Postcard Exchange Round 52 Comments and Feedback

[cramej]

Still printing mine - will probably get them out this week

 

[mfohl]

Good to hear the card has arrived okay and yes, Art 300 paper is a lovely paper to work with. The only downside, is that the paper floats on the surface, so during washing I have weigh it down in the water.

And my photrio name is tezzasmall but my real name is abbreviated when signing cards = Terry S. I probably should have used the same name for both...

Terry S

Keeping a low profile. I try to do that too ...

 

[mfohl]

Are you sure it's from December? I posted my cards in February since that's when I got the address list - perhaps it travelled it back in time?

Yes, maybe I read it wrong. I'll have to look again ...

 

[mfohl]

Just received a very cool card from drpsilver. Not a postcard actually, but a photo. A triptych: a contact sheet of 3 consecutive 6x6 negs. Each neg is of (I think) the top view of a cup of coffee. There are patterns on the coffee. But the cup is very recognizable in each shot. A white rim around black liquid times 3. And to add to the effect, the stamp is of a solar eclipse: another black circle. Very nicely conceived and executed. Thanks Darwin!

 

[Howard Earl]

Received 3 cards from PC 52.

MFOL Excellent well composed fence lines.
Moose on the loose Infrared Stairway to the Past nice composition.
Finn Lyle Root Celler. A Piece of Americana.

Thanks for all the cards.

 

[drpsilver]

Just received a very cool card from drpsilver. Not a postcard actually, but a photo. A triptych: a contact sheet of 3 consecutive 6x6 negs. Each neg is of (I think) the top view of a cup of coffee. There are patterns on the coffee. But the cup is very recognizable in each shot. A white rim around black liquid times 3. And to add to the effect, the stamp is of a solar eclipse: another black circle. Very nicely conceived and executed. Thanks Darwin!

01 Mar 2021

Mark:

I am glad that you liked the card/photo. You are correct that I photographed the bottom of a coffee cup. Since I brew my coffee with a press pot there always is a little "sludge" left in the bottom of the cup. I noticed that when the cup is tilted some very intestine patters are formed. My intension was to capture three of these patterns in the camera on a single strip of film. The stamp was issued in celebration of the 2017 solar eclipse. I am not sure the heat sensitive ink is still active. If so, when heat is applied to the stamp the black ink should clear to show an image of the moon.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[drpsilver]

01 Mar 2021

The card from mfohl titled "Fence Lines" is nicely composed. Good tonal control (white fences are indeed white), and the perspective of the fence posts is correct. Well done.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[mfohl]

01 Mar 2021

Mark:

I am glad that you liked the card/photo. You are correct that I photographed the bottom of a coffee cup. Since I brew my coffee with a press pot there always is a little "sludge" left in the bottom of the cup. I noticed that when the cup is tilted some very intestine patters are formed. My intension was to capture three of these patterns in the camera on a single strip of film. The stamp was issued in celebration of the 2017 solar eclipse. I am not sure the heat sensitive ink is still active. If so, when heat is applied to the stamp the black ink should clear to show an image of the moon.

Regards,
Darwin

I saw the moon! Your heat sensitive stamp works! Thanks!

Btw, the next solar eclipse in 2023 (or something) will be directly over Westerville. The empty rooms in my house have already been spoken for!

 

[distributed]

Yesterday I received a card from @mfohl. I immediately spotted the eyes in this portrait, but it took me longer to see the missing teeth. My alternative interpretation is that a tongue is being stuck out towards me! It's a well found subject and a funny one at that. I like the classic tonality with attention to the highlights and brighter mids. It's not something you see often these days. Thank you very much!

 

[Lucid]

Whew, where is the time going?! It's going to be another mad rush of contact printing this week to get my cards out soon!

A few more cards have made their way to my door. My thanks to all!

@mfohl - I nice perspective to draw the eye down the field. It reminds me very much of the horse racing track in Newbury. Your comment on the sunny 16 rule made me chuckle. The whites in the fences are nice and have retained a lot of detail. The candy cane shadows on the right of the frame are very cool too.

@distributed - Welcome to the Exchange! I believe this is the first card I've received from yourself. Thank you very much for sending over. I think the postmen must pass the time with origami, as the card I received has seen better days! The borders are crisp and even; not too much or too little. The train details and tones are very nice. I'm surprised to see how well the combination of Xtol and HP5 have worked out. If your Durst is Frankenstein, then my LPL must be the Mummy, as I've tapped up the many (many) light leaks!

@tezzasmall - I was glad to see that I was able to receive one of your cards again. I really like the substantive feel of the paper you printed on. Barnards Farm sounds like a much more enjoyable visit than to Barnards Castle! At first glance I mistook the subject as an otherworldly plant! The paper gives a feel of a Bromoil or Gum Print. I'll have to give printing on Ilford's Art 300 paper a go myself.

 

[distributed]

@Lucid I am happy the card reached you in one piece, even if as a supposedly unintentional piece of origami. Together with the PCX cards I sent one to a friend in Switzerland. The card that reached her had one fold across the whole width. I think next time I will try to find either a heavier paper or follow the good advice of forum members to stick the note and the address as labels on the back as this helps with increasing paper weight. I am looking forward to see what the secrets the mummy holds!

 

[Black Dog]

Are you sure it's from December? I posted my cards in February since that's when I got the address list - perhaps it travelled it back in time?

That wouldn't surprise me right now!

 

[Lucid]

Two more cards passed through my letterbox today. A nice little surprise to close off the week.

@Finn lyle - What a stunning location. I follow a couple of YouTubers who fish and camp in that area, and a trip to the Superior is on my bucket list for sure. I really like the effect of the low clouds letting the horizon vanish into the distance. There are a wealth of details to pour over which is very enjoyable. Am I right thinking that there is someone sitting by the edge of the cliffs? Thanks for sending a card my way.

@drpsilver - I was scratching my head when I first saw your card. I was determined to figure out what it was before turning over. A petri dish and ant farm were the first the came to mind. I was surprised to read on the back what it really was. I also very much enjoyed the stamps on the back too. On the front the images are a nice set of contact prints on a suitably sized paper. Come to think of it, they look a bit like fish eyes now. I think my local Post Office has taken up Japanese paper folding, as your card looked to have been through the wars by the time it reached me! That said, it all adds to the uniqueness of the experience.

 

[gijsbert]

Also got 2 cards:

@mfohl funny card of a barn or house that looks a bit like a face that could really use some 'dental' maintenance, nice tones and textures, well done! I always have trouble with Tri-X and get way too much contrast, I guess I overdevelop...

@drpsilver intriguing contact print/photos! I keep on thinking I see strange coins but it's actually looking down a coffee cup almost in limbo, must have been some impressive extension tubes to get that close. Very cool! Also includes a nice set of stamps! And I guess I was lucky, the card made it to Montreal unscathed.

Thanks!

 

[drpsilver]

@drpsilver intriguing contact print/photos! I keep on thinking I see strange coins but it's actually looking down a coffee cup almost in limbo, must have been some impressive extension tubes to get that close. Very cool! Also includes a nice set of stamps! And I guess I was lucky, the card made it to Montreal unscathed.

08 March 2021

Thank you gijsbert for your impression/observation of my photos, and am very glad that you like the card. As for the stamps, I have a bunch of old stamps that I uncovered during a office closet clean-out that are not collectable. Therefore, use them for postage. I am doubly glad that the card made it to you mailbox unscathed.

I received a card from distributed yesterday of an interesting railway station in Aarau in Switzerland. My wife has lots of relatives in many parts of Switzerland that we have visited several times. On one of the many trips we drove through Aarau on our way from Esslingen to Olten or France. The Swiss have a very good eye for design. Edit: Unfortunately the card arrived in my mailbox partially torn, and creased in several places.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[mfohl]

I just received a photo of two trains in the Zurich train station from distributed. Lots of geometry in the lines from the two trains. And there's a person working on the tracks behind the second train. Cool! Thanks Michael.

And that reminds me of the time I was talking with a few people about Switzerland. A lady said "Oh, Switzerland! Where the trains are on time!" And a guy, from Switzerland, replied "And so are the men!"

 

[distributed]

I received a tryptich from @drpsilver. I am fond of contact copies and I like that you have taken the genres a further than my cartes de visite. Before reading the back and the feedback in this thread, the pictures had me wondering whether I was maybe looking at aerial photographs of a river system. Thank you!

I also received a card from @BSP. As I sent you a photo taken reasonably close to the source of the Rhine I think it's only fair that you sent me a picture taken close to the mouth of the river in the Netherland. Of course stating where exactly the Rhine flows through the Netherlands is a complicated question, but I like the image. You have put the short focal length to good use, the statue is large but not imposing. I like the image and accompanying words. Thank you!

 

[mfohl]

Yesterday I received a card from BSP. It is a nice seaside park with a statue of a fisherman's wife overlooking. Is she waiting for her husband. Nice card. Thanks Bill.

 

[Finn lyle]

Received four cards this week,
A stunning and ever-relevant triptych from @drpsilver, the format of the image as a contact sheet gives such a wonderful perspective coupled with the surrealistic overhead views of the mugs. You've made great art out of something usually so mundane.
From @BSP , a lovely statue of a fisherman's wife. She looks almost to be in mourning, and the harbor gives a very fitting context. The vingetting around the corners adds to the "vintage" feel of the image in a lovely way.
From @mooseontheloose, a stairway to the past. Such a beautiful shot, very ethereal with the glowing foliage and dark skies. Seems like the perfect place to capture on HIE. I have never seen a real life print using that film before and it is absolutely stunning.
From @mfohl, nails. You've captured a slice of time so well here, I can almost feel the sun beating down. The chair sitting empty under the nails sign is so well juxtaposed by the busy and contrasty Tow-away notice.
As a side note, the Ilford post card paper is really something, might have to look into a box of that for the next round. It sits so flat.

 

[Finn lyle]

@Lucid I'm glad you liked it, there's really no place on earth like superior. Some of the best camping and fishing you can find IMO. There are a few people wandering around on the cliffs, and you are right in noticing the fellow sitting on the lip. He must have a stomach of steel to perch so precariously.

 

[tezzasmall]

And I've now received a few more postcards.

Bill has sent one of a statue of a lady looking out to sea, which intrigues me.

Mfohl has sent to me a 5" x 4" contact print of a face of a famous Native American, made out of a mixture of various sized pieces of stone. It looks large and I imagine it being very impressive to see.

Rachelle (the mooseontheloose) has sent me a lovely IR picture from her travels in Kurdistan, showing both a person and landscape. I envy Rachelle and her travels even more at this moment in time.

Many thanks one and all.

Terry S

 

[ProfessorC1983]

Better late than never (I hope!), my "cards" went out today... however they are quite a bit larger than standard post cards (8" square) and I took the risk of sending without envelopes (though with equivalent postage) so I hope they make it safely!

In the meantime I have received:

@drpsilver - I loved the subtle difference in values between the coffee mug and the countertop. I'm sure calculating the right exposure was a challenge.

@mfohl - Giving me GAS for a C220! I hope you didn't get into any trouble with Hound Dog's Towing & Recovery.

@mooseontheloose - Such beautiful IR contrast between the sky and trees. One of these days I'd love to try HIE.

@BSP - I liked the lines here, especially the placement of the lighthouse in the composition, as if aiding the woman's search for her husband.

Thanks to all!

 

[mfohl]

I received two nice postcards today. The first is from Michael Teresko, a nice shot of some leafless trees (possibly an orchard?) with some grass in the foreground and some mountains in the background, trailing off in the distance. Unfortunately, the post office beat up on this one pretty badly: lots of ink on the image side of the card. But much appreciated just the same. Thanks Michael. And the second is from ProfessorC1983, the largest card I have received in any round, measuring 8x8 inches! A 4x5 close-up shot of a monopoly board piece, a steamship. Very cool, it looks like it's been underwater for some time. Thanks Clinton. Two excellent cards.

 

[iandvaag]

Aiaiai, I'm a bit late, but I posted my cards today. It's been a crazy few months for me; I haven't opened APUG just to browse for many weeks. Know that I am really enjoying the cards! Many thanks!

 

[Black Dog]

Aiaiai, I'm a bit late, but I posted my cards today. It's been a crazy few months for me; I haven't opened APUG just to browse for many weeks. Know that I am really enjoying the cards! Many thanks!

Signup for the next round starts in May, so you've still got a little while!