Postcard Exchange Round 40 Comments & Feedback

[MattKing]

Looking forward to your postcards Darwin .
Although I must say that when it comes to insomnia, spotting falls only behind scanning when it comes to cures!

 

[LAG]

Today (20/03) arrived the second postcard to my postbox: mike c "The Spanish baroque terracota arch". Thank you Mike.

First of all I must say that I personally know my postman, and I have asked her to do me the favor of leaving all the postcards always face down in my box, so I can see first who the postcard is from. IDK why but when I saw mike c my memory went to his Rolleicord 39's Clifton's ...

Thanks again for sharing some history behind the subject. It seems like you're comfortable working with TMY2, this card is a good example of it. That part of the building is a beautiful necklace of textures and shades, I like the light on the windows very much as well. Congratulations!

Just out of curiosity, if you turn it upside down, the curve of the building gives a 3D look to the image, and the guidelines fill the scene the other way around ...

 

[mike c]

Thanks LAG, I never could figure a name for the card so I just gave the description from Wikipedia, makes for a long name.

 

[mike c]

"Alone in Death Valley" (DRPSILVER) came with "Knee" (Matt King), from Desert to Forest both are very nice and printed well. Thanks Guys

 

[MattKing]

Thanks Mike. Glad it got there.
Coincidentally, Mike's excellent card showing detail from Los Angeles' Broadway Arcade Building arrived here.
Really nice form and detail, as well as and tonality that is strangely (given the subject) almost delicate.
My wife likes it too .

 

[winger]

Yesterday and today I got 3 - all great. Matt King's Knee, DRPSILVER's Alone in Death Valley, and Ian Andvaag's sand dune. Excellent printing on all. Thanks for sharing! It's so cool to get real photos in the mail.

 

[tezzasmall]

I have now received my second print, with the latest being from DRPSILVER = 'Alone in Death Valley'. Like the first postcard received and the ones that I sent out, it too is printed on the Ilford postcard paper. Dunno how to put it, but there's something about using and receiving prints made with this paper, compared to 'ordinary' paper with nothing on the reverse. It just feels more personal somehow and they look more 'postcardie' if such a word exists, (which it doesn't according to the sites spellchecker).

As for the print, lovely! Good range of tones and an interesting composition. Thanks guys, keep them coming!

Terry S

 

[kraker]

Two cards received the past few days:
iandvaag's Claybank, great subject, like the inclusion of a person to give it a sense of scale. Also adds some mystery to the scene. Could be a still from some 80's video clip. Nice!
MattKing's Knee, eerie. Not only a great subject, but also beautiful how the light falls on it. I like it a lot.

 

[rpavich]

Wow. More cards arrive!
I had already mentioned the glossy manhole cover from Oxlyroad and the Broadway Arch in LA from Mike C, both very nice.
This time it's "Alone in Death Valley" by drpsilver; very nice. Also "Knee" by Matt King which is very interesting and beautiful. I also got "Antelope Island" by randalcav; a very interesting scene with Bison rather than Antelope. The tones in the clouds and mountains vs the bison are really well done. Nicely done.

I'm continually impressed at the artistry of a simple post card, all of them unique but beautiful. It really shows that it's not the gear, it's the person's artistry. Many of the cameras used are common non-pro cameras but the results are special.

 

[winger]

I got "Antelope Island" in yesterday's mail - great scene!

 

[Randalcav]

Hi all,

I received 5 cards this week.

Ian Anvaag's card of the dune. I love the dark figure in the upper part of the card. It adds an element of mystery and has great visual impact.
Mike c's Broadway Arcade building is excellent. Well printed and it really holds my eye. You made a 50mm lens look wide angle. Nicely done,
Drpsilver's Alone in Death Valley is very well done. I love the composition, tones and how the plant competes with the clouds. Love the tone of the sky.
Matt King's Knee is nice and glossy, technically perfect and the subject is something most of us would have walked right past. His eye in the field and in the darkroom are spot on.
Oxleyroad's Manhole Cover is very appealing. Just like Mike c's ability to capture the art in how things used to be manufactured, like buildings and even manhole covers should remind us of why we do things by hand in the darkroom. The craft of taking something that is common and putting more of ones self into its creation is evident. Great Print.

Thanks to everyone. A great group of cards so far in this round!

 

[drpsilver]

26 Mar 2017

Three cards arrived this week. The card from iandvaag invokes many questions: What is the person thinking about or observing?, Why is he in such a desolate place?, .... I like how you managed the high-key tones. "Knee" from MattKing is an interesting contrast to the above photo because it is filled with low-key tones. You captured the detail and special lighting very well. The soft background gives this image some depth. Nicely done. Finally, a card from Randalcav of "Antelope Island" sans antelope. You did a good job balancing composition with the constrains of the film format.

Thank you for your kind words about the card I sent. I am glad you like the image I chose.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[MattKing]

Have any of my Canadian recipients received my cards? I mailed 5 cards to Canadian addresses, including one to myself, and as far as I can tell, none have arrived at their intended destination.

 

[mike c]

I got my card from you Matt, I know this won't help you with the Canadian mail, but make ya feel a little bit better that one made its way down here.
Got a card from Ian , Claybank, pretty cool rivulets dug in the clay, also like the person looking over the far view.
Also Randalcav's card, Antelope Island, nice view of the Bison in foreground and wonderful spacious vista of the Plains of Utah in the background.

 

[MattKing]

Thanks Mike. Unfortunately, I traveled to a foreign country whistling to mail yours, while the Canadian ones were just dropped off at the local post office.

 

[John_A]

Got two postcards last week, a selenium toned Mosaic canyon from Darwin(drpsilver) and a bison herd from Randalcav. Both very nice, thank you very much!

 

[winger]

I received a print of the Portland Head lighthouse from Wayne Frederick - great tones and very nice scene. Thank you!

 

[LAG]

Today I've received a postcard: "Return to sender - 15 Nov 2016" with the words "no such street". It was one the two "extra cards" from this 39 round. My bad, after taking a look at the mailing list I've realised that I made a mistake thwn when I printed the address (that was the only one wrong)

I will not say who is the receiver, but at least I'd like to say that the card will fly again tomorrow to Australia! I do not know if any postcard from any other round has travelled as many kilometers as this will do!

All the best and apologies!

Wrong thread, sorry!

 

[LAG]

Today (05/04) I've found two more postcards in my postbox:

a) dprsilver's "Alone in the Death Valley"

b) Randalcav's "Antelope Island"

Thank you both!

a) This card has been badly treated on the mail trip, is scratched and partially leafless on one side, with strange ink marks in the front top ... besides, it has a big white mark of tipp-ex just in the middle of the postcard, so next to the clouds that it looks like one itself (though whiter and deformed). As for the postcard, I like the shades of the four planes of the image, from the first - the clearer - with those herbs defying the drought, to the clouds that are peeping on the left ... by the way, those clouds look like a rabbit or a Kangaroo jumping, can you see it?

b) I love the title ... and the subtitle! (it made me laugh) At the first glance the global tone seemed too washed to me, but I have to admit that it is more than correct (to me too). In later glimpses, I liked the tones obtained in the detail of the clouds in the background contrasting with the bison's-tone-line in a similar "disproportion" ... IMHO, too much foreground perhaps, unless the intention were the 50/50 ratio and that "line" in the middle.​

Best!

 

[LAG]

Today (06/04) another postcard in my postbox:

Wayne's "Portland Head". I guess it was quite complicated to level that Century Grand 4x5 camera properly, all in all this is one of the most beautiful and evocative landscape-postcards I have received (with the permission and without offending the rest). Congratulations!

Just out of curiosity, if I look at the postcard facing the light through my windows, the transparence of the paper allows me to see that the "stamp" behind it looks as if the stamp were the sun in that landscape, and with the delivery "wave marks all over it" ... it seems like the sun is complete with its own rays. Nice!

Thank you!

 

[mike c]

Also got Wayne's card. Very good composition I'd say, the path leading up to the light house comes in at a vertical angle following the rocky seashore. I can see why its the most photographed Lighthouse, its got every thing going for it.

 

[John_A]

Another lighthouse from Wayne here

 

[mike c]

Labcoat's older guy on bicycle going threw intersection in Manhattan, a worthy street photograph I believe, glad you took time to print it.

 

[Laurent]

Hello all,

I'm sorry, I'll be late -again- for this exchange. Too much time spent far from home, too many things to do at home...

In the meantime, I received many great cards:

gdehaan "Mozes en Aäronkerk" The lines work great with the rest of the composition.
Wayne Frederick Lighthouse. The site looks wonderful, and the image renders it in a great manner. I'd live to travel there!
DrpSilver "Alone in deathvalley", this plant mus really feel alone...
Ricardo's "smile". Nice tree, the print looks nice with the sprocket holes
Matt King "Knee". I love the atmosphere, all the dark tones make me feel the wood around.
Ian Ardvaag's card
Mike Clark's Broadway Arcade Building. I love the perspective and the very tiny details
Oxleyroad's "Manhole cover". I love these kinds of details!

Thanks to you all!

 

[Halford]

I'm sorry, I'll be late -again- for this exchange. Too much time spent far from home, too many things to do at home...

Don't worry, you are not the only one! I have been gallivanting around the globe in the past 2 months, going first to my mother's 70th birthday and then to my cousin's wedding. I've come home from work early today to set up printing of my postcard batch