Postcard Exchange Round 55 Comments and Feedback

[mfohl]

I also received the "Lighted Cross" from Westchester, NY. An interesting subject, and very nicely rendered in the evening light. Unfortunately, there are some scratches on the surface from its postal journey. Thanks Howard!

 

[mfohl]

As an example, if ten people want to send only one and one person wants to send one to everyone, and there are 11 people, then no one would get more than 2.

My mind is going here. I think choosing ALL is sending one to all the participants, regardless of how many each of the others are sending. Choosing MAX means sending one to each participant who will send one to you. For the folks choosing to send only 6, or 10, or X, I don't understand the criteria of who those limited number of recipients should be.

 

[MattKing]

For the folks choosing to send only 6, or 10, or X, I don't understand the criteria of who those limited number of recipients should be.

George's magical software randomizes those choices. I'm guessing it sprinkles the card distribution evenly amongst everybody.

 

[Don_ih]

I think choosing ALL is sending one to all the participants, regardless of how many each of the others are sending. Choosing MAX means sending one to each participant who will send one to you.

Yeah - I had it wrong with what I said there. I had Max and All confused.

 

[Don_ih]

I received @MattiS ' "Zollern II/IV" today. I like industrial shots and this is a nice one, against a well-defined sky. I'd want to climb that, if I was there. I have odd urges to climb steel structures...

I had a pack of that Rollei paper, once. It has a nice finish and good tones.

I truly enjoy the postcard exchange. It just keeps on going.

 

[mfohl]

Well, crap! My postcard to bedrof, in a letter, came back today: "service temporarily suspended". I owe you one, Ilya. I'll keep this, and send it when the lines of communication are open again.

But I did receive two nice ones. MattiS's "Zollern II/IV". The big dark menacing colliery, with the dramatic clouds. Very nice. And nicely printed with the small black border around.

And also MToma's "Faces/Facets of Light". I see those beady eyes in there, staring out. I hope they didn't shoot back when you shot. Nice print. From a camera I've never heard of, a Porst Hapo. And I've been around awhile. I'll have to google it.

Thanks Martin! Thanks Mihai!

 

[Oxleyroad]

Postcard 16 arrived from Mattis - "Zollern II/IV". I think this is the perfect choice of paper for this photo. It appears both ghostly and overpowering at the same time. I like that the light is behind the tower. Thanks Mattis.

 

[jvo]

my reading of rules...

ALL = one card will be sent to ALL participants
MAX = one card will be sent to all participants PLUS a card to George, Sean and Ilford/Harman.

am i incorrect?

 

[MattKing]

my reading of rules...

ALL = one card will be sent to ALL participants
MAX = one card will be sent to all participants PLUS a card to George, Sean and Ilford/Harman.

am i incorrect?

You are incorrect.
All is, indeed = one card will be sent to ALL participants.
MAX = one card will be sent to the maximum number of cards that result from the algorithm employed by George's magical software, which is designed to randomize the lists and do its best to make sure that the people who send out more have a fair level of exchange with the ones who send out less.

 

[jvo]

2 cards today... from

mattisS, zollernII/IV, very dramatic, and probably the colliery' ever looked
MToma, faces/facets of light, my kind of picture - imaginative, graphic, interestingly printed... p.s. it's when they're not staring at you you gotta worry!

Thanks.

p.s. thanks for the clarification Matt.

 

[George Nova Scotia]

Hello everyone, it seems time has passed and Round 56 will soon be on the way. Look for the signup thread soon.

Regarding the number of cards.

ALL - You will get the complete list of all participants but you can only expect to receive cards from the maximum number of pairs.
MAX - you will get a list up to the maximum pairs that can be created. It may be smaller than the total number. You should receive a card from everyone on you list.
1-999 you will get list up to the number you select and you should receive a card from everyone on you list.
The key point is the pairing, you should receive a card from everyone on you list unless you select ALL.

There are also some optional addresses included with the address list.

George

 

[Don_ih]

I received @Howard Earl 's "Lighted Cross" card, today. It's a nice contact print from a 4x5. You don't see many lighted crosses anywhere around here (although you see some doomsaying signs).
Thanks!

 

[distributed]

I have received "Shape Shell" from @unwantedfocus, a very pleasing geometrical picture that I would be proud of. Thank you!

From @drpsilver I got a picture of the "Bread Castle". If the photo paper ever had as much moisture as the bread, you certainly dried it well. It's a funny picture and the castle even has a tower!

@keisisqrl sends me one of the first prints of his new home darkroom. What a nice set of tones on this card.

@jvo sends me an interesting and probably spontaneously made card. As the card says, a "fun result". Thank you.

An undisclosed sender from the US made a contact print of a electrically lit cross on a field. I always like contact copies, they're like little jewels.

 

[Jim Christie]

Catching up on three cards I received recently. MattiS sent one titled Zollern II/IV taken at a colliery museum. It’s a rather imposing structure and the sky adds some drama as well. Lighted cross on open field came in from (I think) Howard Earl. It was interesting that this arrived nearly the same time as Zollern image since they are both singular elements that are largely separated from their surroundings — an interesting coincidence. I also received Faces/Facets of Lights from MToma. Those are indeed some crazy face-like shapes in those trees, and the longer you look the more you see .

 

[hkbenji]

I received another 4 postcards with thanks:

@Howard Earl "Lighted cross on open field" 4x5" contact(?) print is well executed. It makes me want to know who put it there, why, and how it is powered in an open field. Intriguing.
@MattiS "Zollern II/IV" Strong photograph. I especially like the cloudy sky against the angular lines of steel; great contrast. As has been mentioned before, the paper looks great.
@unwantedfocus "Shape Shell" - lines coming together like a graphic arts project. Great stuff. Interesting camera too, and a paper I haven't tried yet - looks and feels very good.
Interesting(?) side note; I have all the postcards together on a whiteboard and this one was strangely green, compared to the others. Took me a little while to figure out that that is due to the light in my flat being somewhat green as the windows are tinted. When I move the print under different coloured lighting, it completely changes. I guess this is metamerism?
@gijsbert Bishop Stones in Iceland. Lovely print. Made me read up on Cairns, interesting stuff!

 

[bedrof]

Whoa, it looks like mail service now accepts letters and cards to North America. I'm going to send the remaining cards within next week.

 

[drpsilver]

02 Jun 2022

It has been too long since I commented on cards that I have received. Now is the time ...

"Shape Shell" from Unwantedfocus is well composed, and can be viewed in an orientation. I really like these kind of images because they give the viewer a lot to look for in the repeating patterns.
"as it should be" from keisisqrl is a wonderful example of "street art".
The card from MattKing has a very gold/sepia tone that makes the print look old. Leave it to Matt to experiment with different toning formulations/techniques.
"Zollern II/IV" from MattiS gives the viewer a very interesting perspective of this structure. I like how you kept shadow detail, and the paper you used.
"Faces/Facets of Light" from MToma is interesting because the trees do show patterns of faces and light. This image prompts the imagination to look for recognizable features.
"Leitzigrabenbrukcke at sunset, Zurich,CH" from distributed is full of detail, and shows how complicated train stations can be.
The card from gijsbert of the Vik Beach in Iceland. Great tonal range in this photo. The crashing waves bring some movement into this photo. Reminds me of parts of the California coast.

I have received 18 postcards to-date.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[mfohl]

I received a very nice print (bigger than a postcard!) from bedrof. Beautiful foliage with a nice river reflection, the river being the Hosta River in the Sochi Natural Reserve in Russia. Very happy to receive it, thanks Ilya.

 

[Jim Christie]

I’m a little late on these updates, but wanted to mention two additional cards that recently came in for this round. First in was Rica Lake, Abkhazia from bedrof. This is a beautiful scene of a portion of the shoreline with mountains in the background. I also appreciated the story about the trip — sounds like it was a lot of fun. Coincidentally, another travel photo, Hiking Twin Peaks in Hong Kong, was sent by hkbenji. There was a collective ‘wow’ from my kids when I pulled that from the envelope. Very effective composition; the square format works really well for this.

 

[bedrof]

@Jim Christie , @mfohl
I'm very glad that cards of the second batch started to show up on the other side of the Atlantic.
Thank you for your comments. I'm about to write mine soon

 

[bedrof]

Zollern II/IV by @MattiS - very nice and cleverly composed image of a coal mine tower. I've heard that many of such places were turned into museums in Germany.

EST 1836 (Trinity church) by @Dan McGuire - sort of a classic LF photograph wih smooth tones.

Sculpture abstract by @Jim Christie - interesting play of textures, tones and shadows. Paper finish suits it perfectly.

Shape shell by @unwantedfocus - another nice abstract card. I like this sort of patterns too. This satin paper reminds me one by Slavich, but that has a much bigger grain.

Stella, surreal by @jvo - an interesting moment caught, great idea! Now I'm gonna search local shops for this sort of room divider

 

[Wayne Frederick]

Thanks Hkbenji for the wonderful card showing a hiking trail. Very mysterious, nicely printed.

 

[Oxleyroad]

Two more postcards have come in from this round making a total of 18 cards, that I had mixed in with my PCX #56 bundle of cards. bedrof - "Hosta river, Sochi Natural Reserve". Love the reflections. HKbenji - "Hiking Twin Peaks in Hong Kong". Great choice of paper stock and a very dreamy image.