Postcard Exchange Round 55 Comments and Feedback

[Don_ih]

I received @Jim Christie's card, a perspective on a sculpture displaying a great range of tones. There's a serenity to it, which is very nice. Thanks!

 

[mfohl]

I also received jvo's "Stella, surreal". Very cool. A very nice portrait of Stella with some nice surround material. All works well together. And my card was also postmarked on the picture side of the card. Not that you can tell, but what's up with that??? Thanks James.

 

[ajmiller]

Apologies for late report. I received a card from @Jim Christie last week. I like Richard Serra's work so this was a great addition to my collection.

 

[MattiS]

Received Jim Christie´s "Sculpture Abstract" yesterday The curved shapes of the sculpture are in contrast to Serras "Terminal" which stands not far away from my home in the city center of Bochum. Should take a photo of it.

 

[Don_ih]

I received @jvo's "Stella, surreal" yesterday. When you look at it, it appears to be a photo of photos. But there's a face in the middle looking straight out at you that, after a moment, you realize is someone behind these photos. It makes for a cool portrait. Thanks!
(The similar situation here is I have "off" prints and interesting test strips stuck with magnets to my fridge and upright freezer. Every few months, they need to be cleared off, as they pile up. Sometimes, it makes something like your photo happen on its own, where someone's face gets framed by several other photos - but, in my case, it's just a picture of a face.)

 

[Oxleyroad]

Cards 5 and 6 came my way this week. JVO's Stella, surreal. It is Surreal and captures everyone's eyes as they walk past the fridge (my place of exhibiting the post cards). I got a "Why can't you make prints like this" from my best friend and wife. mikeg - Heath Mynd Hill from Linley Beeches. Appears as a ghostly landscape, and my teenage kids ask why is it not called 'X' marks the spot because that was the first thing they both saw in your postcard.

My cards will go into the post on Monday 7th March.

 

[Oxleyroad]

Card 7 arrived today. John Kelly, Remote off-road, Northern New Mexico. Amazing inkjet print and great choice of paper. I can only imagine the amount of post work you did to get the blinding sun to the level you have. Thanks.

 

[Oxleyroad]

Card 8 arrived today from Wayne Frederick - "Storm Surf". I like the image I like the postcard stock and thanks for all the processing details. Great Image.

My cards missed the postman today. So tomorrow they'll be on their way to everyone.

 

[mfohl]

I have two nice cards today. First is jtk's "Remote Off Road", some very artistic junk in northern New Mexico. A careful arrangement of exhaust systems. Nicely processed, and very nicely printed on Hahnenuhle matte paper. And second is Wayne Frederick's "Storm Surf", a very large and angry wave in Maine. Also very nicely processed, but in a different manner. Some deft dodging and burning. Thanks John! Thanks Wayne!

 

[ajmiller]

Thanks to John Kelly @jtk for a card which I received today. Excellent print which suits the subject really well. One thing that applies to these analogue or digital prints is the various paper used. I do like the Hahnemuhle paper this is printed on. Thanks John.

 

[mikeg]

I've also received @jtk John's card yesterday. A very good eye to spot the potential in the subject and very nicely processed and printed.

Thanks also to @jvo for his card Stella, surreal. I can now see what everyone was talking about last week!

Thanks John and James

 

[MattKing]

So far this Round I've received four very interesting cards:
@Dan McGuire - "EST 1836" - a classic view of a building that was clearly intended to last! The print is very nice, and the bordered style suits the subject. I like the "otter" postmark too ;
@Jim Christie - "Sculpture Abstract" - a very nice inkjet print of details from a piece of sculpture. The curved shapes are well complemented by the ink's tone and the paper's surface;
@jvo - "Stella, surreal" - I like fun cards, and this is one. I take it that it is digitally printed on RA4 paper? The blacks and greys are great, and the catchlight in Stella's eye is perfect - a great environmental portrait. Why the post office decided to postmark the front of the card is a mystery to me, but strangely it actually adds to the image;
@mfohl - "Building Structure" - and structured it is - very well.
Thanks everyone.

 

[Don_ih]

Received a very interesting card from @jtk of what appears to be mufflers and other scrap metal piled up such that it looks like it's growing up like an overgrown hedge. Very cool!

 

[mfohl]

I received oxleyroad's "Nature's Lace", a nice close-in study of last year's hydrangea flowers. Good job on the close-up, the background is pretty much all blurred out. And it does show some interesting natural structure. Thanks Andrew!

 

[jtk]

I sent 21 posts a week or two ago, have received a half dozen...excitedly expecting more soon! Big fun.

 

[MattKing]

My cards are finally in the mail. The title is "Hangin' On".
And for the first time in two years, the US and Internationally directed cards are again mailed from the USA - thanks to the special Order in Council which permits day trips without a mandatory PCR Covid test to the Point Roberts community in Washington State that is just 13 blocks away from where I live.
When you get your card, you may or may not see much evidence of toning. The reason for that is that I used this exchange to experiment with black salt (Kala Namak) toning of the prints.
Kala Namak based toning can serve as a replacement for the no longer sold Kodak Brown Toner or Agfa Viradon Toner. We have had some recent discussions about this approach in threads dealing with both toning of prints and toning of slide materials. @Raghu Kuvempunagar has posted a resource collecting information about Kala Namak toning here: https://www.photrio.com/forum/resources/kala-namak-sepia-toner-for-indirect-toning.451/
I say "experiment" because my results were inconsistent. I got very little response when attempting to use the toner directly. When I switched over to using the toner in a bleach and re-develop workflow, my results were very inconsistent - some prints are almost chocolate brown, while many show more signs of the bleaching process than they do of the toning process, and in some cases the effect is somewhat uneven.
IMHO, the subject goes well with uneven or inconsistent results, so you get to see them (if you are on my list).
I've thoughts about improving how I mix the toner - temperature and pH changes mainly - so there is a decent chance that future exchanges may see more consistent results.
In any event, I hope those on my list like the cards.

 

[jtk]

JAMES O'GARA....STELLA SURREAL...GREAT IDEA, WISH IT WAS PRINTED A LITTLE MORE OPEN-LOOKING...PERHAPS MAT PAPER

JIM CHRISTIE...SCULPTURE ABSTRACT (RICHARD SERRA'S "WAKE" ... I'M A BIG FAN OF SERRA'S SCULPTURE...NICELY LIT, FINE INKJET TONES

DON HEITZ...TRUCK IN FARMER'S FIELD...GREAT USE OF KODAK'S BEST

MIKE GROVES...HEATH MYND HILL...FINE INKJET WORK

MARK FOHL...PARKING METER...PERFECT..GLAD IT CAME IN AN ENVELOPE, CLASSIC CAMERA AND FILLUM

WAYNE FREDERIK...STORM SURF... CAREFUL PROCESSING, IDEAL DAY, AMAZING DETAIL (LOTS OF BIRDS IN WATER).

JUST A THOUGHT: YES, THIS IS A POSTCARD EXCHANGE BUT MAYBE WE SHOULD MAIL IN ENVELOPES DUE TO POSTAL DAMAGE

ONE VERY GOOD THING ABOUT THESE TINY PRINTS IS THAT THEY MAY SHOW SOME IMAGES BETTER THAN BIGGER PRINTS MIGHT.

 

[Raghu Kuvempunagar]

When you get your card, you may or may not see much evidence of toning. The reason for that is that I used this exchange to experiment with black salt (Kala Namak) toning of the prints.
Kala Namak based toning can serve as a replacement for the no longer sold Kodak Brown Toner or Agfa Viradon Toner. We have had some recent discussions about this approach in threads dealing with both toning of prints and toning of slide materials. @Raghu Kuvempunagar has posted a resource collecting information about Kala Namak toning here: https://www.photrio.com/forum/resources/kala-namak-sepia-toner-for-indirect-toning.451/
I say "experiment" because my results were inconsistent. I got very little response when attempting to use the toner directly. When I switched over to using the toner in a bleach and re-develop workflow, my results were very inconsistent - some prints are almost chocolate brown, while many show more signs of the bleaching process than they do of the toning process, and in some cases the effect is somewhat uneven.
IMHO, the subject goes well with uneven or inconsistent results, so you get to see them (if you are on my list).
I've thoughts about improving how I mix the toner - temperature and pH changes mainly - so there is a decent chance that future exchanges may see more consistent results.

Sorry to hear about the inconsistent results. BTW Low Che Ng did some experiments on indirect toning of prints with Kala Namak toner and created a nice video:

cc: @nmp @Ivo Stunga

 

[MattKing]

Sorry to hear about the inconsistent results.

Don't worry - I'm still in the learning stage with compounding this, so the results were valuable.
I do like Brown Toner - even more than Sepia Toner - so I'm still hoping for consistency.

 

[jtk]

I'm eager to see more postcards! The diversity of those that have already arrived is fun.

It's a great opportunity to compare/contrast/be inspired.

No excuse for dragging feet.

 

[Jim Christie]

Few more postcards came in this week. Received jtk’s Remote off-road showing an interesting assembly of exhaust systems, shovels and apparently a lot of other things. I keep wondering how long it took to put all that together. The Hahnemühle matte paper worked well for this image.

Wayne Frederick sent an ocean wave scene titled Storm Surf. It’s a scene that captures that magical moment where the light and action are just right.

The two most recent arrivals both have a nature theme. Nature’s Lace from Oxleyroad is a close-in shot of some desiccated hydrangea flowers. MattKing’s Hangin’ On is a serene springtime view of trees and water. It’s interesting how in nature even things that are dead or dormant can still be full of life, and I think both of these cards demonstrate that nicely.

 

[keisisqrl]

I have not been updating this thread, but... getting to it now!

Dan McGuire, "EST 1836": lovely depiction, I think the way the gravestones are incorporated in the foreground really complements the architecture.

mfohl, "Vertical Railing": I love the way you've taken something mundane and made this study of texture and shape

Jim Christie, "Sculpture Abstract": I like the look you've got from inkjet here. It took me a while to recognize the sculpture, I love amount of surface texture captured.

jtk, "Remote off-road": what a cool, um, bunch of stuff. That sounds sarcastic but I mean it. I have to agree with Jim, nice paper choice.

jvo, "stella, surreal": this one is so sweet.

now I'm feeling a little outclassed, ha... but! I have my first batch of prints done, finally, and should have them in the mail soon.

 

[distributed]

I have received a picture of the alien from @mfohl. The photo is very well found, I can appreciate that a lot. It is also a tad bit humorous and very well executed. Thank you!

I have also received "Nature's lace" from @Oxleyroad. This one is well found as well, if on a different scale. The photo is all the better that it has nature's lace in all kinds of different stages. I was also thrilled to see a print of a negative developed in Parodinal! Thanks

 

[jtk]

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1010503-REG/hahnemuhle_10641360_matt_fibre_duo_210.html

fwiw B&H was my source for Hahnemuhle Photo Matt Fibre Duo.

I selected this genuinely warm-toned paper to use with my printer's warm adjustment (not Photoshop alone). A nicely textured, remarkably inexpensive double-sided paper that ISN'T advertised as "archival."

 

[Oxleyroad]

Glad to see that some of my cards are arriving to their addressees here in the USA. My Canadian friends will need to wait a few more days as my courier that was going to take the cards across the river to post did not come into the office last week. Card number 9 arrived today from Jord186 - Rock and Water. To me and the rest of the family this could almost be an aerial photograph of a coast line. Really like all of the cards so far and thanks to you all.