Postcard Exchange Round 20 - Comments and Feedback

Have two cards here,Crispins Time Machine if I where old enough I'd be able to say "That's just how it was"
Also Allen Friday's beautiful Grand Canyon,love that place.

Fleath, Laurent and others, thanks for your comments.

I have received four more cards since my last update:

slumry, Unwise #7. Just too scary, this. It's a nice shot, that's for sure, but scary.
Black Dog, Luss Hills 2. Nice "layered" shot, and lovely paper as always.
crispinuk, Time machine. Wow. This is the first Minox postcard I have ever received. It really works well for the subject. Nice!
Allen Friday, Grand Canyon. Nice contrast between the fore- and background.

Thanks Laurent and Rachelle, for the kind words. My wife thanks you for agreeing with her.

I’ve previously commented on 13 cards (including my own). Since then, cards from 2 more APUGers have come in:

Black Dog - “An Informal Moment” - a nice vignette - contemplative in two generations
CrispinUK - “Time Machine” - it looks like it was shot using one!

14 down (plus my own), 14 to go - we are 1/2 way!

Thanks to everyone for participating.

Two more postcards today:

Crispin - "Time Machine" - Like others, my first minox print. I'm very impressed by the level of detail, I wouldnt have expected that from the format. I really dig the kind of blurry/sharp border to the print as well, it adds to the effect for me. Great compositon, and really curious subject matter. I cant stop looking at it, and I can only think how heavy that fourth guy's armour looks. I love how the sky is rendered in kind of a gritty hunk of grain. It really does feel like some eerily time travel. Thank you for sharing this.

Matt King - "Fender' - As I sit in the kitchen on my office chair (nobody else is home, so I wont get in trouble for this) having a cup of tea and eating a biscuit, I find myself, thousands of miles away, looking at your postcard. What a strange world we live in - I might get another biscuit soon.
This one seems kinda familiar, and I've been stuck in a few books on Harold Cazneaux recently, so I think I've traced it back to this image [here]. Back to yours though - I really like the reflection of the second thing in the background (I'm betraying my lack of nautical knowledge now), that's where my eye went first. Great deal of detail on the fender in the foreground, and it really does seem oddly delicate. So another vote in your wife's favour, it could be a drop earing. The little reflections in the water make it for me though.

hoffy said:

Howdy all,

I've been quite busy of late, but I have managed to get my prints done and went in the post today. A first for me, as I have stuck printed labels on my cards (apart from 3 or 4....thats when I got sick of hand writing them). Now people won't have to deal with reading my bad writing!

...
LaurentFlowing Water - How long was the exposure? I am assuming those were some Lock gates. Fascinating photo
...

Click to expand...

As I said earlier, sorry for the forgotten question... the exposure was about 8 seconds IIRC, I do not record exposures on 35 mm. And yes, these are lock gates.

I received Allen Friday's Colorado River today. Makes me dream of the time when I'm able to pay the Grand Canyon a visit (last year was almost a possibility, but they cancelled my conference )

Thanks for the appreciative comments...the paper for the Luss Hills images is Galerie and I'll be using it a lot more in future. The informal moments are all from a portfolio of my family and hopefully I can get some in Ag, lenswork etc some time.

My post cards went intot he mail yesterday. I hope you will enjoy them as much as I have enoyed the ones I have received.

Comments Finally!

10 Aug 2010

This is the first time I have been able to visit APUG, for more than a few minutes, in several months.

First, thank you to all for your kind comments. I am glad that you like the image. I, as several of you mentioned, like photographs that make you think about what they are, or have a hidden form in them. I find these kinds of photos very interesting.

The comments below are in order of the pile of cards that are next to the keyboard. Here we go!

Gurkinprinz: I like how the light shaft guides the viewer into an area of rich detail.
Hwv: Interesting perspective of ??? This print works on several orientations.
Sage: What stories can this house tell? I like how you maintained detail in the porch ceiling.
Laurent: I really like all the angles that lead the viewer to the flowing water.
JohnnyWalker: Nice portrait of this banjo player. Good job differentiating the black tones. It is not easy to photograph black on black.
Kevin Kehler: So muck detail! Good use of a limited range of the film. Nicely done.
Pete H: I like how the people add interest to the photo. Took me a while to figure out the rock formations.
Labcoat: We have take off!
Oxleyroad: You can almost feel his excitement.
Likemarlonbrando: You successfully captured this driver's desire to get a fare.
Rob Skeoch: I cannot imagine how difficult it is for the Haitian people. Very nice portrait.
Kraker: I really like the ethereal nature of this print. Your choice of paper adds to the print. To bad it is no longer available.
Slumry: I assume that these were not self-extracted. Either way these suggest a painful journey.
Hoffy: This reminds me of several local creeks. I really like to light accent on the rocks. It gives the image depth.
PhotoJim: Nice image. I like how the clouds model the tree. Wonderful detail throughout. I also am attracted to derelict buildings.
David James Lee: Nice composition that effectively merges lines and curves. Rain in Paris - who would have thought.
MattKing: Nice use of depth of focus. You effectively isolated the float/bumper from the rest of the image. Well done.
Allen Friday: I like how th light and dark cliffs are balanced top to bottom. The bushes in the foreground keep the viewer's eyes in the photo. Well done. Must have been a fun trip.
Anikin: It is refreshing to see a color postcard. I like how you have maintained the depth of focus. Almost feels like you could walk among these figures.
Sly: Beautifully toned. Thanks for renewing my interest in cyanotype.
Aluk: Interesting perspective on a big palace. What paper did you use to print this card? I really like the feel, texture, and tones.
Fleath: Thanks for the "limited edition postcard"! The symmetry of this image is very interesting. It gives the viewer something to think about.
Dave Martiny: Nice portrait, and commentary on the economy. I also like the repeating parallel lines in both directions. They give the image "structure".
Mooseontheloose: This sculpture garden must have been fun to see. Zen and photography - interesting mix of contemplation and work. Hope all is well with you in Japan.

6 new cards while I've been away.

Wisdom teeth from Slumry: nice idea, and a bit unsettling. I like it!
MattKing's Fender, or possibly Drop Earring. It's a good abstraction of detail - boats always have lots of potential but can be very cluttered. This one works well.
ignatius5: quite graphic and i like the subtle motion blur.
CrispinUK: My first Minox shot too. Looks like a good fun event. I've just been at a Viking festival, but there were some rather anachronistic glasses around. Can't see that in your shot.
Allen Friday: How did you keep the camera dry? Or didn't you do the bouncy bits? The tones are really rich and the depth of the shot is very satisfying.
Andrew Carson: Great expression. I hope he made his first catch!
Black Dog: It looks very damp to me. Atmospheric in a very literal sense.

Thank you everybody!

Pete H.

Pete did I send you the one of the misty hillside with the wall? Or the sculpture?

Black Dog said:

Pete did I send you the one of the misty hillside with the wall? Or the sculpture?

Click to expand...

It was Luss Hills #2. It's always looked like that when I've been there too!

I finally finished writing the comments. Here they are:

Fleath: I like the small subtle details like the sandal. That Canon LTM lens gives a very nice look. I also like the feel of a fiber based postcard.
Mick Fagan: It's a very interesting angle. I quite like the lighting on her neck. I find the model's expression very nice and it matches the image.
Sly: I don't think I've seen a real Cyanotype before. The print looks beautiful. There's something special about a print that's completely handmade. I have been contemplating experimenting with alternative processes for a while, but I haven't gotten around to trying it yet. Your postcard is so inspiring; it should motivate me to finally get started.
BoxBrownie: I like the part of the satellite dish in the top of the picture. It's little details like this that tell when the photo was taken.
drpsilver: I really like the texture of the photo. It's funny how it looks like it's grainy at first, but then you realize that it's the rocks. The out of focus area in the top left corner shows how smooth the grain of the film actually is.
Laurent: The composition is really nice. I like how the hard diagonals contrast the fuzzy, curvy grass.
PhotoJim: There's an impressive amount of detail in this photo. The tones just look perfect. I also like the clouds at the top of the frame. Somehow it looks like everything is pointing towards the building.
Pete H Oslo Opera House: It looks like it's a pretty cold day. It's funny that most of the people are wearing dark clothes. There's so much going on. I like how that one man near the top left corner is looking over his shoulder for his kid who is a bit behind.
Rob Skeoch: I like the worker's expression. It's a very nice portrait.
Slumry: That looks painful.
Allen Friday: That place looks beautiful. It must have been awesome raft trip.
crispinuk Time Machine: This is so cool. I have never seen a real photo from a Minox. There's something unreal about the picture. I can't really say what it is, but it looks different from what I expect a photo to look like. It's not just the grain.
markrewald: The eyes look amazing. They're staring right at you.

From now on I'll try to comment on the remaining cards as they come in.

Thank you all again for sending these wonderful postcards. I'm always excited when I get the mail hoping that there's a new card.

Okay! I finally have my postcards all ready to go. I'll try and get them to the post office tomorrow!

Thanks Alex, Darwin and Pete for the kind words. I like the image you linked to Alex, although the boat therein is just a little bit bigger than the one in my own!.

I’ve previously commented on 14 cards received from other APUGers. Since then, cards from 3 more APUGers have come in:

markrewald - “Pioneer Monument and Fountain” - an excellent print, and a nice "portrait" - like the eyes!
Allen Friday - “Grand Canyon” - really nice depiction of soft light in a harsh environment
KWhitmore - "Outdoor Sculpture, Lachine Quebec" - a nice juxtaposition between the graceful trees and the angular sculpture

17 down, 11 to go!

Thanks to everyone for participating.

I received yesterday :

LikeMarlonBrando's "You wanna ride ?". This is the card that made it to Australia via "Piggy back" and then was sent to me by Mick Fagan !!! Thanks to both of you.

Mark Rewald's Pioneer monument close-up. I like the symetry of the view, and the rendition of the stone.

Thanks !
Laurent

And today I got :

KWhitmore's Outdoor sculpture. Very impressive sculpture, and the composition is great, making the scuplture a part of the overall scene.

Wayne Frederick's Shiwreck. Did I already mention I LOVE ships and wrecks ? That shot is great, and I like to know the story of this particular wreck. The diagonal composition is great !

Thank you
Laurent

Laurent, do you like the two postage stamps from two countries?

Pretty neat, eh!

Mick.

Mick Fagan said:

Laurent, do you like the two postage stamps from two countries?

Pretty neat, eh!

Mick.

Click to expand...

Mike,

yes I do !! This gives the card a specific "cachet" and I have a nice story to tell about it. Many thanks again !!

I returned from vacation to find a fabulous stack of postcards in the mail! (Too many to list in my road-weary condition) I'll finish printing and get mine out asap. Thanks everyone!

Got Mark's Lion headed fountain,very nice capture has a nice grain texture to it and well defined.

I have to repair a miss... I received Gurkenprinz's New Delhi Rickshaw card some (long) time ago, and forgot to acknowledege and comment. I really liked the movement created by the panning. Thanks Chris for checking whether your card arrived or not.

I seize this opportunity to mention that, should somebody not have received the expected card from me, feel free to drop me a PM so that I send a new one.

Laurent

More big thanx to everyone for your lovely cards!

Just letting you guys know my Ilfochrome postcards are in the mail and should be with you all shortly.

Finally got my cards in post, sorry for the tardiness. They hopefully will all arrive without incident.

I got another card the other day: KWhitmore's "Old Friends". It's a very nice image and it's printed on my favorite paper. I quite like the look of XP2, but I've never used it myself. I also appreciate the kind words about my card. Thank you!