Postcard Exchange Round 60 Comments and Feedback

I am a happy recipient of MattiS' "Chasing Train" today, with only minor scuffing.
Nicely done! The leaning grasses add a sense of speed...
Reminds me of an etching...it transported me to 1887, the Wild, Wild West.

I also received MattiS's "Chasing Trains". Good capture of the train, with the smoke. And it looks like a happy crowd of people in the back enjoying a joy ride. Thanks Martin!

Hello all,

I'm really sorry for this, but both me and "Dunga" (we're both in Timisoara, Romania; we print at the same time in my darkroom) haven't sent our postcards for this exchange. Basically, we were idiotic enough to forget before the winter holidays, and now my darkroom is in shambles, and can't print at all.

We do promise we'll get back as soon as possible to print out the postcards and send them. Sorry for the huge delay.

Mihai Toma

PCX#60 gems received as of Jan 25:

Jan 16 - RCPhoto - Casualty - Well seen! I Like the square format and the way the image pops off the gloss paper. Inspiring me to try some square format submissions.
Jan 9 - MattiS - Chasing Trains - Great shot, I especially like the group riding in the car behind the engine all staring at the photographer.
Dec 8 - Tom Taylor - Lake Virginia - Endurance...carrying a F3 and some kit on a multiday multi thousand foot elevation gain backpacking trip! Nice reward! Great capture of a beautiful vista!
Dec 6 - Jim Christie - Forgotten Things - Beautiful! Combines some of my favorite things, doors, peeling paint and lines! Nicely done!
Dec 5 - SJC1952 - Four Young Men - I have always admired street photographers and street photography - something I have never really done. Nicely seen and executed, loaded with detail!
Nov 30 - koraks - Ganoderma - Had a mishap with the image detaching from the cardstock in the post...
Nov 23 - bedrof - A winding road - Well seen with classical composition elements. Beautiful layering from foreground to the distant background!
Nov 22 - Ansel Mortensen - Scotts Valley - Lovely bokeh and composition, I walk by fields of these everyday and have thought to photograph, motivation arrived in the post!
Nov 15 - KitosLAB - Mill and Wooden Temple - I used to pass a Boykos style Ukrainian Church in Brampton Ontario, just beautiful! Never stopped to photograph. Motivation to photograph is returning! Added double exposure, nicely done!
Nov 10 - mshchem - Man in Tree - My wife and I are debating where the man is, I actually see a large cat climbing the tree, never the less well seen and executed!
Nov 8 - Daniela - An Overthinkers Dream - Great title for this shot full of "Easter Egg" questions... what does the lawn sign say and what is the black image to the left. Well seen!
Nov 7 - KRNOW - Gunnera Leaf - Beautiful and inspirational to try!
Nov 6 - DRPSILVER - Tiger Beetle Tracks - I love black and white - tone and texture and the abstract, nicely done!
Nov 3 - Tel - Lunch - This is my second PCX and like the first I find motivation from images of others. Opportunities for shots are everywhere, why am I not taking my camera everywhere, thanks!
Nov 3 - JVO - hah-rumphf - Great shot! Especially the slight head tilt that adds to the whole dismissiveness!
Nov 3 - Michael Howard - Ghost Last Supper - The contrast difference between the figures and the hill side really grows on me every time I return to the photo, nicely done.
Oct 27 - mfohl - Why so serious? - Well seen! - why are the wipers up, why is the oil filter gasket on the ground, why is only the passenger side sun shade down, why....
Oct 25 - negativefunk - I was going elsewhere - Beautiful image with the fog!
Oct 20 - Don Heisz - Bean leaf - Love the detail of the photo but also the story on how it was made.

I received a beautiful print from bedrof. "Waterfall, Guzeripl Ranger Station". A nice composition from a nature site with really nice gray tones. Looks like a great place for a holiday! Thanks Ilya!

07 Feb 2024

I received "Waterfall, Guzeripl Ranger Station" from bedrof. Moving water is one of my favorite subjects, and this is a very nice photograph of this waterfall. There is a lot for the viewer to see in this photo, and the "low perspective" gives a sense of scale to the waterfall. The creek downfall and debris lead the viewer to the waterfall, and at the same time present a barrier to getting to the waterfall. Well done.

Regards,
Darwin

I'm late with my comments.... from

MattiS, chasing trains, somehow these images always exemplify power... great perspective and use of space i never heard the term "chasing trains"
sjc1952, the three graces, you make the subjects interesting and intriguing... i'm curious, what are the awards, medals and buttons?
michael howard, ghost rider, hauntingly arrived on Halloween! mesmerizing and well-done
drpsilver, tiger beetle tracks, wonderful, graphic, and interest
jim christie, forgotten things, wonderful texture, tone, and contrasts. the entire study looks like it might make an interesting exhibit.
todd barlow, niagara escarpment, nice contrasts, well seen.
mschem, man in tree, the elephant man - jos merrick! well seen, exposed and printed... the glossy paper serves the image well.
kitoslab, winter dnieper, brrrrh, it is cold!! blue toned, well done.
mfohl, grain elevator pattern, the lines, broken by the irregular line of ties, across the dark shadow - a hard subject very interestingly done
tel, snow changes everything, it certainly does... and you managed tomake you feel the cold... the snow, exposed wonderfully, not blown out and detail. the 2 people on the lake make the picture "real".
negativefunk, low clouds at the wind farm, attractively balanced photo and lines. the graphic shapes perfect against the light fog and dark background with just enough detail!
raphael, monstera, depth, line and height... an appealing color print, nicely lit.
rc, casualty, and you included the twin signs at the rear!!!
ansel mortensen, scotts valley, well done thistle with excellent depth of field - each stalk in focus and perfect out of focus background.
tom taylor, lake virginia, superb view of the vista and terrain... i think i got dizzy reading about the descents, hikes and climbs.
rrrgcy, coral gables bldg., excellent high key image - now why didn't i think of that?
d.heisz, girl with skeleton, of course, don't all kids have one! funny and interesting... also really well exposed with that big window behind the subject!

Thanks for your thoughtful and hard work - really enjoyable.

jvo said:

d.heisz, girl with skeleton, of course, don't all kids have one! funny and interesting... also really well exposed with that big window behind the subject!

Click to expand...

I was beginning to wonder if that particular card (I think I printed two of them) got waylaid somehow - or banished to postcard hades since it's a hybrid (my first hybrid postcard). The photo was taken with my phone but the print is on Ilford postcard paper. If you get a magnifying class, you can probably see the "grain" - very well-order little rectangles.

I was really late, I will say "3 hail stieglitzes's" as a penance for your added stress.... an adopted grandkids 1st year of high school is a hugely overwhelming experience for us ol' folks!

I really like the image, your cell phone, (perish the thought), and your seeing, did well.

Hi everyone,

I'm a bit worried and puzzled about my prints from round 60.
None of you confirmed arrival and none of the 15 returned.

Could you still please let me know if any of them make it, even if it's out of sync with the current PCX?
Green envelope, hard to miss
Thanks!

@Dunga, I'm so sorry - wasn't this the color print from the theatrical production? Apologies for not confirming, but I received it in perfect order many weeks ago - and greatly enjoyed it, too!

Dunga said:

Hi everyone,

I'm a bit worried and puzzled about my prints from round 60.
None of you confirmed arrival and none of the 15 returned.

Could you still please let me know if any of them make it, even if it's out of sync with the current PCX?
Green envelope, hard to miss
Thanks!

Click to expand...

Hi Dunga:
I have not received a card as of yet, but Mihai Toma had posted in this thread on Jan 24, 2024 that your mailings had been delayed., when did you drop them in the mail?

"Hello all,
I'm really sorry for this, but both me and "Dunga" (we're both in Timisoara, Romania; we print at the same time in my darkroom) haven't sent our postcards for this exchange. Basically, we were idiotic enough to forget before the winter holidays, and now my darkroom is in shambles, and can't print at all.
We do promise we'll get back as soon as possible to print out the postcards and send them. Sorry for the huge delay.
Mihai Toma"

koraks said:

@Dunga, I'm so sorry - wasn't this the color print from the theatrical production? Apologies for not confirming, but I received it in perfect order many weeks ago - and greatly enjoyed it, too!

Click to expand...

That's the one!
Great news, thanks @koraks !

@Todd Barlow
I think 2-3 days after, so end of January.

Hello everyone. My darkroom is out of order for now, so I had to resort to the dreaded injket. Late, as I was hoping I'd get to print those in the darkroom. Sorry, today I'll ship for all, and if allowed, will sign up for the 62 exchange (I missed the 61).

hey dunga, i may not have been on your list - if so, I did not receive a card.

jvo said:

hey dunga, i may not have been on your list - if so, I did not receive a card.

Click to expand...

You're on the list.

I have no idea what's happened.
Hopefully most of them make it at some point.

For what it's worth, I just received a Christmas card from a friend in Israel. Sometimes things move slowly.

So, here is what I received at my home address since that "Gunnera leaf" card by krnow, which came first a couple of months ago:
@negativefunk - No title given - a foggy scene overlooking a mysterious valley.
@Tel - On Bleecker street - A scene of an everyday life inside some sort of a cafe I presume.
@koraks - Clouds - card came intact, with the print firmly attached to the base. Feels sturdy. An analog color print is a nice thing to get, thank you! These clouds look very real.
I hope soon there will be a despatch from Uzbekistan.

Great to hear you got the card @bedrof!

Dunga said:

You're on the list.

I have no idea what's happened.
Hopefully most of them make it at some point.

Click to expand...

what we know is, it is now part of the worlds mail systems and will turn up.... maybe even in yours and my life time!!!!

PCX#60 gems received as of March 12, 2024:
Feb 8 - bedrof - View from the hill over Perast, Montenegro - I loved the two photos included and tight cropping of the larger print. Your print has a classic photographic look and feel! Nicely done! (earlier PCX was actually from PCX59)
Jan 16 - RCPhoto - Casualty - Well seen! I Like the square format and the way the image pops off the gloss paper. Inspiring me to try some square format submissions.
Jan 9 - MattiS - Chasing Trains - Great shot, I especially like the group riding in the car behind the engine all staring at the photographer.
Dec 8 - Tom Taylor - Lake Virginia - Endurance...carrying a F3 and some kit on a multiday multi thousand foot elevation gain backpacking trip! Nice reward! Great capture of a beautiful vista!
Dec 6 - Jim Christie - Forgotten Things - Beautiful! Combines some of my favorite things, doors, peeling paint and lines! Nicely done!
Dec 5 - SJC1952 - Four Young Men - I have always admired street photographers and street photography - something I have never really done. Nicely seen and executed, loaded with detail!
Nov 30 - koraks - Ganoderma - Had a mishap with the image detaching from the cardstock in the post...
Nov 23 - bedrof - A winding road - Well seen with classical composition elements. Beautiful layering from foreground to the distant background!
Nov 22 - Ansel Mortensen - Scotts Valley - Lovely bokeh and composition, I walk by fields of these everyday and have thought to photograph, motivation arrived in the post!
Nov 15 - KitosLAB - Mill and Wooden Temple - I used to pass a Boykos style Ukrainian Church in Brampton Ontario, just beautiful! Never stopped to photograph. Motivation to photograph is returning! Added double exposure, nicely done!
Nov 10 - mshchem - Man in Tree - My wife and I are debating where the man is, I actually see a large cat climbing the tree, never the less well seen and executed!
Nov 8 - Daniela - An Overthinkers Dream - Great title for this shot full of "Easter Egg" questions... what does the lawn sign say and what is the black image to the left. Well seen!
Nov 7 - KRNOW - Gunnera Leaf - Beautiful and inspirational to try!
Nov 6 - DRPSILVER - Tiger Beetle Tracks - I love black and white - tone and texture and the abstract, nicely done!
Nov 3 - Tel - Lunch - This is my second PCX and like the first I find motivation from images of others. Opportunities for shots are everywhere, why am I not taking my camera everywhere, thanks!
Nov 3 - JVO - hah-rumphf - Great shot! Especially the slight head tilt that adds to the whole dismissiveness!
Nov 3 - Michael Howard - Ghost Last Supper - The contrast difference between the figures and the hill side really grows on me every time I return to the photo, nicely done.
Oct 27 - mfohl - Why so serious? - Well seen! - why are the wipers up, why is the oil filter gasket on the ground, why is only the passenger side sun shade down, why....
Oct 25 - negativefunk - I was going elsewhere - Beautiful image with the fog!
Oct 20 - Don Heisz - Bean leaf - Love the detail of the photo but also the story on how it was made

Just catching up.
Received ...
MattiS "Chasing Trains" Great work keeping up with that old steamer. Such a nice photo. Thanks for sharing.

Bedrof "View from the Hill" That's an interesting experiment, and I seem to have received one of the best crop options from the full negative. Thanks.

Yesterday I received "Sands of Archeda" from @bedrof . Delicate view of desert sands and grasses, on fiber base paper. Received envelope in perfect condition with pretty Russian stamps Thanks Ilya .

Postcards have been printed, and are IN THE MAIL!! Hopefully they will show up with a few travel marks.

Just received another great Cowboy photo from @Rob Skeoch . This one arrived without a scratch - so it makes sense I immediately got coffee on it. Well, it's just on the back. Another excellent one, Rob - thanks!