Postcard Exchange Round 45 Comments & Feedback

[tezzasmall]

First off apologies, but I thought that I had already commented on Wayne Frederick's card, which I received a little while ago now.

The picture is of a man 'leading his oxen around a show ring', is something that I have seen a few times over the years in the UK, at farmers / local producers fayres.

It's a lovely captured tight crop of the main parts, which I really like, although I too had a Mamiya C330 some years ago, but never got on with it, so sold it on quite quickly, but it looks like Wayne has got to grips with it.

And a lovely paper has been used as well, rather than the Ilford postcard stuff that I and others use. He's used Adox Vario Classic (FB gloss?) which has stood the postal system well but just reading on the manufactures site, it is now not profitable to make, so after the sale of the last bit of stock, that will be it's end = just as I say I'd like to try it as well, ho hum.

Anyway, many thanks again Wayne.

Terry S

 

[mooseontheloose]

Laurent, you'll be happy to hear that your card has made it to Japan! The title makes me wonder about the subject even more, considering the 'backstage' seems to be in a field or behind some bushes? It's a nice casual moment captured, thanks.

 

[Laurent]

Laurent, you'll be happy to hear that your card has made it to Japan! The title makes me wonder about the subject even more, considering the 'backstage' seems to be in a field or behind some bushes? It's a nice casual moment captured, thanks.

Thanks Rachelle! It's been quite fast.

Yes, in this case the backstage was an open field, as the stage was a truck my city rented for an event !

 

[adelorenzo]

In the last month or so I've received two more cards.

Wayne Frederick chose a really cool subject and I really like how you've captured the moment of indecision on the part of the oxen. Really well printed.

I also got a card from Ilya in Russia. I believe this is my first time getting a card from that part of the world. Its not easy to shoot a square landscape photo, this one is a perfect composition for the format. Another really well printed card.

Thanks!

 

[tezzasmall]

Well, I hope I can finish cleaning my darkroom tonight and get some prints done so I can join the next exchange! There's not much time left so I guess I should get going then...

Well Rachelle obviously made some time, as I have just received a fabulous re-print of a lith print, done using the 'callotype' process, something she said is only done by two printers in the world, both in Japan. I presume she means commercial printers, as whilst looking up the process, I found many individuals keeping the process alive by doing it, all around the world.

The print itself I think, is a view of a small temple(?) on a lake, seen through the bows of a tree. It has been mounted on what looks and feels like watercolour paper and is in a range of brownish tones and to my eyes. It is absolutely lovely, so I am very pleased to receive a copy! I definitely DON'T mind receiving something a little different Rachelle!

And only being posted a few days ago in Japan, on 02 February 2019, it still arrived with quite a pungent smell, which I presume is of the ink used? So I got two presents for the price of one, and it could be said that I received a card in 'smelly-vision', to take a phrase from a Divine film I saw many decades ago now. But now the smell has disappeared, I almost miss it in some strange way.

So, many thanks once more.

Terry S

 

[mooseontheloose]

Terry - thanks for your kind words! I'm happy to hear that postcard made it one piece - I've never cut a print and remounted it for the postcard exchange, so I was a little worried that it might not survive the postal process. I'm curious about the smell though - it doesn't smell like anything here at home, so I wonder if it's something it picked up along the way?

I made two prints for this process, both of the original images are in my gallery, plus there's a thread here if you want to see some images from the workshop. One of the images show a collection of prints I made of the image I sent you, you can see that different papers (thickness, colour, texture, etc) and different inks produced different results. I started with black inks, then tried a mixture of brown over black to try to get as close as I could to the original lith colours, then later I tried adding blue for a colder look. Some of the prints I sent are on the original washi postcard paper, but as I only had ten of those, I had to remount some of the other papers onto the same cardstock so they could be sent as a postcard.

Yes, the printers here in Japan are commercial printers, mostly working to reproduce Japanese artworks, but I haven't come across collotype printing from other people, as you really need some kind of press to do it well. Unless you meant calotype, but of course, that's something completely different.

 

[Black Dog]

Terry - thanks for your kind words! I'm happy to hear that postcard made it one piece - I've never cut a print and remounted it for the postcard exchange, so I was a little worried that it might not survive the postal process. I'm curious about the smell though - it doesn't smell like anything here at home, so I wonder if it's something it picked up along the way?

I made two prints for this process, both of the original images are in my gallery, plus there's a thread here if you want to see some images from the workshop. One of the images show a collection of prints I made of the image I sent you, you can see that different papers (thickness, colour, texture, etc) and different inks produced different results. I started with black inks, then tried a mixture of brown over black to try to get as close as I could to the original lith colours, then later I tried adding blue for a colder look. Some of the prints I sent are on the original washi postcard paper, but as I only had ten of those, I had to remount some of the other papers onto the same cardstock so they could be sent as a postcard.

Yes, the printers here in Japan are commercial printers, mostly working to reproduce Japanese artworks, but I haven't come across collotype printing from other people, as you really need some kind of press to do it well. Unless you meant calotype, but of course, that's something completely different.

Beautifully subtle tones , good effort and always a delight to get your cards.

 

[tezzasmall]

Terry - thanks for your kind words! I'm happy to hear that postcard made it one piece...

...but I haven't come across collotype printing from other people, as you really need some kind of press to do it well. Unless you meant calotype, but of course, that's something completely different.

My pleasure and yes, it arrived in one piece, with no creases or inks in the wrong place from any of the postal systems it must have gone through.

And my mistake, I meant collotype, as you wrote on the card, and it was what I looked up just checking my browsing history.

Terry S

 

[mike c]

Have also received my moose on the loose Lithoized Collotype Post Card, or as we may say " L.C.P.C.". This card is great, I have always been interested in Collotype process . The backing paper is really cool also, thanks Rachelle.

 

[MattKing]

Some more comments, about seven more excellent cards, in the order that they have been residing in the "to be commented upon" slot at my desk:
kmg1974 - "Edinburgh Festival Fireworks 2018" - an excellent colour postcard, which does a great job showing both the fireworks and the location
gijsbert - "Funky Rocks at Zion" - a classic postcard shot with dramatic forms in dramatic lighting, printed beautifully
mooseontheloose - "Grief" - beautiful and evocative collotype - no Rachelle I certainly don't mind "something different"!
Laurent - "Backstage" - an interesting viewpoint and a nice juxtaposition of shapes and forms
Wayne Frederick - "Oxen at the Cumberland Fair" - an interesting cast of characters, captured well
1kgcoffee - "Daisies" - a colour darkroom print and a very summery one as well. The colour is reminiscent of colour prints from my youth!
tezzasmall - "Italian Garden" - a fascinating location and a very moody print
With these seven cards, my total of cards received is up to 17. I think that means there is just one to come.
Thanks everyone for participating

 

[drpsilver]

11 Feb 2019

I finally have some time to comment on the latest batch of card that I have received, in no particular order.
A beautiful color print of daisies from 1kgcoffee. I am impressed that you tried color printing. I have once, and that was enough. The color balance is very nice. Well done.
A very nice collotype print from mooseontheloose. I really like the composition - a framed temple in a lake. It is always nice to see non-silver processes in their exchange. I am not familiar with the collotype process, must learn more.
A nice card of a musician/photographer from Laurent. I like the portrait and how you have given it context. You managed the extreme contrast very well.
A photo of a master steer/oxen handler in action from Wayne Frederick. You successfully show the action taking place, and the skills the handler.

Thank you all for some wonderful photography.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[Laurent]

I received MooseOnTheLooses's card and it was well worth the wait. Great image and great printing, thanks!

 

[iandvaag]

Wayne Frederick – Really nice print. I like how much I can see into the shadows, given the contrasty light.
mooseontheloose - “Framed” - Wow, this is something really special. What a treat to see something I’ve never seen before. Fantastic image, with the foreground branches framing the building very nicely. I really like how the highlights are rendered in this print. The paper that you’ve mounted it on is nice as well.
Laurent - “Backstage” - Looks like the bassist is also a photographer. Interesting environment, and neat angle.
1kgcoffee - “Daisies” - Nice to see an RA-4 print in the exchange. Very cheerful subject for all the cold, dreary weather we’ve been having here. This one’s going up on my fridge right now!
kmg1974 - “Edinburgh Festival Fireworks” - Nice colours. I like the sense of depth you get in the building walls as they are blanketed in smoke.

Thanks all!

 

[bedrof]

I've almost forgotten, that there were 3 more cards of this round set aside in February for commenting.
Laurent - "Backstage" - a scene of a high contrast transferred to paper quite nicely. I like the composition balance in the picture.
mooseontheloose - “Framed” - this is really something different. The high contrast gives an ethereal atmosphere, but the rendition of a tree and water and a background makes it feel like an engraving.
Wayne Frederick – a shot from the Cumberland Fair - a moment captured, when the leftmost beast looks very eloquent. Looks very pleasant tonally.

Thanks again for all these nice cards from all over the world.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

My postcards are in the mail.
From my series on "Herdsmen - Camels resting in the shade."
Sorry for the delay.
-Rob Skeoch

 

[Rob Skeoch]

Now that my prints are in the mail I think it's a proper time to comment on the images I've received. I did comment on a couple right at the start but this should catch up on the rest. This was the best round of the Post Card exchange I've been involved in. Great images and prints all round.

“Backstage” by Laurent, great looking angle on this photo. Not the angle we usually see. Nice deep tones in the black but yet great shadow detail. It looks great on the pearl postcard paper but I bet would look really great on a FB gloss. How are you enjoying the Nokton 35mm? I haven't used one of their lenses for a few years but people seem to love them and they sure are fast.

“Haj-Nehaj Fortress ruins” by Ilya, Wow you rarely see shots taken with SFX200, it seems to be a forgotten film. Is it your go-to film? Do you always use the deep red filter with it? It really works with the sky and the rocks. Well done. Have you tried the film with people? I've heard a light red filter makes skin tones look smoother. Great composition and extra effort all round.

“Framed” by mooseontheloose, Let me start with the composition before we discuss the technique. I love the framing of the old tower or pagoda. Such a gnarly feel to that old tree. Now the process I'm not familure with but I love it. Do you paint on the emulsion or is it more of a printing press process with ink applied to some type of plate. Either way, it's lovely.

“Cumberland Fair” by Wayne Frederick, Hey Wayne, nice shot. You nailed the timing and the composition. Both harder to do with a square format. That Adox Vario Classic has a nice feel to it. Does it use the regular filters similar to what Ilford would use? It has a very nice finish.

“Edinburgh Festival Fireworks” by Kmg1974, Which of the Contax cameras were you using. They made some wonderful SLR's in the latter days and the rangefinders were excellent as well. Great that you worked in colour, it's a lot more work and something I wouldn't take on. Great lively composition and a wonderful shot.

“Funky rocks at Zion” by Gijsbert, Another photographer shooting Delta 400, that's great to see. I haven't tried the DDX before, is that your go-to developer with Delta? The 67 is a nice format to shoot. I've always appreciated those Makina's with their large negative and folding Nikkor. I've stood in this very spot in Zion trying to take a photo and you've done a much better job than I did. Is it taken with an orange filter or a yellow? Great sky in the shot and the clouds really stand out against the dark sky. Great light on the subject as well. Very well done and one of the most interesting places to shoot.

"Seatown #1" by Black Dog, Great expression on this trio. Especially the women on the right. It's hard to shoot square but you've done a wonderful job. The print has a nice airy feel to it.

“Daisies” by 1kgcoffee, It's great to see a colour shot. So much extra effort is required. Super clean whites in those peddles, nice composition and a very spring like feel to it. Which is great since I have two feet of snow in the yard and I'm waiting for spring.

“Italian Series” by Ari, This is one of my favourite shots of the entire Postcard Exchange. Such a great composition. The man looking upwards really makes the shot. Technically it has wonderful tones and such details in the parts that are in-focus.

“Summer Grapevine Sunrise” by Mike C, Hey Mike, I'm not sure what a Dolly folder is like to shoot with. Does it have a rangefinder focus or do you have to measure, Is the framing accurate. I only ask because I had an old rangefinder 35mm that had no viewfinder at all, guess focus and was a bit of a pain to use. Anyway, you've done a nice job with the Dolly. Lots of interesting things to look at in the photo and a nice composition.

“Water Under the Bridge” by iandvaag, Saskatoon in the winter, I'm sure you're looking forward for the weather to clear so you can head back to the river and see those geese again. I noticed today the geese are back on the river that goes through my town, The Grand River, the ice is finally off and only a couple feet of snow to go. Your shot reminds me of the seasons, and of course the fall colours. The blue in the sky and the deep blue in the water really work for this shot. Great that you've tried colour.

“Girl on the Road” by Jon, It's nice to see someone else is using Delta 400. It's a great film, although I've never tried it in XTOL. What was your basic development time as I have a package of XTOL and should give it a go with Ilford film. The image itself is beautiful. Great composition, having the legs crossed is one of those little things that add to the shot. White on a dark background really works too, although the background is real dark. Was it twilight or maybe you used a filter? Anyway, nice photo.

“Italian Garden” by Terry, This is a very nice image and has a very calm feel to it. Well done. I love the tones and details. The composition is just wonderful!

 

[bedrof]

Wow, Rob, that is a thorough feedback

Well, that roll of SFX200 was my first. I tried it without filters midroll and the result was good enough. The feeling of tones pleased me much, so I'm planning to try more of this film. Actually, I took another roll of it to Italy later in 2018, but due to filmback issue I had just very few printable results (one of which went to second subgroup of people during PCX 45).

 

[Laurent]

“Backstage” by Laurent, great looking angle on this photo. Not the angle we usually see. Nice deep tones in the black but yet great shadow detail. It looks great on the pearl postcard paper but I bet would look really great on a FB gloss. How are you enjoying the Nokton 35mm? I haven't used one of their lenses for a few years but people seem to love them and they sure are fast.

Thanks Rob!

The Nokton tends to be my "sleeper" lens, as it is the most versatile I own. When not using it, then I turn to FSU lenses, for their "character".

 

[mooseontheloose]

“Framed” by mooseontheloose, Let me start with the composition before we discuss the technique. I love the framing of the old tower or pagoda. Such a gnarly feel to that old tree. Now the process I'm not familure with but I love it. Do you paint on the emulsion or is it more of a printing press process with ink applied to some type of plate. Either way, it's lovely.

Thanks Rob - As for the process, the original image is a lith print that I did many years ago. Collotype is a type of printing process (for reproductions) - most early postcards were printed with this process, and it was used for used to reproduce images in books until cheaper offset printing became the norm. In this case, as it was a workshop, a digital negative was made of the original print (although they have a huge large format camera to photograph other works to create negs that way) and was exposed over a gelatin/colloid substrate. After washing it and letting it dry for about an hour, we were ready to print, which basically meant inking the substrate, placing a paper of choice on top, and running it through a small, hand-cranked printer. We were given a variety of papers to try, and could try a variety of inks. As my lith print had a warm tone to it, I spent a lot of time experimenting with how much black + brown ink to add to try to recreate the tones of the original image. For this exchange, some people got a washi paper postcard with the inked image right on it. But, as I didn't have enough of those for everyone, I bought more of the same type of card and pasted the collotype prints that were on much thinner paper to them so they would survive the mail.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

thanks for letting me know "mooseontheloose"

 

[tezzasmall]

“Italian Garden” by Terry, This is a very nice image and has a very calm feel to it. Well done. I love the tones and details. The composition is just wonderful!

Many thanks for both the acknowledgment and the comments Rob. It's always lovely to receive both bits of feedback.

Terry S

 

[Black Dog]

Now that my prints are in the mail I think it's a proper time to comment on the images I've received. I did comment on a couple right at the start but this should catch up on the rest. This was the best round of the Post Card exchange I've been involved in. Great images and prints all round.

“Backstage” by Laurent, great looking angle on this photo. Not the angle we usually see. Nice deep tones in the black but yet great shadow detail. It looks great on the pearl postcard paper but I bet would look really great on a FB gloss. How are you enjoying the Nokton 35mm? I haven't used one of their lenses for a few years but people seem to love them and they sure are fast.

“Haj-Nehaj Fortress ruins” by Ilya, Wow you rarely see shots taken with SFX200, it seems to be a forgotten film. Is it your go-to film? Do you always use the deep red filter with it? It really works with the sky and the rocks. Well done. Have you tried the film with people? I've heard a light red filter makes skin tones look smoother. Great composition and extra effort all round.

“Framed” by mooseontheloose, Let me start with the composition before we discuss the technique. I love the framing of the old tower or pagoda. Such a gnarly feel to that old tree. Now the process I'm not familure with but I love it. Do you paint on the emulsion or is it more of a printing press process with ink applied to some type of plate. Either way, it's lovely.

“Cumberland Fair” by Wayne Frederick, Hey Wayne, nice shot. You nailed the timing and the composition. Both harder to do with a square format. That Adox Vario Classic has a nice feel to it. Does it use the regular filters similar to what Ilford would use? It has a very nice finish.

“Edinburgh Festival Fireworks” by Kmg1974, Which of the Contax cameras were you using. They made some wonderful SLR's in the latter days and the rangefinders were excellent as well. Great that you worked in colour, it's a lot more work and something I wouldn't take on. Great lively composition and a wonderful shot.

“Funky rocks at Zion” by Gijsbert, Another photographer shooting Delta 400, that's great to see. I haven't tried the DDX before, is that your go-to developer with Delta? The 67 is a nice format to shoot. I've always appreciated those Makina's with their large negative and folding Nikkor. I've stood in this very spot in Zion trying to take a photo and you've done a much better job than I did. Is it taken with an orange filter or a yellow? Great sky in the shot and the clouds really stand out against the dark sky. Great light on the subject as well. Very well done and one of the most interesting places to shoot.

"Seatown #1" by Black Dog, Great expression on this trio. Especially the women on the right. It's hard to shoot square but you've done a wonderful job. The print has a nice airy feel to it.

“Daisies” by 1kgcoffee, It's great to see a colour shot. So much extra effort is required. Super clean whites in those peddles, nice composition and a very spring like feel to it. Which is great since I have two feet of snow in the yard and I'm waiting for spring.

“Italian Series” by Ari, This is one of my favourite shots of the entire Postcard Exchange. Such a great composition. The man looking upwards really makes the shot. Technically it has wonderful tones and such details in the parts that are in-focus.

“Summer Grapevine Sunrise” by Mike C, Hey Mike, I'm not sure what a Dolly folder is like to shoot with. Does it have a rangefinder focus or do you have to measure, Is the framing accurate. I only ask because I had an old rangefinder 35mm that had no viewfinder at all, guess focus and was a bit of a pain to use. Anyway, you've done a nice job with the Dolly. Lots of interesting things to look at in the photo and a nice composition.

“Water Under the Bridge” by iandvaag, Saskatoon in the winter, I'm sure you're looking forward for the weather to clear so you can head back to the river and see those geese again. I noticed today the geese are back on the river that goes through my town, The Grand River, the ice is finally off and only a couple feet of snow to go. Your shot reminds me of the seasons, and of course the fall colours. The blue in the sky and the deep blue in the water really work for this shot. Great that you've tried colour.

“Girl on the Road” by Jon, It's nice to see someone else is using Delta 400. It's a great film, although I've never tried it in XTOL. What was your basic development time as I have a package of XTOL and should give it a go with Ilford film. The image itself is beautiful. Great composition, having the legs crossed is one of those little things that add to the shot. White on a dark background really works too, although the background is real dark. Was it twilight or maybe you used a filter? Anyway, nice photo.

“Italian Garden” by Terry, This is a very nice image and has a very calm feel to it. Well done. I love the tones and details. The composition is just wonderful!

Thanks Rob, I've been shooting square for more than 25 years and I feel it's a great format for portraits and more abstract landscapes. I've even been using my Rollecord for street photography in Edinburgh (Mamiya 330 with 55mm lens for this picture; the 55mm is a very nice focal length on 6x6).

 

[tezzasmall]

I have just received a lovely postcard of four camels from a series, 'Herdsmen'. It's titled, 'Camels resting in the shade - Jordon'.

Full taking and developing details are given but no name of the sender is given. Looking at the postage stamp = from Canada, I presume it's from Rob Skeoch? If so, thanks Rob!

Terry S

 

[Rob Skeoch]

Glad you liked it.
-Rob

 

[MattKing]

Aha - so that is who it came from.
Thanks Rob. I too like it a lot. And the print quality is really good