Postcard Exchange Round 25 comments and feedback

Update on the cards received since my last posting.

George Nova Scotia Three small prints in an envelope on three different expired papers. Of the three, I like the feel of the Velox paper - Got any more ?

markbarendt - Oahu North Shore Can't help wondering if a slightly harder grade of paper would have given the clouds a little more bite. None the less, makes me hanker after warm sunny days on a beach.

Kc2edh - Strength of Irene Amazing what nature can do to erase mankind's mark.

Derek Lofgreen - Lava Arch Like it

Black Dog - There is only the drama of objects Took me a little while to work out which way up to hold the card. The first colour one I've had for a while, and the print survived the journey intact.

I left all my postcards with the post office yesterday. Or at least I left the postcards inside the red postbox infront of the post office.

I will make it my task to comment on all of pictures the have come in over the past months before I go to bed tonight.

I got Andrews nice card yesterday. It shows the springs of a vibntage motobike's valve. I love the dark tones.

I must apologize. My cards are EXTREMELY late. They will be going out this week. I hope you don't mind the format this time. I ran out of time and did some C41(red-scaled) and had them printed at a printer. I do not have access to a color darkroom. I hope you enjoy them.

Since my last posting I received two cards : Derek's lava arch and Craig Cross' leaves canopy.

Thanks to you both !

I finally got my cards in the mail today (two are on "regular" paper since I went through the box a bit early :-( ). My apologies for being so late...

24 from 30 so far

I have been as poor noting the arrivals and I was getting this round of prints done. But as mentioned earlier prints out, and now to note the 16 new arrivals.

drpsilver - Me, the bean, Chicago.
steelbar - Abandoned school.
delphine - Brighton Marina.
Nige - View from front veranda.
bluejeh2 - Building in a ghost town.
bluejeh - Coffee carafe.
Winger - Leaves.
Trond - Bird.
markbarendt - Oahu North Shore.
kraker - Winter landscape.
crispinuk - Ginger Flower.
George Nova Scotia - Daylily, Duck Duck Goose, CATV tower.
andrew.vartabedian - Exposed valve spring.
hoffy - Huddle of humpies.
Derek Lofgreen - Lava Arch.
Kc2edh - Strength of Irene.
ccross - Canopy of Leaves


Thanks everyone for some truely memorable cards.

My postcards went to the post office today. Sorry for being late, but finally, they should arrive at your door soon.

Cheers
Ruediger

Derek's Lava Arch and Andrew's Spring arrived this week - a nice change to the junk mail (and bills!).

I got two more cards: Laurent's wonderful shot of a lake in the morning and Rüdiger's pinhole shot along the riverside. Great use of pinhole!!

Hi everyone,

Sorry it's been awhile -- I moved house in late March and I'm still unpacking! Here are the postcards I've received since then:

George Nova Scotia's Kodak triple play. I especially like the daylily photo, despite the fog.

Two colour photos - Black Dog's "A moment gathered from coincidence" and Hoffy's Holden HQ Monaro race car. Like the attention to detail in both photos.

Likewise, Andrew's exposed valve is a nice detailed study, although I find it a little dark.

Postcards with a water theme: Laurent's nearly frozen Loire, Rudiger's River Rhine pinhole, and Derek's Lava Arch are all very tranquil.

ccross's canopy of leaves and crispinuk's ginger flower both have a lot of interesting high-contrast detail.

Kc2edh's "Strength of Irene" shows the real power of nature, while kraker's winter landscape shows its more enduring nature.

Oxleyroad's termite maze is really interesting, and the pieces of metal give some measure of it's size, otherwise I would think you took that photo of a massive canyon from above.

Trond's bird is beautiful and sad all at the same time.

Labcoat's U of Maryland's campus reminds me of my days as a uni student, unfortunately it arrived a little damaged on both sides of the postcard, but got here nonetheless!

Finally, I have one more card from Bodie, California of a window with mesh and a bowl on the windowsill -- there's no name, but I like it!

I've received 32 cards so far, only missing cards from Azzy, gordrob, jackie_like_the_chan, Jon King, KanFotog, markrewald, megzdad81, Ricus.stormfire, and tj01. Just a reminder that I've moved, and that any cards sent should be sent to my new address.

Similarly, if anyone is missing a card from me, let me know and I'll send off another.

This week I received 3 more cards :

A. Vardabedian's valve spring.

Johannes's tricycle makes me think of a Eggleston's photograph.

Ruediger's river pinhole : makes me want (again) to try the pinhole. Could be a good cure for GAS and the results (at least your's, Ruediger) are lovely !

Thanks !

Ready for round 26........eye of the tiger fellow apuggers, eye of the tiger....

Ruediger's - Pin hole view of the river arrived today. Very sharp image. I too like Laurent need to get back into using my pin hole cameras.

25/30

I received Craig's card... In pieces. Thanks USPS!!!

It came in a nice little envelope that basically stated "Our machine ate your mail, sorry about your luck!"

Mark Rewald's "Red Dancers" arrived today -- wonderful photo, think I'll trying experimenting with redscale after seeing this!

mooseontheloose said:

Mark Rewald's "Red Dancers" arrived today -- wonderful photo, think I'll trying experimenting with redscale after seeing this!

Click to expand...

I too got this card, and my first thought was : "Wow !". It's really impressive, I absolutely love the effect !

I received Mark Rewald's Red Dancers too. What a surprise! I've never saw such a photo.

piu58 said:

I received Mark Rewald's Red Dancers too. What a surprise! ...

Click to expand...

Ditto from me, but I thought I was looking at a cibachrome. Brilliant.

26/30

I've been badly remiss in not commenting on the wonderful cards I’ve received since commenting on the first 7 I received. My apologies.

Anyways here are the photographers, the Titles (either supplied, or guessed at by me) and my comments respecting the cards most recently received by me from 19 further exchange participants:

ChristopherCoy - "Chank-A-Chank" - Christopher wasn't on my list, but he offered to send me a card anyways, and I'm glad he did. A very nice print of an interesting and (from my perspective) exotic subject. Thanks Christopher
bluejeh2 - "North of Merrit" - It was very interesting to receive the postcards from bluejeh and bluejeh2, because I had a chance to observe firsthand some of their creative process in bringing them to fruition. I do like this result
bluejeh - "Coffee Carafe" - I tried to convince bluejeh to go for an easy negative to print, but she insisted on this very interesting one instead . Good choice - the result is excellent
Nige - "View from the front Veranda - 1980" - Nige made a good choice when he retrieved this negative from his archives. I like the print as well
Trond - "Bird" - Just slightly unsettling - stark and well printed
megzdad81 - "Window Detail, Miner Shack, Bodie, California" - While there is no clear indication who sent this card, it did come from Tennessee. I am guessing this is from megzdad81, not guitstik. because while both are from Tennessee, I am able to identify guitstik's card, because guitstik signed his. This card is a very nice card, and the photographer ought to be recognized for it
markbarendt - "Oahu North Shore" - Interesting - reminds me of a postcard from the 1960s
George Nova Scotia - "Daylily" - "Duck Duck Goose" - "CATV Tower" - Three homages to Kodak that also bring back memories for me. I like all three, but Daylily particularly made me smile, no doubt because my very first contact prints were most likely made on Velox, even if the Velox I used then was probably 15 or so years younger then George's paper
ccross - "Canopy of Leaves" - The pattern entrances and the print glows
Kc2edh - "Strength of Irene" - A dramatic scene and an old-fashioned print
crispinuk - "Ginger Flower" - I really like the inky black background and sculptural form of the subject
Black Dog - "Magic" - Intriguing and slightly mysterious
Derek Lofgreen - "Laura Arch" - Striking and strikingly printed as well
hoffy - "Ford Falcon" - Abstract and colourful too! I like it, although for a moment I thought I had received a card from a Saskatchewan Roughriders fan
andrew.vartabedian - "Exposed Valve Spring" - Great use of selective focus
Oxleyroad - "Termite Maze" - Intriguing patterns and shapes, printed with deep blacks and wonderful contrast
rst - "Pinhole Workbench" - Rüdiger sends the most interesting cards. And the print is wonderful
markrewald - "Red Dancers" - Striking colour from an interesting "Redscale" workflow. It is always nice to get a jolt of colour in the mail
drpsilver - "Me, The Bean, Chicago" - Hey - I recognize that photographer!. An innovative viewpoint that made me smile.

Thanks all - this as always has been great fun. I’ve received in total *26 cards and look forward to receiving the remaining three (Jon King, jackie_like_the_chan, tj01).

27/30

Black Dog - "Capture a moment" - The fifth colour print in this round. Great image.

Greetings Fellow Postcarders!

I have been very slack acknowledging and commenting on the cards that I have gotten for this round (& probably the last round too), so here goes.

This has been a very good round both in content (Well, content is always good) and return rate. From 25 on my list, I have cards from 22, so that would have to be pretty good success rate!

WHo have I gotten?
Mark Rewald - Red Dancers Very interesting results. Image content and the paper chosen suits this very well.
KC2EDH (Ryan) - Strength Of Irene Damage and destruction like that is something I don't see often - Nice old feel to the photo as well.
Craig Cross - Canopy Very nice pattern. Looks a bit like around here when the sun is shining (we are in late autumn)
RST - Along River Rhine III From my travels, the Rhine was one of my favourite places. Not quite the memories I have, but love the results from the Pin hole. Also liked the paper.
A Vartabedian - Exposed Valve Spring My kind of subject matter. Getting in close works on this one.
Oxley Road - Maze Made by termites Dare I say it, love the contrast!
Black Dog - There is only the drama of the objects What? A colour postcard? I was a bit worried about my colour cards and felt a bit of relief to see this one in the box. Like the usage of repetition.
Derek - Lava Arch Very moody misty shot. Giving me some inspiration
Crispin - Ginger Flower Again, as others have said, something I have never seen. I like how you have fogged out the boarder. Works well on this card.
Trond - Bird Something that a beach walker sees often enough. Death, always a reality check
Mark Barendt - Monument Valley Has a nice smooth Feeling. Nearly feels like its about to rain there
George Nova Scotia - various images on expired paper Nice to see people using up those paper stocks. I have some from the early 70's - relatively new compared to some of yours! Suprised to see the Daylily printed up so well on such old paper
megzdad81 -Window Detail Whats not to like about peeling paint on window frames!
Bluejeh - Coffee Carafe Nice still life study. The second container has me intrigued.
DRPSILVER - Me, The Bean Nice perspective.
bluejeh2 - Merritt Ghost Town Not sure if it was intentional or not, but the dodging does give it a ghostly feeling. Nice work
delphine - Brighton Marina Classic scene, well shot. Would have loved to be there that morning
Joel Farris - Dew Tis a shame that there was a big skid mark from the postal system on mine, but thems the breaks. Love the use of DOF
mooseontheloose - Paro Festival Dancer #1 Excellent action and reportage
MattKing - Boathouses Another one that was skid marked by the mail machine. Really like the ripples in the water
Rob Skeoch - Old Haunted House Another appealing old rustic scene. SO the ghost drinks coke?
Mike Wilde - 3 Various pictures Nice variety. Really liked the feeling of the double exposure. A very happy mistake I am sure!

Well, like I said, an awesome round.
Cheers

Received since my last update:

ccross, canopy, great patterns, works for me!
Kc2edh, bended rails; amazing to see the strength of nature. The framing of the picture works well for me; I think the print itself could do with a bit more contrast.
andrew.vartabedian, motorcycle detail; nice low-key shot that works great in black and white.
Derek Lofgreen, Lava Arch; a great, mystic shot.
Laurent, a beautiful frozen lake (or some other large body of water) shot, great subject, great print.
Oxleyroad, termite maze, love the detail and the streaking light on this one.
rst, along river Rhine I, "a bit" mangled during the trip, but that is what makes the postcard exchange so special. Great print, lovely paper, great shot. I find myself reaching for my zero2000 more and more, rediscovering pinhole photography.
Black Dog, winter landscape in colour, also a lovely shot.
markrewald, red dancers. I've actually just done some redscale photography myself (for the first time), and it is interesting indeed. But... your shot is amazing, also thanks to the beautiful paper. Indeed, the metallic glow can easily be mistaken for Ilfochrome material. This is some amazing stuff!

And with that (if I haven't overlooked any cards), I've received 21 out of 25 cards (or 22 out of 26, including my own card).

Home renovations have side tracked me for the last littel bit, and boy have some nice images stacked up for me to comment on.

Andrew Vartabedian – Valve Spring – A lovely low key image, with no one obvious ‘right way’ up. The framing of objects within the image works well. Nothing intrudes where it ‘shoudn’t’. The offset image in the paper this time works for me. It makes me reminiscent of the old shape of Polaroid pack film frames.

Black Dog- Wow shadow abstraction – A neat high key range of barely suggested tonalities. I could have done with symmetry with the margins. I don’t get why the image is crammed with a wide margin at one end.

Craig Cross –Leaves Pattern . I quite like the high contrast treatment you have given this image. I also like the broad margins or white that you have left around the image. I usually print bled, or close to it. I am going to have to start to reconsider my technique.

Derek Lofgren- Lava Arch- An image well suited to a glossy finish to get the blacks as deep as they can in a print. The diagonal line of mist is quite arresting, and the darker pile of it gloaming under the arch nice as well. The shadows disappear to texture less backless. I can understand in a mass produced print how you may not want to have held these areas back to keep tone in them, but in a final print for display a bit of work there might yield better results, as would hunting down the lint that seems to have settled onto the negative for the print that I have.

KC2EDH – Irene Bridge washout – The leading lines of the twisted tracks are interesting. The image needs some kind of differerent contrast in the print though, to have any real snap. While I am not a full Ansel disciple, I do like a good smattering of mostly white, and mostly black somewhere in the frame. Your print is all mid-tone greys, and it suffers from this. A higher grade of paper might have been experimented with.

Mark Rewald – Adam’s Mark Ballerina Abstraction. I quite like the image. I had never heard of red scaled as an exposure technique, and I think the results with this image are most striking. The receding skewed tower, the hint of orange clouds in the red sky, wow, so much to take in.

Oxleyroad – Maze by termites- A neat close up. Makes me wish I slowed down to look around more carefully more often. The inclusion of the coin/bottle top in the margin of the frame works well to allow your brain to discern a scale to what you are looking at. Nice sharp mid tone contrast for all by the closest areas in the frame, which I know is hard to pul off with macro work. .

RST – Along River Rhine IV- I like the matt finish of this print, depicting an overcast day at a bench on the river. Good breaking the rules with the composition, placing the horizon mid frame. Pinhole explains the ethereal quality to the tree branch and its’ leaves. There is nothing arresting to me in any one element, but as a whole the image contents integrate quite well to yield a pleasing frame.

Thanks for the comments hoffy, kraker and Mike.

Going through the stack of what I believed to be round 26 cards, there's one from round 25:
gordrob, deserted railway station, Rowley. A nice shot, silence, emptiness, but not in a melancholic way. Is that some kind of mini locomotive in front of the station? Or what is it?