Postcard Exchange Round 63 Comments and Feedback

[Rob Skeoch]

THEY ARE READY TO GO!!!!
My postcards will go out with tomorrows mail. I'm sure the post office is backed up for days with the strike just ending and Christmas in a week but I'll mail things out and see how they fly.
I created a video regarding the printing of the postcards, since I used it to test four new Foma papers and three Ilford papers. Different people will be getting different papers ... all from the same negative.

If you want to watch a video regarding how the printing went, you can find it here....

Also a video regarding the darkroom is here...

 

[mfohl]

I also received drpsilver's Stamping Mill, Bodie. Nice scene, massive clouds. I've never been to Bodie, but I think there is an entire village there: shops, etc. All closed of course, but for the tourists. Nice print. And how did you get the borders to be white? I just lay my negative on the paper. Same print, but with black borders.

Thanks Darwin!

 

[drpsilver]

18 Dec 2024

@drpsilver 's postcard has just arrived, "Stamping mill, Bodie". A wonderful 4x5 contact print from a scene that looks like 19th century, but still in full production. Thanks for this!

The last time any ore went through this stamping mill was in 1932. Is is now a California State Park.

I also received drpsilver's Stamping Mill, Bodie. Nice scene, massive clouds. I've never been to Bodie, but I think there is an entire village there: shops, etc. All closed of course, but for the tourists. Nice print. And how did you get the borders to be white? I just lay my negative on the paper. Same print, but with black borders.

Thanks Darwin!

I created the white border by tapping the negative to two blades of a four blade easel. It was a little geometry problem, but worked very well.

Bodie is a photographer's paradise, especially for those that like old buildings. I have visited 5 or 6 times and still see photographic opportunities.

Happy Holidays

Regards,
Darwin

 

[rduraoc]

The last time any ore went through this stamping mill was in 1932. Is is now a California State Park.

I clearly misinterpreted your text in the postcard. Thanks for the clarification!

 

[Don_ih]

The first bit of mail I received after the postal strike was a lone postcard in the mailbox - fittingly, it was @KyleMika 's "Lone Tyre". I agree - I often take photos of displaced objects - and I think I actually sent a photo of a tire in the last postcard round. In spite of being totally black, I find they look good in photos.

And I forgot to mention that, in spite of possibly being crushed together with a million undelivered letters, the card is completely unharmed.

 

[KyleMika]

@Don_ih glad you received it! I did send that weeks ago, glad to see the strike has ended. And yes I think its your card from the last exchange that reminded me of this photo when I was deciding what to send next.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

First card since the Post Office Strike ended, so things are starting to move.
Lone Tyre by Kyle Mika and what an interesting photo it is. Thanks for sending it along.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

Today I received "Fisketage pa Gotland" from Thorsten, great photo of an interesting place. Thanks for sending it over.

 

[Daniela]

Received @drpsilver 's "Stamping Mill, Bodie". Those fluffy clouds! Can't imagine the noisiness of the past that you mention since it looks like such a calm and peaceful place. Beautiful composition! Thanks, Darwin.

 

[Don_ih]

I can imagine the noise of a stamping mill. Depending what they're doing, you could probably hear it from a mile away. There's a factory that makes car panels near where I live and I can sometimes hear their machines stomping around. Great photo, @drpsilver - and those clouds are remarkable.

That was one of three that I found in my mailbox yesterday. The second is the excellent photo of Gotland's fishing village from @Thorsten . The clouds are ominous in that one.

Also, I received from @Rob Skeoch his photo of a tree trying to escape the ground. Great tone and texture, Rob.

Thanks to all and Merry Christmas!

 

[Rob Skeoch]

I can imagine the noise of a stamping mill. Depending what they're doing, you could probably hear it from a mile away. There's a factory that makes car panels near where I live and I can sometimes hear their machines stomping around. Great photo, @drpsilver - and those clouds are remarkable.

That was one of three that I found in my mailbox yesterday. The second is the excellent photo of Gotland's fishing village from @Thorsten . The clouds are ominous in that one.

Also, I received from @Rob Skeoch his photo of a tree trying to escape the ground. Great tone and texture, Rob.

Thanks to all and Merry Christmas!

That was quick considering the mail strike just ended.

 

[mfohl]

I received a nice card from Ben_P, "Peace, Love, and Classic Cars", a shot of a VW bus. Not sure how old it is: no flowers, no peace signs, no overall graffiti. But I guess now it's just a black canvas.

And I also received from krnow two gorgeous large cyanotypes printed on Japanese Kozuke paper. One is of a plant of some type, and the other is the Matsumoto castle with a carp approaching in the moat. A great catch, and wonderful execution.

Thanks Ben, thanks Graham.

 

[Rob Skeoch]

I received the Cyanotype's of Matsumoto Castle in Japan today. Such gorgeous images. Thanks for sending them along.

 

[George Nova Scotia]

Sign up for round 64 is ready to go. Click here

 

[gbroadbridge]

Received another card late on New Year's Eve which was a pleasant surprise as they're really slow this round.

"Stamping Mill, Bodie" from drpsilver: What a great location - I can imagine a lot of photos waiting to be found there. That image has tickled the urge to load up some 4x5 into the Graphlex Graphic View and head out into the countryside. Thanks!

Happy new year to all.

 

[mshchem]

I received, a couple days ago the lovely card and cyanotype from @krnow beautiful printing on the most beautiful paper. My wife the mixed media artist was quite impressed too. Thanks again!

 

[rduraoc]

I'm the lucky recipient of 2 other postcards: @Rob Skeoch 's "Hilton Falls" with beautiful textures, and @krnow 's "Cyanotype on Japanese Kozuke Paper", which has enticed me to experiment with enlarging cyanotypes. Thank you both!

 

[Don_ih]

Received the excellent cyanotypes from @krnow -- you must've been ecstatic when you saw how that fish shows up in the print. It's really good - looks quite a bit like a line-drawing. You've exceeded the postcard expectations. Good job!

 

[mfohl]

I also received Rob Skeoch's "Hilton Falls". Excellent rock and tree shot, a classic. And printed on fiber paper, too. Very nice, thanks Rob.

 

[Don_ih]

Received a very cool wide full-colour print from @mshchem. Very nice, Mike. That's a pretty impressive mural. Very cool photo.

One note, though - make sure you identify yourself (Photrio username) and the round (pcx 63). I recognized you by your actual name but maybe others would not.

 

[mshchem]

Received a very cool wide full-colour print from @mshchem. Very nice, Mike. That's a pretty impressive mural. Very cool photo.

One note, though - make sure you identify yourself (Phortrio username) and the round (pcx 63). I recognized you by your actual name but maybe others would not.

I'm not very good at dotting I s and crossing T s.

 

[Don_ih]

I'm not very good at dotting I s and crossing T s.

It's all right. The mystery adds to the intrigue.

 

[drpsilver]

04 Jan 2025

Here are my comments on the latest batch of cards.
"Hilton Falls" by Rob Skeoch on is a nice study of trees and roots. The print I received was printed on Fomaspeed Variant MG, Gloss RC. The paper shows nice tones. Is it available in a "pearl" surface?
"Peace, Love, and Classic Cars" from Ben_P is a "blast from the past".
"Hoffman Labs" from BTC reminds me of my days in the UC Berkeley Chemistry Plaza many years ago.
"Matsumoto Castle, Japan 8/10/2024" from krnow is another wonderful cyanotype, with the added bonus of a cyanotype card. You have really mastered this process. Thank you for the inspiration to re-invigorate my cyanotype photography (when life and time allow).

Thank you to everyone for sharing your work.

Regards,
Darwin

 

[mfohl]

Today was an excellent day for my Photrio activities. In addition to a beautiful print in the Blind Print Exchange, I received two excellent postcards, both from Romania.

One is Mtoma's "Hole in the Wall". Beautiful composition, great tonality, and a mystery. What is outside (or inside?) the window? Maybe I don't want to know, this is a very spooky scene. And this is stuff I like to shoot too.

The second is Dunga's "Respiro", a nice study of a hand on a blanket. Very nicely done in cyanotype, I think on watercolor paper. Excellent subject, excellent composition, excellent execution of the cyanotype.

And nice stamps on the letters, too! Thanks Mihai, thanks Claudiu!

 

[dodphotography]

Man, I need to get on the next one!