Postcard Exchange Round 50 Comments and Feedback

[MattKing]

I too received darinwc's very nice "Boys on Bikes". The mood and form is nice, the image tone is wonderful, and the overall feel of a postcard from when postcards were common is great.
I also appreciate one other thing. It is very handy when a card is accompanied by a note to have the card's title and author written on both the note and the back of the card.

 

[Laurent]

@Laurent, I am glad to read you are getting back online. Have a good Xmas and keep printing!

@Laurent: It has been a tough year for us all. Glad you were able to get into your sanctuary. Looking forward to your card if I am on the list.
-Actually one of the things I like about the exchange is the large range of time it takes to receive the cards. It is definitively the gift that keeps on giving!

Thanks for you replies! I should spend more time in the DR and on APUG and much less on "social" medias, which suck too much time and energy.

 

[bedrof]

Card from @darinwc arrived. I like everything about it - including cute envelope and the letter enclosed. The card itself is very nice with the moment captured and tones reproduced. Thank you!

Also received the card from @gijsbert. So sharp and clean with fine contrast and detail of the Pantheon and the fountain.
Thank you, guys for these beautiful cards!

And I'm still have a pile of cards to write a comment for, sorry for the delay.

 

[Laurent]

Hi all,

I'm happy to report my cards have been dropped in the mail yesterday!

Laurent

 

[BSP]

Hi all,

I'm happy to report my cards have been dropped in the mail yesterday!

Laurent

I new you would/could do it!

 

[radiant]

I got darinwc card just before christmas eve. And don't tell me to my relatives but that was the best christmas card I received. Beautiful photo and really interesting letter. Thank you!

 

[bedrof]

i'm finally getting around to commenting on the wonderful cards i've rec'd this round. first though a little explanation.

We've been in the process of adopting my grandkids for the last 4 years - now finally done. we've come to the awareness that as they get older, (now 7 and 12), they should each have their own bedroom. So everything goes into storage (or passed on), and my darkroom will return to it's former status as a bedroom. (I've bought a digital camera (i did feel the earth quake), and it may work out for me.). I will miss the darkroom.

so, to comments, from...
cramej, rose in glass, a worthy '1st effort' with nice soft lighting and tone
rst, empty playground - great inspiration! as I also close the darkroom, i bought some pop paper to do the same thing! very nice!
vedostuu, very fifties, nice blacks/noir - mood and feeling.
rowreidr, nyc-very covid! wonderful print, perspective, paper, tone - all unite
mooseontheloose, nubian pyramids - stunning, great perspective and mood -
hkbenji, climbing, vertigo! now that's impact, i like the lighting and tone!
hwv, expo, a detailed view of a coronavirus impact? nice picture for the eye to wander in
bedrof, irish series, more heights!!! great lines and layers
iandvaag, you get the mood - a real sign of these times! well seen.
arvid, well composed and exposed, great depth and detail.
terry s, lloyd bldg, very-escher, lots of action for a "static" view... great tones.
bsp, coronavirus, halloween - cold tone, depth, fun
lucid, under destruction, superb printing of well seen, sign of the times.
drpsilver, fungus ladder, nice composition and exposure with detail and contrast
oxleyroad, roadworks, now that's sharp and well-scene, good blacks
nige, what a view on portriga - brings tears to my eyes! spectacular...
mattis, had to look that up - men at sea... great perspective, juxtaposing the statues and people!
black dog, edinburgh sky, i can feel the "smile" you get walking and seeing this view!
howard earl, bleeding heart plant, i like the definition and lightness
gijsbert, fountain at pantheon, nice shapes and lines, exposure and detail!

each pcx is a special surprise in seeing peoples work, art and experiences - truly special. i will have access to a community darkroom which i think will work. I hope this will not be my last exchange... i think it's been the best. thank you

We will miss you, James.

Edited: upon reading your post again I got that we might be missing your traditional bw cards

 

[bedrof]

Back to the cards
@Howard Earl - Bleeding heart plant - thin lines of leaves and flowers are just beautiful with the delicate contrast and very fine detail.
@MattiS - Men at Sea - these very unusual looking statues made me search for more details.
@tezzasmall - the Lloyds Building - an interesting piece of old days' busy life.
@Rowreidr - Empire State Sprockets - at first sight I was puzzled by the method you got the sprocket holes white
Thanks for the cards!

 

[Luis-F-S]

I've been very tardy with this round, but they will be in the mail tomorrow. It's a photo of a Clematis bush that my wife was in the process of cutting down. The image was made with a V8 on 8x10 HP5+ and reduced in a DeVere 5108 to 4x5. The taking lens was a 270 G-Claron (Dagor design) at f/45, the printing lens was a 240 Apo Rodagon printed on Ilford Classic for 8.66 sec at f/22 with Gr 3 filtration. There is a small piece of paper in the envelope with the particulars. Hope you enjoy. Thank you all who sent me their postcards in a timely fashion.

 

[drpsilver]

11 Jan 2021

Two cards landed in my mail box over the past week.
A set of cards from Laurent of poppies growing in his backyard. Using a red filter darkened the background allowing the poppies to stand-out. The bumblebees give the viewer something to look for in the image.
A nice print from gijsbert of the Pantheon and fountain. I like the wide range of tones, and sharpness, of the print. Well done.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[MattKing]

I very much appreciate being included, even when I cannot participate.
Laurent's "Poppies" arrived today. Two jewel like garden vignettes, complete with bumblebee wildlife. The detailed note is much appreciated. And the stamp or postage imprint from France is realy classic.
bedrof's "Irish Series, 2011" arrived several days ago, and I was delayed in commenting until now.
A road picture, showing an Irish road and vista. In addition, a bus that can't seem to decide which side of the road to use! I like it!
I also like the really dramatic and beautiful Russian stamps, as well as the very strong "MockBa" postmark.
It occurs to me that If I had kept them over all these years, I could have acquired an intriguing stamp collection from this exchange.

 

[mfohl]

I received Luis-F-S's Clematis Bush today. Wow! An 8x10 negative reduced to postcard size. Very nice! Thanks Luis!

 

[mfohl]

I received two nice cards from Laurent yesterday, tucked into one envelope. Both are photos of his poppies, and yes, one with a bumble bee. Both are richly printed. Thanks! And thank you for the Christmas greeting, and belated holiday wishes to you as well. The greeting was indeed late, mostly due to the delays in the post. Your cards arrived almost a full month after you posted them. But hkbenji's card was delayed almost two months!

 

[hkbenji]

I am not sure why the Hong Kong postal service is so incredibly slow.. Or why they don't allow anything to be sent to Russia! Hopefully, things will improve soon.

I have also received mail from France and New Orleans-

@Luis-F-S - I don't think I have ever seen a reduced 8x10 before. It looks fantastic.
@Laurent - So dreamy! I love the mood these two cards convey. Very nice.

 

[tezzasmall]

The sender Wayne Frederick has put round #50 on the back of the card, and I can find no mention of myself receiving one previously from him for this round, so I presume the post has been slow - but hey, it got here eventually.

The picture is a very calm scene from Wayne's visit to Vienna in Austria - a place I've not managed to visit yet - in May 2016. It's of a lovely looking park, with well manicured shrubs, along with a beautiful set of greenhouses / hot houses.

The addition of a few members of the public sitting quietly on benches adds to the scene.

A lovely view Wayne and out of curiosity, can you remember the name of the park?

Terry S

 

[Lucid]

@Wayne Frederick - Many thanks for your card, and for your kind words on my print. Your image brought back memories of The Royal Botanical Gardens in Edinburgh. Your image give a very fun observation on public spacing, which now is all too commonplace. A very enjoyable print. Thank you for all the details you provided!

 

[BSP]

@Wayne Frederick thanks for the great little gift from your trip to Vienna. I visited there in 2019 myself and missed this lovely park.
Seeing this makes me want to visit again. Great classic execution of your vision of the scene.

Keep sane and stay negative!

Bill

 

[Wayne Frederick]

Thanks tezzasmall, Lucid, and BSP for your kind comments on my card. The park where I took the photo is called Schlosspark Schoenbrunn (Schoenbrunn Palace Park) and is a huge area right in Vienna containig a palace, a zoo, formal gardens, sculptured shrubberies, a greenhouse with palm trees inside, a fantastic cafe, and much more. Well worth a visit, in my opinion.

Wayne Frederick

 

[mooseontheloose]

Thanks tezzasmall, Lucid, and BSP for your kind comments on my card. The park where I took the photo is called Schlosspark Schoenbrunn (Schoenbrunn Palace Park) and is a huge area right in Vienna containig a palace, a zoo, formal gardens, sculptured shrubberies, a greenhouse with palm trees inside, a fantastic cafe, and much more. Well worth a visit, in my opinion.

Wayne Frederick

I also received your lovely card Wayne - I like the slice of life from the time before, and it makes me yearn to return to Vienna, where I did not spend nearly enough time in, despite the fact that I really enjoyed the city. Can't believe it's been nearly five years since I've been.

 

[drpsilver]

18 Feb 2021

A card from Wayne Frederick landed in my mail box. A beautiful print of a conservatory in Austria. It looks like the park is well used by the public. Unfortunately the post office sorting machines "touched" this card 3 times: 2 times on the image side, and once where the stamp was located.

Regards,
Darwin

Edit: Bold name

 

[mfohl]

I also received Wayne Frederick's shot from Vienna. A very nice shot of the conservatory, framed by the trees and shrubs. I might have thought it was from Florida, based on the palm tree in the foreground. But all the folks with sweaters and coats on say it can't be in Florida. My card tops the one drpsilver received. There are four postmarks on mine, all with the same information. Right side up on the top, upside down on the bottom. Both sides. I guess they wanted to be sure I got the information. And this one got to me in only 21 days! Thanks Wayne!

 

[gijsbert]

I got 4 cards today from 3 different rounds! Including one from Wayne Frederick, nice park scene! From the palm tree and greenhouse shape I would have never thought of Vienna or Austria.
And thanks for the kind words on my own card for round #50.

 

[jvo]

rec'd from wayne frederick, an appealing park and botanical garden - with a palm tree, very un-Austrian! very peaceful and welcoming... the branch at the top right - compositional genius.

 

[bedrof]

Okay, I'm back on that plenty of cards received and not commented upon yet.
@jvo - Trees crossing their branches. Just like the previous cards from James this one sports an unexpected view to otherwise trivial subject.
@drpsilver - "Fungus ladder" - A nice piece of nature close-up photo with many details and fine contrast.
@hwv - "Endstation" - Looks like the consequence of the covid disaster. The stamp definitely deserves a second glance.
@madhatter - Essentially geometry. This looks very much like a service entrance in the subway (and in this sence it goes well with the stamp choice, which is also remarkable - another interesting one from Germany).
@BSP - A skeleton riding a bike looks too much natural. I guess those smiling people visible in the background are his passengers? Sort of a tribute to Pratchett?
@Lucid - "Under destruction" - I say it is rather unusually composed scene and well performed too. This exceptional sharpness of the LF contact print never stops surprising me. My 10x magnifier glass did not let me clearly read the letters on the notification on the door handle, but I managed to read the advertisement sheet.
@Wayne Frederick - I very much like the tones of those buildings, them make the photograph look like an engraving or something of the sort. Beautiful contrast indeed. And it's very nice of you to write a comment for my card of the round, thank you!

Still I got some more cards, wow. Thanks again!

 

[Wayne Frederick]

mooseontheloose, drpsilver, mfohl, gijsbert, jvo, bedrof: Thanks very much all for your kind comments on my card. I am at a loss to explain the multiple postmarks on some of my cards. Did anyone else's card get the additional postmarks? The palm tree in my card must be in a large pot, so it can be moved inside the greenhouse in winter. If I ever get back there again, I will check it out more closely.
Wayne