Postcard Exchange Round 30 Comments and Feedback

I received one of the fines postcards ever - Bald river falls from Bob Slaughter. Bo wrote he had problems to get the high contrasty scene on paper but the result ist awsome!

What a nice xmas surprise.

Me too-top effort!

I apologize for taking so long to comment on the postcards I have received. I had cataract surgery on December 18--it was amazing how quickly it came on. Also very scary, what with photography being my artistic outlet. I will do better in the future, now that I can see again.

1. Jake Williams—“a moment observed”—wonderful picture, Jake. Reminds me of sitting with my father while we were getting ready to fish.
2. George Richards—“snowman”—interesting found moment, George, and my wife was really surprised by the Kodak format for the printing. How do you actually do the contact printing-do you make the contact and then expose the pictures separately, or do you expose the picture through the mass?
3. Marco— “sea spray”— I hope you weren’t so close you got sprayed yourself I like the picture I like the sharpness of the capture of the spray, and I like the tonal variation across the picture.
4. Ryan— “Trout Brook Club”— I really like this picture it provokes the thought of you having to open the door to get into the Trout fishing area— it’s not every park that you enter through a wooden door.
5. Steel bar— “the Olga store”— thank you for the nostalgic look at Orcas Island. I have become conscious in the last few years of what a poor student of history I was. Now I’m finding that things are disappearing faster than they ever came about, and I can’t keep up. I guess the same thing could be said about film photography, but I hope not.
6. Mark S— “locomotive detail”— wonderful photo. Your reference to the Niles Canyon Railway caused me to look it up on the Internet. When I got there I found a photo of what looks like the same engine with horns from a 14 point buck mounted on the front of the engine above the light and it looks like it says Quincy Railroad. I couldn’t tell if it was someone’s picture of a engine from somewhere else, or if it was part of the railway. If not, what a coincidence!
7. Dennis (rince)— ‘Beauty’-- I agree with you about beauty in detail, but I have not tried it with my 4 x 5 yet. So much to do, so little time. Work keeps getting in the way. What was the film?
8. Dennis— “Kleb Garden”-- your postcard said Rose Hill, Texas but when I look up Kleb Garden on the Internet, it says it’s in Tomball, Texas. What interesting names we encounter in our travels and postcard exchanges. Thanks for the image.
9. Jim O— “Washington and Jefferson”— interesting approach to the memorials. I have never tried toning, myself. There’s not a lot of contrast in the image even with the clouds is a saw result of toning? Judging from the sky you had a glorious day.
10. Katrin— “Mann Mitt Hut”— another very unique photo. Wonderful tonal range, wonderfully sharp, I really like all the textures. You didn’t mention what kind of paper this is, or film? Thanks for a wonderful image.
11. Matt King— “Roots”— what an interesting find! To tell the truth, my overactive imagination caused me to look in the image for a hobbit hole … I’m sure there’s one there! Naturally, I looked it up on the Internet, and after finding there was a watershed Park in Olympia, WA, I figured out your Watershed Park is near Vancouver, Canada-- both areas I love to visit. Thanks for sharing.

PE#30 - Progress

Hey folks, our postcards are almost ready. Will be in the mail on Monday! bluejeh and bluejeh2

whole bunch!!!

"le roziel", jake williams/black dog - nice print, great impact, raises a nice question - warm feeling

"bald river falls", bs - wonderfaul waterfall scene - classic and well done

"snowman", george richards/george nova scotia - right in season! a liottle long in the tooth tho'?!

"taipei nights", eugene anikin/anikin - thank god i ate dinner, i woulda' spent some nt$ were i there! delicious!

"beauty", dennis/rince, yup DOF! and can look right in and admire nature.

"cyanotype", mark_s/mark sauerwald - wow , a cyanotype, impressive and i'm very jealous!

"krishna", darwin/drpsilver, great technique, and thoughtful! what a photograph should be!

"morris dancers in flight", steve brown/box brownie, interesting story, intriguing...

"locked", matt king - detail, texture, and interest.

"trout broo", ryan/kc2edh - historic record and interesting with drama...

"mann mit hut", katiz - great photgraph - and can see where it would lead to a book!

great group of psotcards this round... thank you! happy new year.

jvo

Yesterday I found the card Low winter sunshine form Black dog. Apples and oranges - a fine seasonal sujet. At least here in Germany apples and oranges are part of the christmas decoration.

Round 31 Sign Up Thread started - link in my sig below. I think it's 2014 somewhere, just a few hours left here on the east coast of the Americas.

A tragedy this round . The Post Office could only find 2/3 of Black Dogs fine card.

George Nova Scotia said:

A tragedy this round . The Post Office could only find 2/3 of Black Dogs fine card.
View attachment 79255

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The NSA is working on less destructive ways of reading your mail - please be patient

Mark_S said:

The NSA is working on less destructive ways of reading your mail - please be patient

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01 Jan 2014

Mark:

I would think the NSA was smart enough to see that a postcard does not need the be "opened" in order to read it contents.

Regards,
Darwin

01 Jan 2014

After long last I have found some time to comment on the collection of cards that have come to me. In no particular order except the ordering of the pile in front of me.

The card from kraker reminds me of the 2 months I spent in France. Wonderful markets, good food, and a very nice photo.
The card from Black Dog arrived in my mail box in better shape than the one that George received. This photo has a story to tell. I like how you kept detail in the shadows.
Megzdad81 sent a print of a waterfall in TN. You accomplished your goal nicely. One of my favorites this round.
A cool color image from anikin of a market in Taiwan.
I like how the photo from pilami plays with the viewer. All the pieces are there, you fill in the person. Another favorite from this round.
The card from Kc2edh has a story to tell about a way of life, and asks a lot of questions. I like these kind of images, those that engage the viewer.
The photo from MattKing is filled with detail. I ask how do I get in to photograph.
The print from BoxBrownie show haw much fun these guys having. We all should be as happy.
A beautiful brown/sepia print from JimO. I wish that the Congress would listen to your two subjects - Washington and Jefferson
The card from Steelbar is nicely composed, and reminiscent of time past. Looks like a nice little community.
The holiday card from George Nova Scotia was a welcome surprise. Until 2012 I used a similar technique to make 8x10m calendars. Sadly no one make masks like this anymore.
A nice stop action photo from mesantacruz. I like how the pier leads the viewer to the column of water.
I wonder why the angel is so angry in the photo from TXFZ1?
Detail and beauty. The card from rince has both. The use of soft focus around the edge of the subject almost makes it glow.

Thank you all for your comments, and for the great images I received.

Regards,
Darwin

We could send letters

George Nova Scotia said:

A tragedy this round . The Post Office could only find 2/3 of Black Dogs fine card.
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Sorry to hear that George- would you like a replacement card? [sadly no more of that one left] Only 3 more to send so I'll get them posted tomorrow.

Thanks Black Dog for the offer, but no need for a replacement. That's all part of the fun. I did like the parts I did receive, well done.

There are a couple rumors why she is angry, the one I like the most is he died before changing his will and the exwife was still mad. The angel is holding the sword in an aggressive stabbing manner, usually swords are pointing up towards the heavens. Another angry feature is the angel is frowning with fierce eyes. Angels of the period usually have either expressionless or just the slightest of smiles.

Here is a link to the real story of his death in the local free press.

http://blogs.houstonpress.com/hairballs/2012/10/glenwood_cemeterys_avenging_an.php

David

drpsilver said:

01 Jan 2014

After long last I have found some time to comment on the collection of cards that have come to me. In no particular order except the ordering of the pile in front of me.

The card from kraker reminds me of the 2 months I spent in France. Wonderful markets, good food, and a very nice photo.
The card from Black Dog arrived in my mail box in better shape than the one that George received. This photo has a story to tell. I like how you kept detail in the shadows.
Megzdad81 sent a print of a waterfall in TN. You accomplished your goal nicely. One of my favorites this round.
A cool color image from anikin of a market in Taiwan.
I like how the photo from pilami plays with the viewer. All the pieces are there, you fill in the person. Another favorite from this round.
The card from Kc2edh has a story to tell about a way of life, and asks a lot of questions. I like these kind of images, those that engage the viewer.
The photo from MattKing is filled with detail. I ask how do I get in to photograph.
The print from BoxBrownie show haw much fun these guys having. We all should be as happy.
A beautiful brown/sepia print from JimO. I wish that the Congress would listen to your two subjects - Washington and Jefferson
The card from Steelbar is nicely composed, and reminiscent of time past. Looks like a nice little community.
The holiday card from George Nova Scotia was a welcome surprise. Until 2012 I used a similar technique to make 8x10m calendars. Sadly no one make masks like this anymore.
A nice stop action photo from mesantacruz. I like how the pier leads the viewer to the column of water.
I wonder why the angel is so angry in the photo from TXFZ1?
Detail and beauty. The card from rince has both. The use of soft focus around the edge of the subject almost makes it glow.

Thank you all for your comments, and for the great images I received.

Regards,
Darwin

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Still more new arrivals, a couple of which arrived just today!

"Splash at OB Pier" from mesantacruz. Definitely pressed the shutter button at the "decisive moment"! I like the straight-as-a-ruler, seemingly tiny pier in the distance, behind the spray that's not at all delicate!

"Snowman" from George What a great holiday card! The snowman looks like he's had too much eggnog...

"Bald River Falls" from megzdad81 I'm glad that you persevered, Bob! A very rich print, and a very dramatic one.

"Beauty" from rince A dandy beauty, thanks! That the center is tack-sharp while the fuzzy periphery is a touch out of focus is a wonderful touch!

"Food Market in Houlgate, France" from kraker. That mail delivery time here closely corresponds to dinner time is funny when postcards of food related subjects arrive! It looks much like a farm market here, or probably anywhere: a timeless human ritual which probably has been quietly occurring for millennia. Also makes me hungry...

And two which arrived today!

"Low Winter Sunshine" from Black Dog. I was holding an orange in my hand as I picked this out of the mail. Are these lemons? It was rather fun, looking this one over whilst savoring a juicy orange. By the way, my postcard now may have a slight odor of orange... Doesn't seem to hurt it in the least!

"The Open Door" from Mardan. It ought to be "mardan the magnificent" judging from this postcard. I am in fact the sort of old fart photographer who is drawn to photographs depicting the effect of entropy on structures and artifacts and this one draws me as a moth to a flame. The story it tells...

This has been a great round and I can't wait for the next one!

Mike

I didn't get the postcard with the angel but, lordy, I love the back story. Thanks for the link!

02 Jan 2014

TXFZ1:

Cool story! Thanks for the link. I would not want to be in business with either of the characters.

Regards,
Darwin

Yesterday I got the nice shot of a magpie form Oxleyroad. Thank you!

Now they start tumbeling in - a nice way to start my new year!

I received:
Racing Stripes& Liechen by bluejeh - thid is my favorite this round, I love the texture, the tonality, the way it makes me wonder... great!

Reflection of cowgirl... by bluejeh2 - a jocular portrait - and it shows so many very American ingredients I have to smile thinking it will probably be taken in Canada

Willy Wag Tail by Andy C: this birdie looks so very important, I can see why she wanted you to keep your distance ;-)

Low Winter sunshine by Black dog - I was 'fighting' with a still-life of oranges and nuts trying to get them as a wetplate - I like the detail and it gave me encouragement to keep on trying! Thank you

It was a great round and I received really fantastic and inspiring photographs! Thank you all very much!
Looking forward to see from you all!!!

22/31

Little comments this time as the kids are restless to get out and enjoy the cold Summer we have down here in Melbourne.

Kc2edh - Trout Brook
mjs - Be the art
Peter Schrager - Game Arcade
Mark_S - Loco from the Niles Canyon Railway
Sly - Evening at the Cardboard House. Toned Print?? Very warm colour to the postcard
Craig cross - Sunset in Maui
Black Dog - Low Winter Sunshine. The size of the card and the framing does the oranges justice. It is looked at time and time again.
Jim17x - Being Followed
TXFZ1 - Pitcher Window
Steelbar - The Olga Store
Matt King - Roots
anikin - Taipei Night Markets. Durian fruit one of my favorites! They are available here in Melbourne only for a short time as we only get the 'seconds'. The 'firsts' most of the fruit is exported. Only colour postcard this round
BoxBrownie - Morris Dancers In Flight
pilami - Mann mit Hut. What paper is this? Such a heavy weight paper has ensured safe delivery to Oz.
drpsilver - Krishna
rince - Beauty. wonderful detail
jimo - Washington and Jefferson
George Nova Scotia - Snowman. Loved the Christmas touch. I used to make this sort of thing when I was a teenager and I could get my hands on plenty of lith film from the local newspaper office
kraker - Foodmarket in Houlgate, France
mesantacruz - Splash at OB Pier
Mardan - The Open Door

Today I received the cards form Ed an Judy Higham. Again, very fien prints, thank you.

Alright. My prints are done, labelled, and will be mailed this morning. Apologies everyone for the delay, this has been an incredibly busy semester for me, and I'm only now just catching up with everything.

Of course, I've received a lot of great cards from everyone this round, and these are what I have so far, in kind of a thematic order:

A couple of people reflected in side mirrors by Jim17x and bluejeh2
The old, abandoned and used by Matt King, TXFZ1, Kc2edh, and Mardan
A trade yard from piu58, an arcade by Peter Schrager, two presidential monuments by JimO, and a nice locomotive detail by Mark_S
Some moody oranges (I think) from Black Dog, and some gorgeous hydrangeas by rince -- wish I could get the textures and tones you got with this!
A great HIE shot by Sly (of course) -- I have a few rolls left of HIE myself, I hope I can find some worthwhile subjects for it when I move to Kyoto this spring
Some holiday cheer by George Nova Scotia -- I love the idea of these film masks!
A nice detailed shot of lichen and racing stripes from bluejeh -- this photo really appeals to me for reasons I can't explain (other than maybe it's something I would shoot myself!)
A happy little bird by Andy C., who was also kind enough to send me a card from Steelbar, as it apparently got stuck to his and made it's way to Australia instead of Japan! Thanks Andy!
People jumping (wet or dry) by labcoat and BoxBrownie -- these two prints go really well together!
Two very different kinds of markets by anikin (Taipei) and kraker (France)
Contemplative "Krishna" by drpsilver, and the very fun "Be the Art" by mjs
And last, but not least, "Mann mit Hut" by pilami. Love the subject, the framing, the paper. Definitely my favorite of this round.

Thanks everyone!

My apologies to all - it's been a crazy end to the year and I've been snowed under with work. I'll be posting my cards out ASAP - and looking forward to seeing what's in my mailbox when I get back home next week.

last batch?

from...

jacco de kraker, , food market - the matte surface really fits - a nice subtle effect matching the subject and tones.
mike wild, a rathere seriuos looking print critiques, a wonderful throw-back to the 50's with legoland, (sans mic's), and a icely composed cottage that almost begs for a thatched roof.
maradan, the open door, a pensive view of the past, well done.
oxleyroad, willie wag tail - i can imagine you running all over for this one - been there, done that!
the dynamic duo, higham's, judy - racing stripes & lichen - "what is that on?" very interesting. and from edward, reflection... i haven't picked my favorite from this round, but this could be one!

thank you for such fun!

jvo

Today I received the beautiful sun flower form Rachelle (mooseontheloose). I especially like the subtle shadings of white.