Postcard Exchange Round 36 Comments and Feedback

[mike c]

Matt, ya its the same, just missing an "O" never was any goud with spelein.

 

[mike c]

Got a card form Ozphoto of a pretty red Porsche in front of the USS Antietam , nice color contrast between the red Porsche coup and the battle ship blue grey, thats a nice car.

 

[ozphoto]

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

Some really nice images there, Anthony - love the contrast and the subject matter!!

 

[ozphoto]

Thanks everyone for your kind words - had a chance to take her out for a wonderful spin today, and she didn't disappoint.

 

[Randalcav]

Sorry for not commenting sooner. I have received 10 cards this round. What a great group of very talented photographers.
Adelorenzo: Pump Station 4; You get the extra effort award this round for hiking into a remote location that few get to see. Then you captured a great image and went the extra mile to tone it and make it look perfect.
Darwin: Lotschental, Valais; You managed to take a classic Canon A-1 with a standard lens and take a photo of a Swiss mountain valley, exactly as I would envision one. I love the tonal range, the clouds, the paper and especially the foreground. I would be enlarging this one!
Ozphoto: 1959 Porsce; Classic style, You have done the Porsche justice. I like the deep black shadow under the car, it really helps the red to pop and jump off the page. Another Canon A-1. I collect cameras and don't have an A-1 Yet. On a side note the battleship Antietam is named after the bloodiest battle in the US Civil War in 1862. I visited the battlefield in Maryland, USA, two years ago. I didn't take many photos, but the land provides a spectacular backdrop for photos. It is a must see if anyone is ever in the area.
Nathan King: Old Ursiline Convent; I like the way you captured the contrast between the dark cross and the clouds. This is an excellent example of printing an image in a way that adds drama to the subject. Well done.
Xia-Ke: The Descent; Mystical, dramatic and a print that immediately draws the viewer into it. It's very hard to pull off an image that captures a mood. You have done this here. I love the drama and the small size of the print it's perfect here. I loved New Hampshire, USA when I visited a couple years ago.
Xia-Ke: Reverance; This image is one that makes you pause and immediately know the man in the statue had great significance. The girl adds scale and the hedge pulls everything together. A solid print pulls everything together nicely. Thanks for a bonus card.

 

[Randalcav]

More:

Matt King: Colony Farm; You have captured a nice image with that Retina IIIc. I've always been a big fan of HC 110 developer. You did a great job capturing the wide tonal range of the river. I love full frame images. The purists say, that's how all images should be. Not always true for me though. My wife commented on this card, giving it a thumbs up for the nice trees. Thanks.
Kraker: Tree among trees; A new Darkroom and a new camera, combined with a great Schneider lens. Agfa Brovira was always my favorite paper. I envy you.
You are off to a great start and tray developing too. Your print is great. I love the tone of the sky. My eye is always drawn to lone trees, like this one. Good luck with your new Wanderlust. If Santa brings me a tripod this Christmas I'll be able to get my Zone VI 4 x 5 camera operating soon.
Mike c: Bamboo skirts; A Rolliecord, boy I wish I had one of those too. This is a very nice photograph of a very interesting subject. Something I would never have thought existed. A great composition of an interesting subject and printed wonderfully. The Koyoto area must be a photographers dream. Thank You.
Anikin: This was the first card I received this round. Eugene manages to do something that I never seem to do, add interesting people into the photo. This type of image is always around us. Thanks for showing us that people doing interesting things make great photos. I love the nicely done, big print and subject matter.

Thanks everyone! Can't wait for more and the next round,
Randal

 

[mike c]

A tranquil view of the Coguitllam River ,shore line and nice sky with great clouds, what else does a fine photograph need. The old Retina still keeping things focused and sharp, thanks Matt.

Randal, the Rolliecord was a great surprise to me, the 3.5 Xenar lens works beautifully and the camera as a whole is very easy to use, a great travel camera.

 

[piu58]

Finally I got the Porsche photograph form ozphoto. What a fine car! An a fine shot too.

 

[adelorenzo]

Here are the cards I've received so far (in no particular order):

MattKing, I love the moody feel to the image and the choice of film and camera.
Anikin, a lively and glossy print. Thanks for showing us a bit of Portland life.
Randalcav, this is a terrific composition, especially the light and shadow in the foreground. Well printed to capture the contrast of the scene.
MikeC, an interesting scene and I like the sharpness and tonality of the print.
Ozphoto, that is a fine automobile! Gorgeous, really, and I like the choice of location for the photo. I expect James Bond to walk off that battleship and get into the Porsche.
xiake, for "reverence" I really like how the bust seems to be looking at the figure and it draws the eye. Terrific contrast in this print. "The descent", misty mountains are something I'll never tire of. Thanks for sending two cards!
kraker, a Travelwide shot already in the exchange! Lovely print.
drpsilver, fantastic shot. Love the mountains and a fine print, especially the sky and peaks which look amazing.

 

[drpsilver]

28 Nov 2915

To all thank you for your kind words. It was very exciting being in the Swiss Alps with a camera, and being able to get such a nice photograph of the mountains.

Several more cards have arrived in my mailbox. The card from ozphoto of her beloved Porsche is a nice juxtaposition of peace and war. I have two neighbors with 3 of these cars between them, but yours looks in much better condition.
The card from Randalcav is quite nice. I like: (1) the repeating patterns in several places, and (2) how the path draws the viewer into the photo. The horizon near the center of the frame does not adversely effect the composition.
I received two cards from Xia_Ke. The first, "Reverence" is a reminder that our actions have meaning - Lincoln knew that more than most. The second, "The Decent" reminds me of the only trip I took to Acadia NP. Of the four days that I was there 2.5 were in this kind of fog - did not see the water for 2 days.
"Bambo Skirts" from mike c is quite interesting and very fanciful. Thank you for the chuckle this brought.
The photo from adelorenzo reminds me of Boidie, CA. High, dry, and cold. I like the slight brown tone, it gives the photo an "old look".
The card from MattKing is an nicely composed. It has an infrared look to it - one of the reasons I like PX for landscapes. The detail and tonal range are very nice. Well done.
A nice print of peppers roasting came form Anikin. Looks like it is a nice market to spend some time at shopping/looking/photographing.

Looking forward to more nice photos. Wishing all a happy and healthy holidays.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[mike c]

Received likemarlonbrando's card of his grandparents childhood house, checking out the old neighborhood .

 

[mike c]

Megzdad81's card today, a great looking stream in the deep woods "Greenbriar" in the great Smoky Mts. I think its a great shot Bob,thanks for putting the extra effort out by sending the post cards and hope you recoup quickly.

 

[piu58]

I received an interesting carf from Richard Steinbach. It shoes the closed gate to Borough Park in Brooklyn. Thank you.

 

[LarsAC]

Looking forward to the next round !

Lars

 

[Black Dog]

Signup in January IIRC.

 

[George Nova Scotia]

Yes, offical sign up starts Jan 1st!

 

[mooseontheloose]

Wow, time flies when life gets in the way. First it was an appendectomy in October, and now for the past month I've been suffering from a herniated disc in my back, which was made worse this weekend by what is probably sciatica. Combined with teaching 16 university classes a week I don't have much time for anything else. But Christmas vacation is but a week away, so I'll have lots of time then to catch up on my exchange obligations. Luckily, standing is one activity that doesn't bother me so much, so I'm much more inclined to do some film and paper developing.

I've received a lot of great cards so far, but I'll have to comment on them when I have more time.

 

[Harman Tech Service]

Lovely cards received today from adelorenzo and megzdad81. Not sure one of them agreed totally with the Post office auto sorting machines !
Very atmospheric prints thank you !

Now on display for all.

Neil

 

[mike c]

Thats great Neil, next round I will send a card to you folks.

Mike

 

[TheToadMen]

Hi,
I haven't written/send my cards yet for this round. My father isn't doing well at all for quite some time due to hart failure. Last Friday the doctor said he may have 2 months at most left and today it is doubtful if he'll even make it to Christmas.
So I won't be mailing cards shortly, but will full fill my obligations somewhere in January. But I don't know if I will make it for the next round sign up deadline.
Thanks,
Bert from Holland

 

[likemarlonbrando]

Sorry to hear of you fathers health troubles, wishing the best for your family. To me postcards definitely take a back seat to family affairs. Look forward to seeing your card when you do have the chance to send it.

 

[mike c]

Rachelle, hope you do get better and feel better for the the Christmas vacation and Bert I went through the same with my father a few years ago and it was not easy for me, my father lived a full and long life and now he is at rest, God bless him.

 

[MattKing]

Bert and Rachelle - my thoughts are with both of you.

 

[mooseontheloose]

As others have said Bert, your father is much more important than the exchange, spend as much time with him as you can.

 

[kraker]

Bert, sorry to hear that. A postcard exchange is not important right now. Be there with your father, for your father, for yourself, for your family. Sterkte.

Rachelle, take care, take it easy.

Thanks both for sharing these updates.