Print Exchange

I think any of us would be flattered that another photographer thought our images were good enough to hang in their house. A place where most of us only hang our own work.!
Mike

I would think anyone would be thrilled to have their photo hanging on someone elses wall...

I've got several other photographers work up (and strangely enough none of mine.....)

Cheers

I would be happy for anybody to hang anything of mine which they thought was worthy. And, I can't speak for everybody, but I would think that anybody participating in this exchange would be happy for their work to be hung.

Kevin Caulfield said:

I would be happy for anybody to hang anything of mine which they thought was worthy. And, I can't speak for everybody, but I would think that anybody participating in this exchange would be happy for their work to be hung.

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+1

Carey Bird
http://members.iinet.net.au/~cbird/index.html

+2

Ok so as I mentioned I was going to comment on everyones prints so here goes....

The print by Wyno goes first...

I love that the heavy tones still have separation and detail in them and how light sand leads the eye to the tree in the middle if the image. Was this photograph printed in a 8x10" enlarger full frame? or was this contact printed?

Second print Andrew K...

A Van Dyke print??? MY GOD!!! I was very surprised one of these was in the exchange, and feel stoked to now own one as until the print exchange i had never had a van dyke of my own. your execution of the process was beautiful, the paper, the way it was coated, your subject material... I feel a huge drive to go out and do this process myself.

Third print was by Apug member Fleath... A print from photographic Etch plate

This print is a real treasure, the work that went into it must have been insane!!! but the result is magic! this is the first etching plate print i have ever seen. I love how the process has embossed the paper what inks create this tone? it is really well suited. thank you for making us this.

Print Four - By BarryB

The Foma paper has a really nice old world feel to it that really suits the image you have created. I would love to know if the paper base was this warm prior to toning or weather the toning has accentuated the warm yellowness to the paper.I think this image will induce nostalgia in all of us. it certainly does for me.

Print five - TrotKiller

The Subject material in this image is so grotty! and the heavy tone and contrast in the image portrays this nicely. the neopan 1600 in Hc-110 Dil B seems quite fine. I must try it some time. its nice to see a print of yours the printing is great.

Print six - Tomalophicon

The Lith process was perfect for your portrait and I think your printing is awesome. I am curious having seen this image and having seen barryB image if yellowness is a key colour tone to Foma Fiber based papers. What was the lith developer you used to make this print? your lighting and composition is really nice too who was the violinist? good luck with the lith printing i think if the image you placed in the exchange is any indication your going to be making a lot of magic!

Print 7 - SteveR

SteveR how long did you tone these images in Tea for? The tone is AWESOME it perfectly suits the image. I love the choice of paper stock and the softness to the sky. its dreamy but dramatic, it makes me feel that white all is calm... it wont be for long. I think your execution is great.

Print 8 - Munz6869

Wow what a building! The sharp lines, strange angles and the tonal variation in it almost hurt my eyes!
Does it have this effect when viewed in person? I think the print is done nicely to retain this.
your printing is really sharp what enlarger/lens do you use to print?

Print 9 - Wazza

The print is hyper sharp! The choice of paper and the toning really accentuate this crispness! There is so much detail! I almost feel like the print is metal but its rocks and trees and beautiful. your work is masterful.
I don't know what else to say but WOW.

Print 10 - Andrew Kirkby

I think this is a nice documentation of something that must happen a few thousand times each day, a traveling couple posing before the sydney opera house for photographs of their travels. The composition of the people and the harbor bridge in the background is very nice The kodak Polmax gloss Fiber paper worked really well for this image. Its such a shame Kodak is no longer selling this product.

Print 11 - Oxleyroad

Did this print fall out of a time now gone? The way your daughter glows amongst the low key tones of the orchard is great! how you captured her in that moment with the dandelion is timeless. This image will certainly be one for your family to keep and treasure. The ilford warmtone gloss paper choice was a perfect choice of finish.

print 12 - Nige

I have never seen sterling paper before where do you get it and who makes it? (is it re-branded) the viradon has produced a great tone for the subject material and i like the slightly flatter contrast. The print goes really well with the image by BarryB. Nice work.

Print 13- iandavid

What a quirky building the light on it is lovely. Im suprised at how fine grain the delta 3200 can be. I often try and grain it up but its nice to see it relatively fine. Your printing is great i think your contrast is perfect, did the selenium toner help add to the pop slightly? the 2 gents walking by in the street are a nice addition to the image.

Print 14 - Mick Fagan

Nice high key portrait, i am very interested in your embossing stamp. do you emboss all your prints? and if so is it always done on image area? where did you get such a stamp made? The print has come up great for such a tight crop I love Neopan 400 it can do amazing things.

Print 15 - Seabird

I really like the format of your print and the composition. The longer exposure time along with the lighting of the scene has created a really nice feel. the printing has brought all this together perfectly. is it just me of does selenium have a magical ability to just subtly make a print pop?

Print 16 - Hoffy

Lovely print from within the old property of your familys farm. The detail outside the windows is just enough any more and i think the scene would become flat. I love the feeling of the light spanning into the room around the window frames and the subtle detail in the shadow areas.

Print 17 - kevin Caulfield

Next holiday may I carry your bags? I forgive you not recording your exposure time ..you were on holidays but whatever the exposure time was I really like the movement in the leaves and and the boat passing by. The density and detail in the sky great

Print 18 - Glenn Mathison

Lovely interior shot is this building in Australia? i cant imagine it having been easy bracing against the wall for this exposure, it looks like it is quite a moody place. nice printing to retain the detail in the shadows.

Print 19 - Tim K

The man who made this all possible thank you once again! and thank you for your print. The dog in the foreground is a perfect twist to this scene. The building is amazing as i said to kevin earlier if you ever need someone to carry your camera bag for your next trip I put my hand up first! i like the lightness but subtle detail in the sky.

print 20 - SMBooth

WOW glad I'm not raking that up! sooo many leaves! I always get afraid of busy prints but i think the nice slop to the ground and the three thick trunks of the trees is a nice aesthetic for the breaking up of this print. Have you used the Foma paper much?

................end transmission that's it think my biggest post ever!!!! thanks everyone for an amazing collection of images!

Stephen, thanks for going to all the effort on commenting on the lot! Cheers

Now, just to add further to me hanging a few of these in my study. I look at it two ways.

1) How many people are happy to buy pictures in frames from print places or even IKEA for that matter (OK, maybe not the members here, but you get the drift)? This has given me an opportunity to hang a selection of prints that are pretty damn unique! I could also say (in the future...maybe) that I have an original "Fleath" hanging at home!
2) Inspiration, pure and simple. Seeing these each time I go to use the computer or have some quite time will help to inspire me and give me faith that if I stick with it, I am sure to be able to produce some works like this.

So, I have added to my wife's furniture shopping list, a bunch of standard 8x10 frames. I will just need to work out an easy method to enable me to swap out the prints from time to time.

Cheers!

Stephen, I am a rubber stamp manufacturer these days and manufacture my own embossers, as well as embossers for anyone who requires one.

pm me and I'll forward the appropriate page on our web site.

Mick.

OK, seeing as Stephen has kicked off, here are some further random comments. As I've previously stated, there were no crap images in Group 1.

I'll take them in the order that they now appear in my *official APUG print swap* album.

Print 1 - trotkiller

I like the way the use of a shallow depth of field draws attention to the syringe and the label on the can. The rather grotty subject matter also makes a pleasant change to all the pretty nature-boy stuff I seem to be so enamoured with - and the subject is admirably served by the dark, low key presentation. Interestingly, this may be a unique contribution within Group 1 as possibly the only image made on 35mm film! Holds up well with the Wistas.

Print 2 - Tomalophicon

What a great portait! At the risk of denigrating the others, this is one of my favourites. Do tell me more about this lith printing business ...

Print 3 - munz6869

What Stephen said and more! Feels so sharp I could almost cut myself on it. I like the contrast between the tones of the building, the clouds and the sign on the left hand side. The odd shape of the building and the texture of the building material lends an air of tension that lifts what could otherwise have been a fairly ordinary street scene to the level of the extraordinary. Wish I'd taken it. Like the paper surface too!

Print 4 - SteveR

I like the composition. Wonders to himself: Earl Gray or Liptons?

Print 5 - SMBooth

Nicely balanced composition. I like the way the foreground tree "anchors" the thinnest slice of ground, and the way its dark trunk and branches contrast with the lighter tones of the trees to the right. Looks sharp to the corners too. Any camera movements used here or just well stopped down? 135mm is such a lovely focal length for 4x5 isnt it?

Print 6 - Kevin Caulfield

APX100! Brings a tear to my eye. I have a few expired rolls of 120 left as well, but have long finished my 4x5 supplies (sob!) ...and ya cant beat good 'ol MG IV RC glossy! Quite an effective image that has a great sense-of-place without resorting to sun-on-sandy-beach type cliches. I like the contrast between the dark palms and light clouds.

Print 7 - Wazza

If I'm honest, my response to this image is envy. I well remember struggling with a very similar subject matter and arrangement not that long ago without ever getting an image that worked for me (and I have the proof sheets to prove it!). Your image, on the other hand, holds up well with the horizontal strata of the rocks in the foreground working well against the vertical lines of the root system. Well done.

Print 8 - Andrw Kirkby? (the Harbour Bridge image)

Great image and fantastic presentation - the wide borders work well against the black pages of my album. I'd be interested to know what the paper and processing is. It has an attractive creamy appearance.

Print 9 - Wyno

10x8 camera! freakin' heck! Wins the award for dedication above and beyond etc... Also wins the award for the hardest print to get to stick flat in my album... Nice image with well balanced composition - everything leads your eye to the trees at the centre. But how do you get black borders? Thanks for including the printing instructions as well - very interesting!. And unless I'm mistaken, your and my contributions are the only images in Group 1 made using the same lens.


Print 10 - Seabird

Pathetic. Just pathetic. Simply another Ansel Adams/John Sexton wannabe with less than 1/100th of the talent...

Print 11 - Stephen Frizza

Love it - even if my eyeballs are still recovering from the initial shock! I'd deem this experiment a success - it is particularly effective how the out of focus sections of the image interact with the sharper portions.

So there we have it. My initial responses. Who knows - could all be quite different tomorrow.

Regards and thanks again to timk and all in Group 1.

Carey Bird
http://members.iinet.net.au/~cbird/index.html

Seabird said:

Print 8 - Andrw Kirkby? (the Harbour Bridge image)

Great image and fantastic presentation - the wide borders work well against the black pages of my album. I'd be interested to know what the paper and processing is. It has an attractive creamy appearance.


http://members.iinet.net.au/~cbird/index.html

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Sorry to answer on behalf of Andrew Kirkby but I happen to know the paper was Kodak Polymax Fiber Gloss processed in Ilford Multigrade.

Carey,
thank you for the kind review. As for the print- I had it under a stack of heavy books for three days to get it as flat as it is. If you want to get it flatter, you can spray it lightly with water and put it between some blotting paper, or put it in a heat press (which I don't have unfortunately).
cheers
Mike

Forgot about the black borders. It's a contact print and the edges of the film are clear so the paper gets all the exposure at the edges that in an enlargement would be covered by the blades of the easel.
Mike

Before anyone gets too upset that I haven't done a crit on the prints I received from them, they are at home and I'm at work (I don't want morons at work leaving fingerprints on them) and I will write some notes for me to bring to work on Monday (when I again have access to a computer) and post them here. I will say that no matter what the subject matter was, I was very happy to get such great work....from everyone, not just one or two.
Mike

Wyno said:

Carey ... As for the print- I had it under a stack of heavy books for three days to get it as flat as it is. If you want to get it flatter, you can spray it lightly with water and put it between some blotting paper, or put it in a heat press (which I don't have unfortunately).

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Thanks Mike,

The flatness is no problem really (my comment was more smart-a$$, tongue-in-cheek ). In fact I appreciate your going to the trouble you did. I was never able to get FB prints flat enough for my liking and that is part of the reason I swapped to RC paper. Your print just needs a few more photo-splits to get it to adhere to the album page than the RC prints. But I'm happy to use a few extra splits because I like the image. No doubt it'll flatten out further once it has been in the album for a while.

Wyno said:

Forgot about the black borders. It's a contact print and the edges of the film are clear so the paper gets all the exposure at the edges that in an enlargement would be covered by the blades of the easel.

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Doh! Contact print! Of course you get black borders! (Sometimes I get so wrapped up in trying to get on top of my own working methods that I forget how different ways of doing things work - and this is despite the fact that I contact-proof all my 4x5 images...)

Cheers and best regards

Carey Bird
http://members.iinet.net.au/~cbird/index.html

Just collected my package from the PO. Wow - what a lovely set of prints! I think the bar has been raised for OPEX II! Thanks everyone for sending in such nice work, and thanks Tim for organising.

My comments will follow in due course after I have spent a bit more time today digesting the various images.

Cheers
Ian

I used the Rollei Lith chemicals from Vanbar for my prints.
The yellowness is in the paper, but I'm not sure if it'll come out with normal developing chemicals. I think the paper I'm using is a warmtone paper so that also might explain the yellow. I got some nice salmony looking colours too, it just depends on some variables like temperature, dilution of chemicals, exhaustion levels, time in chemicals, exposure, etc...

Cheers for the feedback. ALL of the prints I got were great and I'll make some comments when I have a chance.

tomalophicon said:

I used the Rollei Lith chemicals from Vanbar for my prints.
The yellowness is in the paper, but I'm not sure if it'll come out with normal developing chemicals. I think the paper I'm using is a warmtone paper so that also might explain the yellow. I got some nice salmony looking colours too, it just depends on some variables like temperature, dilution of chemicals, exhaustion levels, time in chemicals, exposure, etc...

Cheers for the feedback. ALL of the prints I got were great and I'll make some comments when I have a chance.

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Tom the colour you got is very much like what I got on one of my first lith print using Rollei lith on the Fomatone MG 132 paper ( yes it is warm tone). Mine is perhaps a little more orange. What dilution you use, mine was 1+1+20

Steve,
It was done as a contact print.
I wish I did have an 8x10 enlarger but don't have the money for it. I've been given some opal glass by one of the members of the LF photography forum and I'm going to make a light source for the 8x10 camera and use it as an horizontal enlarger like Ansel Adams did. Not a permanent one, but one that slips into the hooks where the ground glass back goes.
I think with some of the shots I've taken, being able to do an enlargement would make it easier to get a good print, as sometimes you can't see exactly what you're trying to burn and dodge.
Mike

SMBooth said:

Tom the colour you got is very much like what I got on one of my first lith print using Rollei lith on the Fomatone MG 132 paper ( yes it is warm tone). Mine is perhaps a little more orange. What dilution you use, mine was 1+1+20

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Shane, my dilution was 25ml of each part and 600ml water. I left 4 pieces of very old printing paper in the mix for a few hours before each session.

OK, just to get my ball rolling, here are some preliminary comments (in no particular order), but I will no doubt have others to add later -

Barrie: I love how Australian this one feels - not many other trees look like eucalypts. And the S of the track makes for a very pleasing composition. Your shot reminds me a lot of my uncle's old property in western Queensland which I used to visit occasionally as a child. Lovely warm tone suits the subject matter. I'm guessing that the selenium toner has given you a significant colour change here too?

Glenn: How I wish Australia had more of these truly old buildings... so photogenic. The grace of a simple vaulted ceiling amazes me every time I see one. I like your composition, and the positioning of the bright doorway (a portal to the future?) is just right. You did very well to get a handheld shot in such a dark spot as sharp as you have. (Re the lens fungus, maybe you should get a dry-cabinet to deal with the Brisbane conditions?)

Andrew K: Really nice work. Lovely subject for the process you have chosen. There is a story in this photo but I cannot quite articulate it yet... I really like the look of your brushed edges on my print - I sometimes think these can be overdone with too much brushwork evident beyond the edge of the frame, but not here. Your terrific print makes me keener than ever to get stuck into some alternative processes in time for OPEX II! Would you recommend a foam brush over a bristle brush?

Mick: I was on a plane a few days ago and watched the sci-fi film Gattaca (again). As soon as I saw your print, I was immediately thinking of the cool, engineered perfection of Uma Thurman in that movie. There is something futuristic about your image - the clean lines, the even lighting, the looking skyward (I like your crop). (Interesting embossed stamp too - I may need to chat to you about these things at some stage...)

Alexander: Lovely print! Like Stephen Frizza, this is the first one of these I have seen and I too love the way that it has embossed the paper. Such a lot of work, but the result is worth it! The process and the warm tone really complement the delicacy of the roses. How many prints can you run off a plate before it is too degraded?

Tim: Nice shot! It really feels like a Balinese dawn - even the dog looks like he has just climbed out of bed! Makes me want to travel into SE Asia again. I am not sure you need that extra contrast you said you were considering - I think you might lose some of the subtle detail in the sky and water.

Andrew C: I love it! I don't normally print right to the edges of the paper, but I love the way it works with your print. This photo looks like it has fallen out of my grandmother's album (a good thing) and I think that is partly because of the edge-to-edge printing style. Lovely shallow depth of field and great contrast. Hard to go past Ilford warmtone FB paper.

Nige: A very well composed shot of a common sight in the Australian bush. As someone else has said, it could easily sit side by side with Barrie's shot in a portfolio. Every time I look at your print, my mind tells me that the print itself is peeling! I reckon Minor White would have something to say about this image.

Ashley: Again, this one just smells like old Australia. The split-grade printing has worked well to give us a sense of the scene through the window. And I like the way the selenium has started to give a hint of purple in the shadows. Quite a tricky neg to choose if you have not been printing for long. Well done!

Stephen: Very surreal - I like it a lot! The glow of the HIE and the big grain works wonderfully. Curiously (despite the obvious grain) the overall effect looks very painterly to me, with the moody sky and the flowing white fabric. Is there any story behind the making of this image, or is it to remain a mystery? Once again, there is that sweet Ilford warmtone paper...

So.... wow! Many many thanks to everyone for putting so much work into these fantastic prints, and to Tim for organising the distribution. It all seemed to go pretty smoothly eh?

Ian

Stephen Frizza said:

Print 13- iandavid
What a quirky building the light on it is lovely. Im suprised at how fine grain the delta 3200 can be. I often try and grain it up but its nice to see it relatively fine. Your printing is great i think your contrast is perfect, did the selenium toner help add to the pop slightly? the 2 gents walking by in the street are a nice addition to the image.

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Thanks very much for the feedback, Stephen.
Looking back at this shot for the exchange has made me want to get into the 3200 again. And yes, I think that just one minute in the toner has really given the print a bit more punch. I tried 2 minutes initially, but the colour change was too much for my taste.

Ian

Okay, here are my comments.

Andrew Kirkby - nice composition, and I like the way you have included some fellow photographers.

Stephen Frizza - wow, well done with the experimental toner. This is masterful, and as per an earlier comment, I also love the way it moves from sharp definition to out-of-focus.

Wazza - I love the tones and the detail. So much texture.

Seabird - You've got just the right shutter speed to get the silky sheen in the lower part of the water, but also sharp detail on the waterfall itself.

SMBooth - It almost feels as if the trees are dancing together. Well seen.

munz6869 - What an amazing building. I love the way you have framed it with the signs and the catenary wire (and thanks for introducing me to a new word).

SteveR - I go past here about ten times a year and have been meaning to take some shots here. A great capture of what looks like an impending storm. I'll be there on Saturday morning, so I'm hoping to do this scene justice as you have.

Tomalophicon - Well done on submitting a lith print. Great shot of your dad in deep concentration with the violin.

Trotkiller - Well spotted still life and nicely recorded. Grungy and gritty and works so well with the reduced depth of field.

Wyno - Great work on the printing and thanks for the detailed info. A spectacular scene.

Thanks again to all for contributing.

Here are my comments, which, being and engineer with no formal photography training at all but for 30 years of tinkering on and off after 2 years guidance from my Dad, before he gave up on me, make me somewhat embarrassed as I do not feel qualified to comment on them. These are not commented on in any particular order.

The first two which struck me were Andrew K’s Van Dyke Brown and Fleath’s Portland Rose. I can appreciate the amount of effort that went into these. I considered doing Salt prints for everyone, but then decided that I would have to do an enlarged inter-positive to make a negative for the contact salt print which would have been too much effort given my family life. So I wimped out. Both are worth framing at my place and my wife has already indicated this is her intention. It can only act as an inspiration to me for future exchanges.

Steven Frizza yours of untitled self portrait 2002 looks so surreal, with such pronounced grain. Is this typical of what I could expect with IR film? Brilliant, but can it be processed with less grain in different circumstances?

Glen Mathison – Arches at Gravesteen. Another brilliant picture and it would look great blown up to full size at the bottom of my stairs to appear as if you had entered the great hall from above. Can I ask is the edges of the print the masking easel or the frame boundary from the enlarger? I have made 3 trips to Belgium and never got to this area. Wish I had. I have an interest in the old construction methods and they way they can look in a photo graph when taken correctly and in the right lighting. Something I have yet to understand.

Barrie and Nige. I liked the toned prints a lot. Despite growing up in the Mallee on the Murray I have not really been inclined to take pictures like these. But they both inspire me to get out there and do so and also tempt feeling of regret that I never bothered so previously.

Mick Fagan – looking up. My second head and shoulders from you. This one so much more direct than your other print that I have to like it. But still so different from the postcard exchange print I got from you. You mention ANSCO warn tone developer, is this another one of your soups

Hoffy – the Old Farm Window in the Mallee area, can I ask where? As mentioned before, being from the Mallee I return as often as I can to visit family and friends still living there. Now if this is the standard you are able to knock out after just 12 months then man, I am really embarrassed by my level of handy work. Your picture has some levels of detail I only dream of.

Iandavid – Caledonian road. I saw numerous places like this when in Detroit late last month. Wish I felt safe enough to get out of my car with a camera to photograph all that I wanted to. I also like the 3200 Ilford film, and have found I can get really low grain images like yours even when pushing several stops. Shame I can’t get this film too easily without having to pay commercial prices as it limits my usage. I liked the boarder proportions on the print and it is another for me that I will definitely use for in my face inspiration.

Timk – Ulun Dog Bratan. The dog for me makes the picture. Was he still for long or were you fast enough to catch him before he decided to move on? I have never been to this part of the world, it is on the list, but who knows when I will get there.


Thanks to Steven and Ian for their comments already. Both commented on the choice of paper Ilford Warmtone. Why did I choose it? Because was because the box was was open... Lucky me.

I have to say that I am already looking forward to the next round, hoping that it is not too far away should there be enough interest. Thanks to Tim for helping organise this one. My hat goes off to you

Oxleyroad said:

Hoffy – the Old Farm Window in the Mallee area, can I ask where?

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Hi Andy,

My Fathers farm is at Karoonda, which is in the South Australian Murray Mallee.

Cheers

Hoffy,

I keep forgetting that the Mallee streaches across both states