Postcard Exchange Round 20 - Comments and Feedback

Brentwood Kebab!

A
Brentwood Kebab!

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  • 1
  • 55
Summer Lady

A
Summer Lady

  • 1
  • 1
  • 66
DINO Acting Up !

A
DINO Acting Up !

  • 2
  • 0
  • 42
What Have They Seen?

A
What Have They Seen?

  • 0
  • 0
  • 57
Lady With Attitude !

A
Lady With Attitude !

  • 0
  • 0
  • 50

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paul_c5x4

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Received one from Laurent - Some grass poking through some decking, captured on a frosty day. Like the use of the diagonal lines.
 

kraker

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Two cards arrived yesterday:
PhotoJim, derelict farm building. A very nice, detailed print, lovely grays, well done!
Laurent, sluice gate, well captured, almost abstract, but then again, recognisable. Again, well done.
 

mike c

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Two cards today,one from Laurent frozen sleuth gate as kraker siad with some frozen weed growing up thur the cracks,nice diagonal wood slates.
And Derelict farm house showing its glory with the tall grass and tree blowing in the breeze,nice.
Mike
 

kraker

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Two cards today,one from Laurent frozen sleuth gate as kraker siad with some frozen weed growing up thur the cracks

Now it's time to ask Laurent...

Some see frozen weed, some (I) see water, frozen in time by the photographer. Did you send two different cards, or can you enlighten us what it really is are looking at?
 

mooseontheloose

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Kyoto, Japan
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Four cards today -- a welcome sight after all the rain we've been getting!

A nice colour print from anikin of quirky chess players. The interesting thing is though -- you're not on my list Eugene! I'll try and see if I can find another postcard left to send you in thanks.

Another 5x7 print also arrived from David James Lee of a place I know very well -- the Louvre! You've got just enough of it in to make it recognizable, but not so much to be cliche. Thanks for the reminder of one of my favorite cities in the world.

And speaking of France, Laurent's frosty wood and weeds/grass works great as a straight print with all the details, but also in a more abstract way with the juxtaposition of the straight lines of the wood and the curves of the weeds. Add the nails and you've got a Picasso-like face. I like this one a lot!

Finally, from PhotoJim, a great derelict house in rural Saskatchewan -- one of my favorite places to roam the backroads looking for interesting buildings. I always seemed to have more luck in Saskatchewan rather than in rural Manitoba (where I'm from) in finding these kind of sights that are photo-worthy. Thanks Jim, for this little slice of home.
 

mike c

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Now it's time to ask Laurent...

Some see frozen weed, some (I) see water, frozen in time by the photographer. Did you send two different cards, or can you enlighten us what it really is are looking at?
Please excuse my English,was in a hurry.Frosty weed and wood at a diagonal angle.Very nice.
Mike
 
Joined
Feb 10, 2006
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169
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Abbotsford,
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Here are the ones for today:

PhotoJim: One of the sharpest photographs I have ever seen. Even at that distance you can almost count the nails in the planks in this abandoned building. As the icing on the cake, a nice word, written in French, on the back. Your French is very good Jim, probably better than my English. Merci beaucoup, c'est une image très appréciée.

Kevin Kehler: Since I love old buildings, I definitely have to go spend some time in the praires. Another sharp photographs. I love the tones on that door, and the textures, a real eye candy. I try to imagine all the hands that have touched this door handle. Nicely print. Thank you very much.

For your information Kevin, the Abbotsford where I live is a small village of around 2000 of population, at the feet of a mountain, founded by some loyalists in the middle of the 19th century. Probably very different of the Abbotsford where you are from.

anikin: It is decided, I have to try to print in colors. Those figures are gorgeous, I feel the urge to play with them, their glossy look is perfectly shown. I have been really surprise when I saw the exposure time. Never heard of the SLIMT technique. I have to do a search on the forums about that. Thank you, it is really appreciated.
 

Kevin Kehler

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Regina Canad
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Kevin Kehler:

For your information Kevin, the Abbotsford where I live is a small village of around 2000 of population, at the feet of a mountain, founded by some loyalists in the middle of the 19th century. Probably very different of the Abbotsford where you are from.

Thanks for the kind words, I was wondering if anyone had gotten any of mine as the girl behind the postal counter was new and didn't understand why I needed so many stamps.

Abbotsford (on the West Coast) is also at the foot of a small mountain but has over 200k people, with about 1/2 from South East Asia. Wonderful town, terrible weather for B&W photography as it is grey a lot. On the other hand, they think +5 in January is bitterly cold.
 

sly

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Nov 12, 2006
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Nanaimo
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I'm hoping most of my cards have made it to their destination by now. Time to start plotting what I'll do for the next round.

My postcard display board is filling up - since the first flush I have recieved:
Ben Taylor's Norwich Lion - I'm familiar with these lions, as Norwich is stop whenever we're in England, but I've never seen snow on them before. Nice range of tones in the print.
Ozphoto's Coffe Cup - so gorgeous and appealing it almost makes me wish coffee was drinkable.
HMV's mysterious windmill - very clever.
DRPSilver's Tafoni - looks exactly like rock formations found locally. Irresistable to photographers.
Johnnywalker's banjo player - catches his concentration very well.
PhotoJim's old farm building - lovely range of tones and I like the way cloud streaks at the top of the photo echo the grass at the bottom.
And todays' arrival - another abandonded building in Saskatchewan from Kevin - very detailed and tactile - it's surprising not to feel the roughness of that old door when you touch the picture.
 

Alex Bishop-Thorpe

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Adelaide, South Australia
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More in the mail today - I'm developing quite a pile.

Jim (PhotoJim) - The sky gets me in this, big puffy white clouds. If you'd used a big whack of red filter to bring them out they wouldn't be as nice. Just soft, and it contrasts nicely with the grass in the foreground. Reminds me a lot of the area we lived when I was quite young, in the scrubland here in South Australia.
Laurent - Ah, Pan F! Where would we be without it. Lovely photo, I love the running silky water with the big steel bolted doors. Great tones too - just lovely to look at.
David James Lee - I really do dig the tones in this, exactly as you'd expect a nice overcast, rainy day to feel. You can see the little rain drops on the umbrellas, and the big glass form of the Louvre Pyramid isn't obvious at first, but it's a nice subtle background
John (JohnnyWalker) - I do seem to insist on saying what certain photos remind me of, but the guy's the spitting image of my uncle, who passed away a few years ago. He drove a bulldozer until the day he died, and use to keep his dynamite in the living room. Lovely blacks and whites, and a paper I've not seen much of before.
 

PhotoJim

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Regina, SK, CA
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I got yours, Kevin - I'll make comments on the dozen or so I have soon, as soon as I have some time!

Thanks for all the kind words, all, about my card - I am really pleased that you like it.
 

anikin

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Nov 16, 2009
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Capital of O
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My cards are finally out. It's been more work than I thought, but a lot of fun as well!
Thank you all for your nice comments about my cards.

Rachelle, you were not on my list, but I had couple of prints left over, so I decided to send them
to the people on the address correction list. Enjoy!

Patrick, yes 8 seconds. I had ISO 100 film in my camera, it was inside a dimply lit museum and I could not use the flash.
I needed very small aperture (about f/16) to increase depth of field, so I calculated I needed about 6-8 seconds exposure.
So I was standing there, camera on tripod pressed tightly against the display glass, and me holding the button and counting: 1001,1002,1003, etc ;-)
These postcards were the first time I used SLIMT technique to control contrast on modern digital color papers. The results are
not bad, but few of the postcards came out with a different color tone. I still need to work on my technique...

I have received 7 postcards so far:

Lilian: Your cyanotype is just amazing! It's really a work of art. I've been battling the urge to try cyanotype myself since receiving
your postcard. I'm just worried that I'm yet not proficient enough in the darkroom to succeed at it. Hopefully, one day... Oh, by the
way, when you look at the postcard upside-down, it makes a mysterious flower-like abstract. If I had a big print, that's how I
would hang it on the wall. Really, just amazing.

Laurent: What a moment! The gates are opening and something is just about to happen. The picture of sharp gates and shining moving water. It's like a first sentence of a captivating book - you just can't take your eyes off of it, it just makes you want to learn more...

Darwin: It's all about texture. It's funny, I know it's a rock, but to me it reminds of the foam on the ocean waves. Beautiful abstract!

Alex: Yes, it's a scene in a movie. The lamp post, the actress, and the night city. Beautiful. I just don't get it how you managed to get such smooth grain-less appearance with 1600EI exposure. And what a balance of shadow and highlight detail! Just a masterpiece. I have a question for you: did you use some kind of a filter on your lens? When I'm looking at the lamp post lights in the distance I see diagonal streaks of light. This adds nice feeling of motion to the picture. I'd like to learn how to replicate such an effect. Can you share, please?

Mick: Very, very unusual light in your portrait. Stunning model. Her expression reminds me of an Olympic diver standing on the springboard just a moment before her gold medal jump. You captured the moment beautifully.

PhotoJim: Ah, the old house. The white clouds in just the right spot to highlight the house. This beautiful capture just makes you look and imagine the story of people who lived in that home...

Steve Brown: Now, that's just cruel. Did you really think you can get away with it? You should be banned from all future postcard exchanges and not reinstated until you send me a case of samples from that place. No excuses accepted! ;-)
Oh well, really nice picture, and great job of toning. I'm just sad I can't make the remaining few steps to that door...
 

Kevin Kehler

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Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
602
Location
Regina Canad
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Medium Format
Some thoughts:

Laurent: Enjoy the print, like the silky water and contrast with the metal on the door.

PhotoJim: Yes, have seen this before but it is still nice to see another person's take on a familiar subject. Nice use of subtlety which is much harder than overtness. Expect a call/PM for beer shortly.

mooseontheloose: this makes me giggle, the smile on his face. My favorite part of you print is size of image and use of negative space; if you make the image larger on the card, it loses its' "cuteness".

Mick Fagan: My eyes keep traveling upwards and wondering what she is looking at. Very nice high key image.

Drpsilver: I think anytime you have to look at a print and try to decide what it is of, that is a good thing. Reminds me of honeycomb on the inside of a candybar.

Sly: I have never held a cyanotype before and this just makes me want to try. The intimate nature of the print is wonderful.

I have to say, I am impressed with all I have received. Great way to see other and be inspired.
 

mooseontheloose

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Sep 20, 2007
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Kyoto, Japan
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Multi Format
A few more cards received...

JohnnyWalker's 'another John' -- I really like the detail in all the blacks, and his expression reminds me of my uncle, who is also a banjo player (but alas, not named John).

Kevin Kehler's farmhouse door has an incredible amount of detail that I'm sure many would miss given the larger picture.

Pete H's Norwegian APUG Gathering arrived today and I find my eye equally drawn to the clouds in the sky and the rocks below, as well as the guys in the distance. Nice tension all-around.
 

hoffy

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Joined
Jan 21, 2009
Messages
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Adelaide, Au
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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!

I have been receiving cards as well (in no particular order):

Mick Fagan Nancy - Wow, the detail, even on a 6x4. A very nice portrait.
DRPSilver Tafoni - Nice abstract and nice textures
PhotoJimFarm Buildings - As has been said by others, love the front to back detail. My kind of photo
MooseonthelooseZen Photographer - I just realised what this was! Haha, nicely seen!
LaurentFlowing Water - How long was the exposure? I am assuming those were some Lock gates. Fascinating photo
Steve BrownHeart & hound - I'll meet you there for a beer?
SlyUnderpass Graffiti - Wasn't expecting to see something like this! Made my wife take a double look. Unique (for me, at least)
FleathTram Stop - Quite impressed, considering the upgraded IE. Hope her feet didn't hurt too much!

Cheers and looking forward to seeing the rest!
 

ozphoto

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Joined
Apr 2, 2006
Messages
1,918
Location
Adelaide, SA, Australia
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Multi Format
Received 3 this week:

> Photojim's "old barn" - love these types of images, always enjoy shooting them myself;
> Laurent's "Weed" - wish the weeds here looked so photogenic!;
> Pete H's "Pinhole" - have just bought a 35mm pinhole camera here and am itching to try it out! This has inspired me to do so soon.
 

PhotoJim

Member
Joined
Oct 9, 2005
Messages
2,314
Location
Regina, SK, CA
Format
35mm
I promised comments! :smile:

Alex Bishop-Thorpe - a good example of using pushing to good effect. Very moody. Love the choice of paper.
Kevin Kehler - I tend not to take close-ups as much as I should and this is a good example of a shot that could be found on some of the subjects I like to shoot... and yet I don't have a shot like this in my inventory. :smile: I love the way the texture of the door comes out in your print.
hwu - piano keyboard - Beautifully printed; I love the hint of blur. It makes me think that the pianist's spirit is there in the image.
Dave Martiny - Nice reportage-like image. I wonder what the subject is thinking - is he tired or does he feel despair?
Ari - This building is a photographer's dream - so many possibilities - but your low angle image is a new take on it for me. I need to get back to Quebec City :smile:
Mike C - Such dramatic light - it goes against my instinct to shoot such colourful conditions in black and white but the drama of the light is well captured in black and white. Great job.
Mick Fagan - A very interesting angle and a beautifully printed image.
Rachelle - I love the expression on the statue, and I love the printing. Square images are terrific with the right subject, like this.
Nige - Craig's Hut - A crisp, picture postcard image. Oh, wait - it actually is a postcard. Or at least it should be. Print a few thousand and get them in the Snowy River souvenir store right now. 20% for me for the idea? :smile:
DRPSilver - A natural object becomes abstract. I like when you have to think about what the photograph is about.
Ozphoto - I love the liquid in the air and dripping over the side. Also, this is a gorgeous colour print. The colour and contrast are spot on.
JohnnyWalker - Low key - you grab right onto John's face and banjo.
Laurent - A crisp image of the frost on the tendrils of plant growing through the deck (?) :smile: . Pan-F is a gorgeous film. (I used it on my postcard too.)
Rob Skeoch - Unfortunately Canada Post decided to double cancel this image on the image side (grr) - beautifully printed and evocative, even moreso when you know the story.
Lillian Sly - the first cyanotype I have ever held in my hands, and it's gorgeous.
Eugene Anikin - Somehow you turned figurines into a dramatic subject... and now you're making me google the "SLIMT technique". :smile:
Chris - "Indian Fast Food" - I love this shot - and I like the slightly warm tone you got out of the paper. Matte paper is perfect for this shot, too.
Steve Brown - "Heart & Hand Pub" - I have to stop here when I get to Brighton. Such a simple image, but it's all it needs to be. Terrific.

I can't wait to get the rest... thanks all!

Jim
 

mike c

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Joined
Jan 5, 2009
Messages
2,863
Location
Los Angeles
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Got Pete,s really close up of eyeball and face,great work with a Pin Hole camera.
Great photo of a Haitian worker by Hannah,nice to see a younger family member take up with analog.Keep Rob on his toe's.
Mike
 

gurkenprinz

Member
Joined
Nov 7, 2009
Messages
105
Location
Vienna, Aust
Format
35mm
Received two cards last week:

Laurent: Absolutely beautiful photo - the long exposure makes it really interesting. I can imagine the sound of the water!
Pete H: I should say first that I love unusal street shots. But this one really gets me - You have turned an architecture shot into an almost abstract graphical picture - and then filled it with live! Wow!

Thanks to everyone whose card I got so far, and I am already looking forward to the next ones!
 

Alex Bishop-Thorpe

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Joined
Jul 6, 2006
Messages
1,451
Location
Adelaide, South Australia
Format
Multi Format
More Postcards! I never do get tired of these. 4 more this time...turns out the people at the post office are getting a kick out of them too, the lady behind the counter commented on them today.

Kevin Kehler - A whole lot of texture in this, I like the rust around the doorknob best, where it meets the timber. Lovely subtle tones, and I like the angle.
Eugene (Anikin) - Colour postcards always catch my eye, and I do regret not making the effort to make postcards when I had access to my school's devoted colour darkroom. A lovely composition and very interesting figures. I like the chap on the right best.
Ashley (Hoffy) - I was wondering when I'd get yours mate :wink: I've seen a few of these fliers on Hindley street too. I love the depth of field and the simple composition, great control of contrast. Really punchy photo.
Pete H. - This one throws me a little, initially it wasn't the most interesting of the bunch to me because it was out of focus, I kinda skipped past it to Hoffy's, but the more I look at it the more interesting it gets. Great sense of motion for quite a still subject...The flash of white in the eyes really does it for me.
 

johnnywalker

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Joined
Sep 23, 2002
Messages
2,323
Location
British Colu
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Multi Format
I've received a few more cards:
PhotoJim's old farm building in Saskatchewan. I love taking pictures of old buildings like this, and this is the kind of picture I aspire to.
Darwin's picture of the weathered rocks - great tones, composition and subject. I have a vague memory of having seen rocks like this at one time, but can't remember where. Reminds me a bit of coral.
Lillian Sly's Cyanotype of the footbridge. The texture of it is wonderful. I've only seen cyanotypes on the internet and if memory serves they're all a cyan colour. Was it cyan before the tea toning? In any case, it's just beautiful.
 

kraker

Member
Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
1,165
Location
The Netherlands
Format
Multi Format
Two cards received since my last update:

Pete H, Oslo Opera House. Very interesting shot, my eyes get drawn into the picture. Strong, geometrical shapes and (tiny) people, a nice combination.
Rob Skeoch (with credits to Hannah), Haitian worker. Razor sharp print, a great documentary shot. Would love to see more of this. (That is, assuming there is or will be a series on the subject.)

I'm wondering... some cards seem to reach their destinations so fast... I've put mine in the mailbox ten days ago, but I haven't yet read about any "sightings" of them here. I really hope at least some of you have received it by now, I hope they're not stuck in a mailbag somewhere. :confused:
 

sly

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Joined
Nov 12, 2006
Messages
1,675
Location
Nanaimo
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Multi Format
Kraker - your card hasn't shown up yet on the west coast of Canada, but I'll keep my eye out and let you know.

John - cyanotypes are indeed blue. Teatoning (or toning with other stuff like gallic acid) changes the colour.
 
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