Postcard Exchange Round 23 - Comments and Feedback

[ignatiu5]

First, let me thank all those from whom I have received wonderful cards in the mail.

Second, please accept my apologies for my lateness. I have recently accepted a new position in a new state and city. I had hoped to get cards printed and shipped before the deadline, but time spent apartment searching, packing, shipping, etc. has meant that I won't be printing until the darkroom is set up again in September. I will have postcards sent out as soon as I'm able. Thank you for your understanding.

 

[kraker]

I finally printed my (soon to be your) cards today.

I will address and post them this week.

Once that is done, I will take some time to comment on the cards received so far. For now, let me just say that this is yet another great round.

 

[piu58]

I was for two weeks out of town and received quite a lot cards in that time:

Andreas Palm's Self portrait with bricks,
Valerie's Through the gift shop
Heinz-Willi's Eifelturm
Andrew Vartabedian's Dock Hollow
Darwin's St. Paul's, Salt Spring
Allen Friday's Dry Falls

Thank you for these fine photographs!

 

[masimix]

Dear all postcarders,

Thanks for every card received over the last two months, I will get back to everyone in detail, when I have posted mine.

I printed them all actually a month ago, it took me some time to find the motive, and when I finally printed them all, I decided to do it on baryta paper. I will get back to the details in a later post.

I'm sorry I am late with these, but July has been a strange month here in Oslo, as you probably all have read in the news. Me and my family left the city after the incident and went to stay with relatives in the countryside. Now we are back in the flat and things are the same as before, yet different.

I look forward to send you all my postcard, as I'm quite fond of the motive myself

Best,

Marius

 

[anikin]

Just sent my postcards. I printed them a long time ago, but could never find the time to label and post them. At least that's my excuse ;-)

 

[hpulley]

Got Allen Friday's "Dry Falls" today, neat effect! Was it hand held? Any idea of the exposure? Thanks!

 

[hpulley]

Taking stock so far in round 23 I've received (hoping I haven't mixed any up with round 22), not quite in order:

1 Mike Wilde's trio
2 Jim's Pinky and I
3 Craig's water
4 Ruidiger's No bikes
5 Sandra's angel
6 Roger's Yard Office
7 Dave's untitled
8 cw's Quansit in snow
9 George's Cold Steel
10 Kris' Gilbert's Bar
11 Matt's Life rafts
12 Rachelle's Tiger's Nest Monastery
13 Trond's Beach
14 Darwin's St. Paul's, Salt Spring Is.
15 Valerie's through the gift shop
16 Willi's Eiffel Tower
17 Inez's Little Rock Central HS
18 Andres' face
19 Allen's Dry falls
20 Uwe's Canoo trip

and my own makes 21 unless I've already misplaced some from round 23... so that's almost half of them.

 

[kraker]

My cards are now on their way. I apologise for not sending them out until the "breather" month.

To date I have received 14 out of the 25 (26 including my own) in my list. I will sit down and comment on the received cards later today (or at the latest: later this week, promise!).

 

[drpsilver]

10 Aug 2011

This is a bummer because it is the second time I have had to type my comments. Last night just before posting my text APUG had a "hick-up" and all was lost. I gave up and went to bed. Now I am fresh and will start over.

First, thanks to all for all the very nice cards, and for the comments on my card. Second, this has been a very interesting round with lots of variety. Here are my comments not in any particular order, just how the pile is arranged on my desk.
Of Mike Wilde's 3 card I like photo No. 2 the best. You definitely succeeded in making a contemporary photo look very old.
The photo from piu58 has great tones and detail. The stories that could be told from this photo.
The photo from Roger Thoms of a door to a "supply yard". Really sharp!
The card from J Rollinger took me a while to figure out. A great example of how a mistake can become a good photo.
The photo from c.w. is simple composition, but keeps the viewer involved.
The photo from rst uses depth-of-focus to highlight the subject. Well done. I really like the paper. Do you need to work under a red safelight with this paper?
Thank you for the guardian angel swittmann.
Paper negatives in a 4x5 camera, cool idea ccross!
A photo of a crazy car form Valerie.
I like to photo from mooseontheloose in so many ways: how the prayer flags surround the monastery, the perspective, HIE, ... My favorite so far this round. Thanks for an outstanding card Rachelle.
The color card from hpulley looks like it was printed many years ago. The high contrast and red/green color give the photo a nostalgic feel.
The card from Trond is a simple composition with a lot of "stuff to read".
I really like to tones and detail in the photo from George Nova Scotia. Well done.
When I received the card from MattKing it was immediately recognizable. I have traveled on these ferries many times on my way to Salt Spring Island.
Cool perspective of a Paris landmark from hwv.
I really like the illusion of a person looking at a wall without the person. Great tones and detail. Thanks ndrs.
The card from Allen Friday could be viewed several ways and still work. Took me a while to get the orientation in which it was photographed.

Thanks to all for all the fantastic images. I look forward to more. I have received 22 of 42 sent.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[kraker]

Cards received so far, in random order (well... if you must know: in order received...):

semeuse, house of refuge. Nice subject, I really like the colours.
Roger Thoms, yard office. You just can tell that the building makes a great subject for B&W photos, and you have certainly nailed it. Great contrast with enough details in shadows and highlights.
Dave Martiny. Interesting. The subject keeps puzzling me, but that's part of what makes it a great shot. Did I mention "interesting"?
rst, no pinhole this round, but a great shot, soft, quiet; like you describe: before the tourists gather. I really like the look and feel of the paper too. I might have to try the Adox Fineprint Classic (so much to try, so little time).
ccross, the flowing water, the black border, the paper negative experiment, it all works out great.
mooseontheloose, Tiger's nest monastery. I can't begin to describe it. If I would have any fresh HIE, I would send it to you; you do wonders with it. I hope you still have some stock and will continue to surprise us.
hpulley. You really make an everyday scene look special. The way you printed this... I love the colours and the contrast.
Trond, beach. An interesting perspective, a different look at the subject.
George Nova Scotia, cold steel. The subject, the lighting, the exposure, it all comes together, great shot.
Valerie, art car. Strange how the human mind works; to me, this is a B&W photo with lots of colour in it.
drpsilver, country church. The light falling on the church, the dark trees behind; great combination.
hwv, Eiffel Tower. It's not easy to get an original shot of such a landmark, but you have managed! I like the angle, and the dramatic effect. Danke schön!
ndrs, self portrait with bricks. This is one of my favourites this round. So simple, yet effective. I just keep looking...
andrew.vartabedian, also a shot to keep looking at. Every now and then I turn the card another 90 degrees, and another. I think I know the correct orientation, but it works either way.
Allen Friday, Dry Falls. Trees grow upwards, don't they? The shot also works when rotated 180 degrees. Interesting. And just the right shutter time.

And that concludes my first (hence biggest) update on cards received this round. And a great round it is. Looking forward to the remaining cards.

 

[Mike Wilde]

The 'uncommented' pile has reached a critical mass for my tatses, so I decided to act. My most recent round of comments follow:

andrew.vartabedian – Trestle, Duck Hollow. A nice low key image. Good symmetry, and nice placement of detail in select shadow areas of the print. Excellent deep DOF. I am left intrigued as to what there was to stand on to take the picture, given what the frame shows in front of the camera.

Allen Friday – Dry Falls – A nice abstraction, presented in mid tones. In reality I suspect it was an out of focus willow tree blowing in the breeze, or something like that.

Drpsilver ‘St. Pauls, Salt Spring Island’ This print shows the expert use of a field camera's movements to correct for converging straight lines. The exposure shows a great range of tones, and there is great detail, as you would hope to find in a 4x5” negative contact print. Well done.

hpulley- ‘Night Clings’ A fine example of a copper toned picture, and using an image that suits this strong image tone. There is an almost solarized look to parts of the image, and I enjoy the neat tonality of the reflections in the water, all of which I think works very well as a whole. There is still a good range of tones visible, even with the full toning, which from my past dabblings with copper toning, I know is not always an easy thing to do.

Hwv Eiffel Tower This print shows the great use of the placement of all of the image elements within the frame. The linear distortion resulting from sharply tilting the camera up is effectively mitigated by the rendering of the already curved surfaces that are being photographed. I quite like this image. A good match of negative density and paper contrast as well.

Mooseontheloose – ‘Tigers Nest Monastery’ Wow, ‘The IR Gal’ rises again. Rachelle, another excellent image. It shows expert use of the unique rendering capabilities that infrared film offers.

Ndrs ‘self portrait with bricks’ I enjoy the very neat echo of the shape of the silhouette in the spalled area of the wall, where the parging has flaked off. A nice low key image. All elements of it are placed well, and there is good tonality in the rendering of all surfaces where detail is expected to be found.

Trond I enjoyed the wide white border used as a part of this print. It acts like a matt , as though this small print was ‘framed’ The image itself works well also. I enjoy the parallel lines that result from the board in the sand being aligned with the water line. The space between these shows a neat fill of footsteps. A nice mid toned print.

Valerie – ‘Though the Gift Shop’ A proud square image, printed in a manner that echoes that which Polaroid prints of days past showed. A very cool subject. I enjoy the way the image spills at the edges of the negative carrier also.

 

[markrewald]

Cards went out in yesterday's mail. Sorry for being late, again.

 

[ozphoto]

Finally back home, and I'll be mailing my cards this week.
Hope they're worth the wait - I'm looking forward to sorting through my mail to see all the hidden gems.

 

[piu58]

I got two more cards:

Skiing at Mt. Hood from Anikin: Astonish scenery!
Sun and clouds study from Marius Hauge. A real great photo!

 

[mooseontheloose]

Two more cards to comment on:

Allen Friday's Dry Falls, NC. Like others have said, this works many ways -- I always try to figure the orientation out on cards like this before reading the details in the back!

labcoat's blue polaroid made with Fuji FP-100C. I don't know what the original colour shifts were like, but I definitely like the calm feeling this image evokes, despite the subject matter.

 

[ozphoto]

Wow!!! I finally had the chance to collect my mail last night, and the variety and quality of the postcards I've received so far has been superb. (So much nicer than reading all the bills that arrived as well. )

• George Richards - Cold Steel : nice play on the shadows and the snow reinforces the "cold";
• Darwin - St Paul's : Tranquil scene which lets your mind wander just by looking at it;
• Willi (HWV) - Eiffel Tower : an angle I never shot last time I was in Paris, maybe next time?
• Roger Thoms - Yard Office : I love images with texture and this one's history only adds to the feeling;
• Kris Haggblom - House of Refuge : now this is one bar I definitely have to visit!!
• Dave Martiny - Ribbing : love it! Whichever way you look at it, the viewpoint works;
• Andrew W - Trestle : another favourite subject for me, the tones, the dust, the weeds!!
• Allen Friday - Dry Falls : A great image of the falls that gives an interesting perspective;
• Valerie - Through the Gift Shop : A great, fun shot, and with a Brownie Hawkeye to boot!
• Rachelle - Tiger's Nest Monastry : I love IR and this shot sings for me;
• Harry Pulley - A Bit Young for Coffee : You're never too young for coffee, you just need to acquire the taste later in life ;
• Craig Cross - Flowing River : lovely feel and tonal range to this image - need to have a shot at this myself someday;
• Rudiger - Heidelberg : a wonderful town and great time to photograph - this brings back fond memories of my last trip to Germany;
• Trond - Beach : now I can have my own seaside view here in Bangkok - something I actually miss very much;
• Andres Palm - Self Portrait with Bricks : another favourite subject for me - tone & texture works great!

Once again, each card will go up on my local restaurant's pin board for the customers to enjoy.

Looking forward to more cards coming through soon.

 

[masimix]

My photos are in the mail! First batch sent wednesday, and the second on friday.

I am sorry I did not send them as open postcards. I ended up doing a lot of work on these, and they are printed in an edition of 60, meaning there will be only 60 printed in this size. I will make 30 in 8x10" and probably another 30 in 11x14" or 12x16" for later exhibitions. I just wanted to give them a little protection.. next time I promise to go for an open postcard, as I very much enjoy to receive them that way myself.

There is one who got an open postcard, by chance actually. Let me know if it is intact!

The picture has a title, but I'll give that away later, as I hope you all can interpret what you see first.

The technicalities:

Photographed on the island of Hydra outside mainland Greece, on the 25th of October 2010. Nikon FM3a with a Nikkor 85 f2, and a Hoya R72 filter, since the film was Ilford SFX200. Probably at 1/60 f4 handheld (I normally use a tripod as you can hardly see anything thru the R72!).

It was developed back in Oslo with HC-110 1+60 for 15 minutes, agitation first 30s + every second minute, three inversions.

Printed in the beginning of july on Fomabrom Variant IV 123 5x7" paper with Ilford Multigrade developer. All the prints have been toned in Kodak Seleniumtoner 1+20 for 5-6 minutes. Some have been toned in Agfa New Viradon, and they are quite brown. They are mostly from the first batch I made, a little too dark, maybe?

I still receive cards, will get back with comments!

Marius aka masimix

 

[swittmann]

It is high time that I thank you all for the postcards you sent to me. Here are the ones I received so far:

Marius: masimix, your card is one of my absolute favorites. Really stunning. I LOVE it. I see a face in the stones on the left side, while the clouds and the moon (sun?) remind me of an eye.

Rüdiger: "Sonntagszeitung". Very calm picture, I'd like to pick up the newspaper and read it, with a good cup of coffee and a croissant...

Harry: "A bit young for coffee". I love the warm colors of that shot. What a nice surprise to see a color photo. And now I want a coffee

Dave: "Untitled". Really nice abstract photo. In landscape format, it reminds me of a field and somehow this is the orientation I prefer.

George: "Cold Steel". The favorite postcard of my little son (almost 3yrs. old) - he loves trains. I like the card, too, and the print quality is great.

Darwin: "St. Paul's, Salt Spring Is.". A beautiful contact print of a beautiful little church/chapel. I like the calm and inviting atmosphere in this picture (and LF cameras are so tempting... )

Heinz-Willi: "Eiffelturm": I love France and so I love the card. It is composed and printed so well.

Valerie: "Through the Gift Shop". Funny car Well seen and a nice idea to turn this into a postcard.

Allen: "Dry Falls". This card suffered quite a bit during transport and parts of the surface are scratched off. However, it is still a beautiful card and I first had to look at it to figure out what it is (I wanted to find out by myself, before reading the description on the back).

Craig: This is another one of my favorites. What a great contact print. I love how the water almost looks like hair, and the black frame makes it look quite "dramatic".

Rachelle: "Tiger's Nest Monastery". This was one of the first cards I received and is one of those I love the most. What an image! Wow! I love the composition, the atmosphere, well, everything.

Thank you all!

 

[mooseontheloose]

Marius, received your card today -- it's wonderful. I thought it was the moon at night until I read your explanation that it's SFX with a filter. I like the sense of light breaking through the darkness. Nice paper too -- I really should try it!

Also received Anikin's "Music in the Snow" card today, what a bizarre scene! Still, looking at the snow reminds me that it is possible to get cool again (it's so hot here in Japan!).

Finally, Jacco' "Elmo at the market" -- I remember enjoying this image as part of the MSA assignment and it's one of my favorites.

 

[kraker]

Finally, Jacco' "Elmo at the market" -- I remember enjoying this image as part of the MSA assignment and it's one of my favorites.

Imagine that, of all places, the first reported sighting of my card comes from Japan. I wouldn't have thought that.

Thanks, Rachelle.

 

[hpulley]

I too got Anikin's Music in the Snow. Thanks!

 

[labcoat]

I have received two more cards:

ndrs's "Self portrait with bricks": I quite like the juxtaposition of the organic shapes of the bricks, the plaster, and the silhuette with that straight vertical line. The texture in the print looks very nice as well. Also, I'm very impressed with the detail and sharpness.

Mark Rewald's "Denver Serengeti": This is definitely one of my favorite pictures from this round. I really like animal photos, and this one is exceptionally nice. You caught the lion in a great pose.


Unfortunately the post office machines were not very gentle with these two cards. Mark's photo was barcoded on the front and both cards have small spots where the emulsion has rubbed off. But they still look very good.

 

[Oxleyroad]

At last my prints in the post today.

Only 17 days late. Will put up another post with the 5 or six cards i have rec'd sincemy last post.

 

[hpulley]

Got Andrew's Trestle today. Wonderful tones, it really pops, looks like I could step into it.

Still chuckling over Anikin's musicians on the snow hill too, what a scene!

 

[hpulley]

And Mark's Lion today, thanks! Must have been fun to try out a lens at the zoo.