved addresses since this exchange started...

If you have moved and want to receive a postcard from me please send me a PM with your updated details

Allso got Samad's Red-eared Slider,nice one.
Mike

I received postcard from Rachelle. A beautiful photo of such a cute statue! By the way, did anyone notice - is that a Mamiya 7 in the statue's hands?

Also received a card from Samad: an interesting portrait of a turtle. Can you share where this photo was taken?

anikin said:

I received postcard from Rachelle. A beautiful photo of such a cute statue! By the way, did anyone notice - is that a Mamiya 7 in the statue's hands?

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Personally, I think it's a Nikon FE (my favorite camera), but to each his own!

mike c said:

Allso got Samad's Red-eared Slider,nice one.
Mike

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I also got Samad's Slider. Thanks Samad !

Got Samad's picture of the water turtle looking up to the sky.
I've got 21 of 25. The four who haven't sent their postcards are not participating in round 21, so I think, this round is completed for me.
It was really fun! Looking ahead for pce #21

anikin said:

I received postcard from Rachelle. A beautiful photo of such a cute statue! By the way, did anyone notice - is that a Mamiya 7 in the statue's hands?

Also received a card from Samad: an interesting portrait of a turtle. Can you share where this photo was taken?

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That image of the turtle was taken at home actually. I had released it from its tank so was chasing it around the balcony to get a nice shot. I have to admit that the print didn't turn out as I had wanted it to be though.

If I remember right, one of my earlier postcards from a some years back featured a turtle too. This one came from that same group (I have 7 turtles now), only it has grown bigger now.

have a lot of cards here from round 20 on which i didnt comment so:

gordrob's church stairs - i like to think about how they will be completely overgrown in a few hundred years. very interesting.
Hannah Skeoch's Haitian Worker - great portrait in the tradition of great documentary photographers!
Lori Ryan's pond - like the reflections, but feel a very dark and unwelcoming mood at this pond. makes me want to stay at home
Stephen Frizza: everything has been said - a truly stunning print that glows!
Crispin: have never seen a Minox print before, and like the grain and the very oldschool look
Mark Rewald's Park figurine: a true postcard image which you could sell in gift shops in Denver!
Slumry's teeth - a funny, unusual, well printed photo! thanks for this!
Allen Friday's Colorado River: love the light and the reflections!
Kathrine Whitmore's sculpture: thanks for your nice words on the card, and thanks for the card. I like how you put this so very abstract sculpture in context with its completely natural surroundings!
Tim Gray's Sutton Dam: love the look of HIE, especially the almost "happy" fluffy little clouds over the sturdy structure of the dam.
Rüdiger's Volkswagen: Nice detail, did not have to turn it around to know what car this is. Whether this says more about your photography or my car addiction is fortunately not up for discussion
rtbadman's bull: nice portrait, and funny story to go with it. I know exactly how this happens not being a wild flower photographer myself..
Samed's turtle: looks like it is 100 years old already, fuzzy, grainy, scratched - absolutely love it!
Black Dog's early morning light: Love the quote, also believe to understand the concept of the photo, but sorry, doesn't work for me. But: Please keep surprising me!

greetings from Austria, gurkenprinz

trotkiller said:

Sitting down to address my cards, I'm sure I saw a post or two saying that some people had moved addresses since this exchange started...

If you have moved and want to receive a postcard from me please send me a PM with your updated details

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Ok... No PM's received...

Will send these once I get paid, sorry don't have the cash to spend on stamps

The bottom line is that you will receive a print from me, hopefully this year

Sorry for the delay in making comments. I wanted the cards to be on display on the fridge for a while so I could have time to see them repeatedly before I started to form thoughts. This was my first exchange on APUG, and frankly, the level of talent and vision has been a bit intimidating. I thank everyone for their work and effort. It was great to look forward to the mail for a couple of months.

In no particular order:

crispinuk’s Time Machine has a great otherworldy feel to it, particularly with the grain and the border.

Black Dog- Luss Hills: very calming image.

KWhitmore – “Old Friends”: Beautiful glow, just jumps off the paper. I want to visit this coffee shop the next time I’m back in Montreal.

rtbadman – the tight crop and almost featureless background work well to highlight the bull.

rst’s Volkswagen- Detail: the transition from sharp lines to creamy and dreamy is fantastic. Sometimes the simplest subject provide the most interesting results, something I need to think about and work on.

PhotoJim’s derelict building in SK. Soooo crisp! The grass is sharp, the tiles are sharp, even at this distance you can see the grain in the boards. Excellent!

Sly’s Colliery Dam Footbridge – this is the first time I’ve seen a cyanotype in person and I feel privileged. Thank you. Both the composition and the alt process/toning draw me in. My uncle and aunt live in Nanaimo; beautiful part of the country.

Oslo Opera House from Pete H. was another card that drew me in. I think it’s cool to have the people so very small in the print. It actually makes me look at them even more.

I like the square print of The Zen Photographer from mooseontheloose. The greys are clean; I don’t think HP5+ has worked this well in my hands. Must try it again.

Allen Friday’s Colorado River: I think you’ve captured how something (the GC) so massive and bold can at the same time be so peaceful.

Haitian Worker from Rob Skeoch’s daughter is a great portrait and a great PJ shot. The folded up cot in the background adds context.

Unfortunately, markrewald’s fountain figurine was one of several postcards that I received that came in damaged, with a chunk of emulsion scraped off just below the mouth. Too bad, because it distracts the eye from an otherwise cool photo.

Mick Fagan’s “Looking Up” is just a very slick exercise in lighting and composition. Really nice.

I want to have a pint or three at BoxBrownie’s “Heart and Hand Pub, Brighton”. Great photo, so punchy in colour (I’m assuming that’s a result of the selenium?).

Samad’s “Red-eared Slider”: I like how you got down to its level, interesting point of view.

drpsilver’s “Tafoni, Cambria” was the first card I received in APX20, and is still one of my favourites. So many different textures here, and the Tri-X grain works beautifully here. Love it!

Tim Gray’s “Sutton Dam”: I usually don’t like much IR photography (it often comes across too unreal to my eye), but I really like this image. I think the fact the foliage is not overcooked here makes it work. The clouds are nice and cottony and hold detail, without being blinding white.

Many thanks to Ruediger for organizing!

Made it! At least.

My card was posted on Friday. Sorry for the delay.

OMU said:

Made it! At least.

My card was posted on Friday. Sorry for the delay.

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and it arrived in Stavanger on Saturday. Thanks!
It is warm on the inside, as opposed to the cold dark outside.

Now look, this is what I like about the postcard exchange. At the moment we are in round 24 and what I find in the mailbox is a surprise from round 20. I would say better late than never and so I very welcome the postcard I received from Jeff (trotkiller). Well, and I also like the print.

Thanks and cheers
Ruediger

rst said:

Now look, this is what I like about the postcard exchange. At the moment we are in round 24 and what I find in the mailbox is a surprise from round 20. I would say better late than never and so I very welcome the postcard I received from Jeff (trotkiller). Well, and I also like the print.

Thanks and cheers
Ruediger

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What he said.

Thanks Jeff!