Postcard Exchange Round 36 Comments and Feedback

[kraker]

Some of you may have noticed that the optional address for Illford/Harman was missing from the last round. Thanks to MattKing we have a new contact and they will be added for the next round. If you have extra cards for this round just drop me a PM for the address.

Just to review, we have in the past and now a few extra addresses that are optional, you can send them a card but they don't send any out. It is a way of thanking people or companies for supporting our endeavors in the analog world and especially the post card world.

Thanks for arranging that, Matt and George. A postcard to the good people of Ilford/Harman is in the mail.

 

[ozphoto]

Mailed my cards on Saturday.

I'm now shooting until January 1st, so will not be able to comment on any cards I receive during this time. Will be nice to see the mailbox full of "happy mail" when I get back.

 

[MattKing]

Two more arrived yesterday:

kraker's "Tree among Trees" - a nice, atmospheric contact print, where the original shot was taken with a "Wanderlust". I really like the card, and it is greatr to see the results from a camera that has been the subject of so much discussion!

adelorenzo's "Pump Station #4 - a strong, warm print of a classic subject, full of character

Thanks for participating.

 

[Black Dog]

Sadly yes it is a little late. Everyone has had their list for sometime, and several have already completed mailing.

The GOOD NEWS is the next round starts with the next year! Sign up will begin in January so mark it in your calendar to check in.

Marked!:munch:-I need to go and do some rummaging to find the prints I've made that seem to have gone MIA.

 

[mike c]

Delorenzo card is sharp and crisp and well composed and toned to perfection. Delorenzo, what sulfide toner did you use (direct, indirect, brown toner) ?

 

[piu58]

I very enjoyed the old pump station which Delorenzo took at Mile 108. It is a fine art print! As ararely case I received this card without benches or buckles. But these signs of transport are part of the fun.

 

[Harman Tech Service]

Just received our first postcard since our recent reorganisation "Tree among trees" from Kraker, Lovely, thanks!

We'll make sure they're displayed prominently for all the staff to see and read.



Neil.

 

[kraker]

Just received our first postcard since our recent reorganisation "Tree among trees" from Kraker, Lovely, thanks!

We'll make sure they're displayed prominently for all the staff to see and read.



Neil.

You're welcome. Maybe when you have received more, you can share a picture of that wall here. I've seen the wall once on a visit in... 2007, I think. Maybe it's a different wall now.
Even though I didn't print on Ilford paper this time, this photo would not have been possible without Harman/Ilford, so thanks and keep up the good work!

 

[mike c]

Sent off my cards today, did not get the address for Harmen but will look for it and send them a card.

 

[piu58]

At the wall of my lab I have two cork panels, at where I stick postcards from this exchanges. It is always fun to see what fine photographs I got from you.

 

[TheTrailTog]

Nice looking board Uwe! I've been rotating them out at my desk at work.

My cards all went out this morning

 

[mike c]

Xia_Ke, in the past 4 days I have received two cards from you, both PX 36. I like them both, The "Revernce" card has a lady looking up at a statue which at first look I thought Abraham Lincoln but the card has Saint-Gaudens, pretty nice. The second one is a view of Mt. Chocorua,NH. I like this one partly covered with fog and the little people at the top and the one figure off to the lower right.

 

[TheTrailTog]

Thanks Mike. I couldn't decide between the two and I had the time, so I figured I'd do both.

"Reverence" - Your eyes do not deceive you, that is Lincoln. Saint-Gaudens was an artist from the late 1800's that did many famous monuments, statues, and coinage I'm sure you'd recognize. The Lincoln bust was one of his more famous pieces. I mentioned the name in the description instead of Lincoln because this was shot at his house which is now a state park. http://www.nps.gov/saga/index.htm The lady in the shot is actually my wife. We were walking around the gardens and I happened to catch her unaware peering up into Abe's eyes. This was taken with an F2 Photomic and a 50mm f/1.4. Shot on FP4+ souped in Ilfosol-3 1+9. It was printed on Adorama Glossy FB paper souped in Ethol LPD 1+8 and selenium toned.

"The Descent" - This was the last mountain run of the season my sister and I went on. She is the lone figure on the left. Couldn't quite get this the way I wanted at 4x6. I like how the 6x9 version came out better, which is in the gallery. This was shot with an Olympus Stylus Epic DLX. The rest of the details are the same as the last, except this was Adorama's Matte FB paper.

By coincidence I received your card in the mail today. It arrived in near perfect condition. Would LOVE to visit Kyoto some day. The skirts are a very interesting topic! I've never seen nor heard of anything like that. I'm curious, how big do those ancient trees get? I'm sure the 'cord made a perfect companion for the trip

 

[mike c]

Thanks Xia, learned something new about Lincolns Bust and Saint Gauden. I do not know if those trees in the skirts were the ancient trees but those were pretty good size, not as big tall as the Sequoya's we have here, non were marked with there age as we were just wondering threw headed for the Temple. There is alot of great places in Koyto, If we go back I will take it much slower pace and forget about trying to visit to many other places.

The cord makes an great travel camera. Took a mono pod also.

 

[piu58]

After reading the comments here I eventually got Aaron's card "reference". A wonderful shot! My wife enjoyed it too.

What a paper did you use? I like it.

 

[TheTrailTog]

Wow Uwe, that made it across the pond fast! I just got it in the mail on Saturday. Here are the details for that shot:

"Reverence" - ...This was taken with an F2 Photomic and a 50mm f/1.4. Shot on FP4+ souped in Ilfosol-3 1+9. It was printed on Adorama Glossy FB paper souped in Ethol LPD 1+8 and selenium toned.

Yesterday I received "Pump Station #4" from A. Delorenzo. You did a wonderful job on the printing. The wood grain is so rich and vibrant. I also really like the toning. Will need to try some sulfide toning myself!

 

[Nathan King]

I received four postcards this week.

"The Descent" from Xia_Ke - I love the sense of light coming over the left hand side of the mountain interacting with the fog. Makes the mountain seem almost ghostly.

"Reverence" from Xia_Ke - Is she being reverent or partaking in a staring contest between her and the bust of a long dead president? Witty and well composed with a strong sense of implied line running both vertically and horizontally.

"Pump Station #4" from A. Delorenzo - I know nothing about sulfide toning but this photograph makes me want to learn more. I love the perspective. You must've been very close with a wide lens? The building seems to go on forever, and the subject compliments the toning nicely.

"Stripes of Autumn" by Randalcav - This is one of the first photographs I've seen that is really able to capture the feel of autumn without color. A very creative composition that I wouldn't have been clever enough to notice had I been there, and I love that you're still using a camera that was a gift from childhood.

 

[mike c]

Have two more cards today, Black Dog sent one in color very diffused outer area with semi-sharp center focus , very soft defused color, most pleasing to view it does say round 34 so must be a make up card.
Randalcav card works very well with the horizontal strips of shade and light over the leaf covered foreground and the vertical trees in the background, very autumn like, great looking forest path.

 

[Black Dog]

Have two more cards today, Black Dog sent one in color very diffused outer area with semi-sharp center focus , very soft defused color, most pleasing to view it does say round 34 so must be a make up card.
Randalcav card works very well with the horizontal strips of shade and light over the leaf covered foreground and the vertical trees in the background, very autumn like, great looking forest path.

I shot it through a jug of water [it was a make up card btw!]

 

[piu58]

I got the card from Mike C. The bamboo skirts contain an element of comic,. Thank you.

 

[piu58]

I got another card form Aaron, the descent!. I like the mythical atmosphere which the fog creates. Rainy whether give good lighting situations.

 

[kraker]

Five postcards received the past two weeks:

adelorenzo, pump station #4. What an amazing detail, the woodwork is so "alive", so real. Amazing. Sulfide toned, you say? Good to know, then I know I like the result of sulfide toning.
ozphoto, 1959 Porsche. Not a car-person myself, but oh I sure can understand that this would be your pride and joy. Makes for a good photography subject/object. Combines/contrasts well with the rough, industrial shapes of the USS that makes up the background. Also nice: the contrast of the rainy weather and yet the light and colourful look.
Xia_Ke surprises with not one, but two cards. The Descent, hazy, dream-like, very nice outdoor shot. And Reverence, yes, I know that man... Looking at this photo, I wonder: who is looking at who? Two different papers, or at least two different surfaces, each working well for its subject. Maybe you've answered this before, I will scroll back through the posts, but what papers did you use?
mike c "Bambo Skirts", yes, indeed, good title, once you see it, it cannot be un-seen. Maybe I'm just looking at two legs of some huge animal. All kidding aside, a very crisp print with great detail.

Thank you all. Looking forward to more. Always fun to see one or more cards on the doormat or on the table when arriving home after a day of work.

 

[adelorenzo]

Thank you everyone for the comments on my card! Here's a bit more info:

I used Sepia Sulfide 221 toner, which is a bleach and redevelopment toner. I bought the Photographer's Formulary kit to try it out. I tried to bleach only the highlights by just doing a quick bleach for a few seconds, which worked well but also gave some variable results due to the short time. (The other way to do this is dilute the bleach, which I haven't tried yet.)

The GS645W is a wide angle (28mm equiv.) so I was quite close to the building which accounts for the perspective. This was a handheld shot on HP5+, I can almost guarantee I was shooting f/11 at 1/250.

This pump station was built for the WWII Canol pipeline. Everything was abandoned in 1945 and this building has been there ever since. I love the way the wood has aged and really wanted to capture that texture, as some people noted it is really cool. Here is more of a close up detail:


Self-portrait, Devil's Pass by Dead Link Removed, on Flickr

This was part of a camp located in a remote pass in the Mackenzie Mountains of the Northwest Territories. With the road long gone it's only visited by a few hikers and hunters each year. You can still land a small plane here as the roadbed serves as a runway. In our case, we had paddled and hiked for four days to get here and we had another six days to go until the end of our trip, carrying our boats and all of our gear on our backs. (If you'd like to read about the trip see here: https://adelorenzo.exposure.co/mackenzie-mountains)

Here's a couple of more photos from that particular area:


Buildings, Mile 108 Canol by Dead Link Removed, on Flickr


Truck, Mile 108 Canol by Dead Link Removed, on Flickr

 

[TheTrailTog]

Thanks again everyone for the kind words

Kraker for "The Descent" I used Dead Link Removed and for "Reverance" I used Dead Link Removed. Loving both, especially at only $9.95/100 sheets!

Today I received 2 cards:
Randalcav - I agree with Nathan, you have done well to capture the feel of Autumn in B&W. It's such a peaceful time to be in the woods. Those lines, which you have so well captured, become very hypnotic while running and I have had hours pass without noticing.
ozphoto - That car is a beauty. The classic Porsches are among my favorite sports cars of all time and yours really sings in this photo. The red really pops against the rest of the scene.

 

[MattKing]

Four more cards in hand:


ozphoto - “1959 Porsche 356A” - the light, angle of view, colour and environment makes this card a success!
Xia_Ke - "Reverence” - nice geometry, even nicer interplay of expressions (if you can tell an expression from the back) and an excellent print; and
also from Xia_Ke - “The Descent” - a great example of how a few small details can make a photograph of a large natural feature
mike c - “Bambo Skirts” - exotic, interesting and well printed. Out of curiosity, is “Bambo” the same as what I would refer to as “Bamboo”?

Thanks to everyone who participates.