Postcard Exchange Round 67 Comments and Feedback

[koraks]

Also received two very nice cards today; there's @Michael Howard's charming portrait of an animal statue, and also an almost abstract and very pretty composition in color from @GB-A2 - thanks both!

 

[Tim Rohe]

I received "Miss Piggy" from @Michael Howard and "unfinished" from @koraks (I enjoyed the story about your dad and glad he still has all his fingers!). Thanks both for the nice prints.

 

[Don_ih]

I also received @koraks Unfinished print - very Harry Callahan-esque. That's swell paper, too. I wonder how much ammo is still left in the sand?

 

[koraks]

Thanks guys!

I wonder how much ammo is still left in the sand?

A heck of a lot, I bet! Much of it got buried in the dunes and ended up being forgotten.

 

[ChrisR]

I didn't quite realised how long it's taken me to get my cards sorted, but finally got them to the Post Office today! Many apologies; all I can say is, there's a lot going on at the mo.

I'd deliberately stayed away until it was all sorted, check today and there's 4 pages of commentary.

I have received 4 cards so far. In no particular order Miss Piggy at Greenville Zoo from Michael Howard... that's a serious pig! Dendritic Shadows from MSCHEM; I really like shadows on things, the way they so often are more distinct in the photo than to our eyes, and in this case make the building more enigmatic. Another Pinhole Tree from mfohl; who doesn't love a lone tree? a very successful pinhole, too. And the jumbo card from koraks, a really nicely weighted card, beautifully toned, and also enigmatic in its own way. Thank you all, Chris.

 

[Don_ih]

Many apologies;

No apologies necessary. People like getting later cards. All that matters is that you do eventually send them.

 

[chris ellinger]

Received three more:

koraks, "unfinished". Beautiful scene, makes me long for summer. Great print and love the tone.
Michael Howard, "Tiger Cubs in Clay". Yes the slight fog adds to the "clay" feeling. Very nice.
absalom1951, "Mail Guard". Overgrown weeds and mysterious bear hints at a story worth knowing.

Thanks, All.

chris

 

[Don_ih]

I also received the sculpture card from @Michael Howard. I really like the foreground and background separation, since it does a great job distinguishing the figures. I didn't notice the fog until I read the back (I guess I didn't look at the edge of the paper). I think it came out well. Foma paper can be pretty picky about safelights. Mine doesn't fog it but I still make sure to cast my shadow on the paper whenever I can. I don't trust any direct light on it at all (other than from the enlarger).

 

[koraks]

@ChrisR thanks for the wonderful card! The technique works admirably well with the image as such; truly a pleasure to receive this one!

 

[Daniela]

Got two nice ones, with the same stamp!

@mshchem 's "Dendritic shadows". Cool story behind that place! Love the haunting branch shadows.

@Michael Howard 's "Blending in". More than contemplative, I think she looks very sad. Very touching image.

 

[mfohl]

After being out of town for several days, I came back to find two nice cards.

First is koraks' "unfinished". a nice beach scene with two folks treasure hunting? Do they have metal detectors? The story is also nice, about his father hating the wind and the sand. I lived on the east coast of the U.S. for a while. I loved the sun and swimming in the ocean, but I hated the sand. That was enough. Thanks Raphael.

And second is Michael Howard's "Miss Piggy". That certainly is a big piggy, a lot of BLTs in there. It looks like a female, so she should be making a lot of little piglets in the meantime. And good exposure to show the dust on the little porker. Very nice, thanks Michael.

 

[rduraoc]

I got @Michael Howard 's "Tiger Cubs in Clay", in a wonderful, although slightly fogged Fomaspeed 313. I'm only now trying out the Foma papers, and have been using the glossy with satisfying results. I ordered a box of the matt paper recently but, after seeing this, I wonder if I should have gotten this great velvet instead...

 

[mshchem]

I received "Got Calculus?" from @drpsilver Oh I remember the Calculus. Not enough to really do much other than the first derivative of X squared is 2X

Very nice sharp card on MGRC selenium toner, lovely books! The older "Higher Mathematics for Engineers and Scientists "

 

[mfohl]

I also received drpsilver's "Got Calculus?". A very nicely exposed and printed stack of mathematics texts. I used to study that stuff once upon a time, but I can only echo mshchem's recollection of 2X ... Thanks Darwin.

 

[koraks]

Yes, @drpsilver 's card made it here today as well! Wonderfully made in every way!

 

[Ajven]

I received:

- "Blending In" by @Michael Howard - nicely printed postcard from ZOO
- "Arriving in Lisbon, 1999" by @rduraoc - I completely understand why the author repeatedly returns to this negative. The shot has it all – a great 'story within,' excellent lighting, including a bright streak that literally leads the viewer to the center of the action, and a wonderful station atmosphere.
- "Mail Guard" by @absalom1951 - Oh, American mailboxes... I have a soft spot for them, even when they lie abandoned and are slowly becoming overgrown with grass. A lovely postcard, seasoned with as many as four postage stamps with different motifs. Thank you!
- "Got Calculus?" by @drpsilver - The technical execution of this postcard has already been praised several times, and I’m adding my voice to that. It’s magnificent. I also love the content—though it does evoke a heavy feeling from my student years, when stacks of books that had to be studied would pile up on the table. If I praised the stamps on the last postcard, then the ones on this one are true treasures. The 'Centennial of Engineering 1852–1952' stamp, as I've looked up, was actually issued on September 6, 1952! It’s beautiful, thank you so much. But now I don't know whether to display the postcard on my desk face-up to see the image or face-down for the stamps. Decision paralysis!

Something from my 'kitchen,' meaning my darkroom—three weeks ago, I managed to buy an older Magnifax 3a enlarger, so I can finally enlarge negatives other than just 35mm film. The postcards are printed and waiting for the moment I sit down with a fountain pen in hand and start writing out the addresses from my list...

 

[rduraoc]

I got @absalom1951 's "Mail guard", I wonder if you go back there the mail boxes are even visible?
Also got @ChrisR 's "Abbey Lake Trichrome", something I had never seen in actual paper. Now that I'm getting into RA4, this might be a nice thing to experiment with...
Thank you both!

 

[Daniela]

Another happy receiver of @drpsilver 's "Got calculus?". Fantastic tones and perfect paper for it! I'll be trying it in the future. Thank you, Darwin!


My postcards are finally on their way. Better late than never! Just the classic Marianne stamps this time. The good ones are obsolete because of the yearly price increase...

 

[koraks]

@rduraoc your card made it here! Thanks so much; it's a little time machine, very beautifully printed as well. Happy with it!

 

[Don_ih]

@rduraoc -- got your card today. Pretty battered around the edges by the travel but the image was untouched. Very good shot - I like that little patch of light on the shoulder (I know I'd focus on that when enlarging as needing to look right - good job). I think the third companion may have been in the big case - getting a free uncomfortable trip out of it.

 

[Daniela]

Also received @rduraoc 's "Arriving in Lisbon". Interesting shot that feels like a film still and makes you wonder what's happening. Thank you for including your thoughts! I think they just arrived and feel relief about almost getting away with it!

 

[Don_ih]

Received two cards: @absalom1951 sent good-conditon but much unused mailboxes ... and a bear. My guess is the bear is no longer there - probably not even on the ground under the mailbox. It likely is still hibernating. May move onto greener pastures in the summer.

Also received from @drpsilver a stufy of mathematics textbooks. I was fond of math, some decades ago. One of my sons is finishing a doctorate in Math right now. Math is a-o-k around here.

 

[rduraoc]

I've also received @drpsilver 's "Got calculus". Really like the composition and the printing.

Also got @GB-A2 postcard from the hippo and hare, the desaturated background surely made the foreground pop.

Thank you both!

 

[chris ellinger]

Received two more:

DRPSILVER: "Got Calculus" Lovely print, but the subject makes my brain hurt.
rlibersky: "Havana Cathedral" Beautiful paper and tone, and incredible detail.

Thanks!

chris

 

[mshchem]

I received from @Rlibersky beautiful print interior of cathedral in Havana. Shot with Leica M10M Nokton classic 35mm 1.4 lens, (love these lenses!) Red River San Gabriel paper, lovely! I need to buy some of this paper, baryta coated, great looking!