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Dan Morgan
29-May-2004, 21:57
Hey, recently I have been trying to start up a Photograph Exchange between a group of photographers just to share the work and build up collections of originals. The plan is to have 15 photographers in this first exchange (there are already 6 spaces filled) then each photographer chooses one photograph and makes 15 prints of it, send them all into the moderator (me) who will then assemble 15 packets with one of each photo in them and send them back to the participants.

If anyone is interested in the idea of being a part of one of these photo exchanges, then e-mail me at willow@ilovetrees.net, all of the information and guidlines are listed below.

I hope to have a site open soon for the Photo Mason's photographer society which I am basing this around. The society will have a selective membership and will allow members to participate in future Photograph Exchanges, group projects, discussion forums, and possibly group shows. All the photographers currently in the society are based in the States, but we are open to international membership.

If people express interest I will post the site up along with future Photograph Exchange information. Thanks!

__________________________________________________________

The Photo Masons Photograph Exchange is a chance for traditional (aka. non-digital) photographers to share their work between a predetermined group (averaging between 15-30 people) with a predetermined criteria per exchange. With the exception of the costs of printing, shipping, and a $2.00 moderator fee, the exchange is completely free and will result in each photographer in the group having a selection of his or her peers finest prints.

The very first Photograph Exchange will be all black and white prints of no particular theme printed in any method chosen as long as it is duplicable. Prints size limitations for this exchange are as follows: approximately 8x10 prints (ranging no less than full frame on an 8x10 piece of paper or a 7.5x7.5 square image.)

RULES:

• Prints

-Prints must follow the set size/color/thematic specifications set down in the individual exchange rules and must all be of the same image (we certainly wouldn't want anyone feeling like they got the "lousy" print). Prints that have a smaller image than the set paper size must be neatly presented with white borders on that set paper size; do NOT cut the paper down to the image size! Failure to follow either of these will result in your prints being sent back minus the $2.00 moderator fee and your being banned from any future Photograph Exchanges. -Prints must be flat! If you are using fiberbased paper the prints must lay flat, do whatever it takes or switch to RC paper. -Prints must be exactly the same size and relative density. If you intend to have a white border around the image make sure that it is even and parallel to the borders of the image. -The number of prints submitted for the exchange must be equal to the number of participants for that exchange including yourself to simplify the distribution.

• Shipping, etc.

-All exchange submissions must be in to the moderator by the deadline, this means that you should make sure to send your prints ahead of the deadline so that they will arrive on the deadline date. Failure to do so will result in your prints being sent back to you minus the $2.00 moderator fee and your being banned from any future Photograph Exchanges. -Prints must be protected during the shipping process by a corrugated cardboard frame (with the prints stacked in the middle) or equivalent, large enough to hold the paper size for the exchange. (see diagram below) -Prepaid postage equivalent to the shipping costs of sending your submission must be sent with the package for your submission, this is to pay for sending your complete Exchange Folio to you when all the other submission are recieved. Failure to include this will result in the moderator holding onto your Exchange Folio until shipping expenses are recieved. -A $2.00 cash processing fee must be sent in addition to prepaid postage for the print exchange. -A sheet of paper with your name and address and e-mail clearly written, or printed out, must also be sent in with your exchange submission, do not expect us to rely on the return address on the package!

• Withdrawal

If you plan on withdrawing from the exchange you must notify the moderator 3 weeks ahead of the deadline. Failure to do so will remove you from any future Photograph Exchanges.

JohnnyV
29-May-2004, 22:08
If 15 are participating, photographers only need to make 14 prints!

This is an excellent way to collect and share images. I've been print exchanging on the Digital Black and White list for a few years with a nice collection of images.

Good luck!

Victor Loverro
30-May-2004, 09:22
Johnny V.

Just a thought. If everyone sends only 14 prints, it makes extra work for the moderator who will have to keep track of each portfolio with the missing print for the return instead of making up 15 complete sets and sending one to each participant. Also, since you say "make 14 prints" rather than send 14 prints, it sounds like you do not intend to include your own print in the portfolio. This does not make sense. This is a unique set of prints to which you have contributed and should be complete with the inclusion of your own print. Just my opinion.

Dan Morgan
30-May-2004, 09:30
--Victor

You're right on about the 15 prints. The idea is to have a completed folio of the photographers in the exchange, including yourself! Everything is made simpler when each photographer includes a print for themselves. And who would want to get a package of fine prints only to see yours not there with them?

JohnnyV
30-May-2004, 09:54
Ok...that's fine...I see it's easier to keep track of all images.

K. Praslowicz
30-May-2004, 11:13
a chance for traditional (aka. non-digital) photographers . . . printed in any method chosen as long as it is duplicable.

Does this exclude semi-digital people like myself who shoot traditional, scan the negative, and do all the darkroom work & printing digitally?

Dan Morgan
30-May-2004, 11:28
Well, between myself and the people who have started this with me there has been alot of discussion about what seperates digital from traditional and we have noticed certain instances of exception. The idea behind the exchange was not only to trade images but also a chance to build up a community to talk about and preserve knowledge about non-digital technique. However, we also wish to bridge the gap between digital and traditional photographic techniques to creat mixed media pieces (I do not consider digital photography to be the same medium but to be much different such as a watercolor is to an oil painting.)For this reason we allow digital-traditional hybrids as long as they are:

1. Originally shot on film with a traditional camera.

2. Are only converted to digital momentarily to allow the photographer to create an image that would either be impossible in the darkroom, or simply too difficult to be practicle or accuratley depict the photographers vision.

3. Must only be made up of your own photographic images that have also been shot on film and then scanned onto the computer.

4. The final images must be printed on photographic paper. (This can either be done by using a digital projecter or by having an internegative printed on transparency film aka clear acetate and then contact printed.)

This is in no way meant as a way to simply exclude digital photographers, nor do I believe that digital photography is not as valid an artistic medium as traditional photography, it is simply a different one, and as we are not exchangein intaglio prints for photographs we are not exchanging digital for traditional. Possibly you could create traditional image or hybrid image as listed above, or even start up a digital exchange?

Donal Taylor
30-May-2004, 11:31
"Does this exclude semi-digital people like myself who shoot traditional, scan the negative, and do all the darkroom work & printing digitally?"

Especially if you shoot color - why bother saying - they'll never know the difference... :-) It's the iamge that counts, not the paper!

Crispin Agnew
30-May-2004, 11:38
"Photo Masons" - neat - is there a secret hand shake? Do you have to roll one trouser leg up when you are printing?

Dan Morgan
30-May-2004, 11:40
-Crispin

No, all you have to do is drink blood and get a tattoo! :)

K. Praslowicz
30-May-2004, 11:53
This is in no way meant as a way to simply exclude digital photographers,

Well, I guess I'm in luck as I've never once considered myself a digital photographer.

4. The final images must be printed on photographic paper. (This can either be done by using a digital projecter or by having an internegative printed on transparency film aka clear acetate and then contact printed.)

Frontier prints count then? If what I know of the machine is true, I guess that they would be filed under "digital projector."

Dan Morgan
30-May-2004, 11:59
must say, I do not know what frontier prints are. But if the image is formed by light and not by direct printing than it should be fine.

Dan Morgan
30-May-2004, 12:01
p.s. if you are interested please send me an e-mail with a request to be added to the list. Thanks!

David Vickery
30-May-2004, 12:21
Hello, You say that the prints have to be flat but you don't say if they may or may not be mounted (unless I missed it). Should they be shipped unmounted???

Dan Morgan
30-May-2004, 12:27
No, they will be left unmounted for cost reasons. I am trying to keep this as inexspensive for the photographers as possible. If someone chooses to frame one of the photos they recieve in the excange I figure they can mount them themselves for the same amount that it would cost them to mount there own.

K. Praslowicz
30-May-2004, 14:07
Unless I've been horribly misinformer or lied two, here is how I understand Frontiers work. I give my lovingly prepared image to the lab that has the machine. Many pro labs use these, and so do many non-pro ones(the Wal-*s). They load the file into the machine where the image is exposed onto a sheet of color paper, typically Fuji Crystal Archive, via LEDs inside the machine. Then the paper is processed as a regular color print would be.

From what I can tell by comparing my own works made in a darkroom vs scanned and frontier printed, is that I don't see too much difference within my own volume of works. I'm not the greatest darkroom printer though and only have a year or two of actual experience in it, and currently am only set up to do 4x5 contact prints. I like these idea of mixing the workflow types just to get an idea of how they compare against other techniques done by people with for more experience in the darkroom than I have.

Brian Ellis
31-May-2004, 15:43
AFAIK the only way to get a Frontier print is to have it done commercially. So the people who scan their negatives and print them at home themselves aren't eligible to join this group but people who have their prints made at Walgreens or Sam's are. Seems a little backwards to me but hey, it's your group.

Dan Morgan
31-May-2004, 16:06
-Brian

K. is sending me a Frontier print to have a look at it and see what it is like, the idea behind the exchange is to have a group of people that are exchanging physical work which usually has more "soul" then looking at the piece on your computer screen. My good friend Ian who is participating in the exchange has been all digital for the past 2 years because it is more cost effective for him, however he agrees with me that a digital print looks like the cover of a magazine in comparison to an actual darkroom print. I do not know what the Frontier prints look like, but am hoping that they will have the same depth and soul as a darkroom print because they are printed on photographic paper and not simply printed on the surface. Another option he just brought up to me last night was digitalmonochrome.com which takes your digital images and then exposes them on film which they send back to you undeveloped. The isn't entirely about whether it is digital or traditional, but more of the quality of the print and whether or not it will fit in with the rest of the prints in the folio.

adrian tyler
1-Jun-2004, 01:01
does this mean that lf forum favorie joseph holmes cannot participate?

David A. Goldfarb
1-Jun-2004, 05:40
I've had Frontier prints made from smaller formats. They look like (and are in fact) conventional color C-prints on Fuji Crystal Archive paper. For smaller print sizes, it's not a bad way to go from digital to C-print. For bigger enlargements, LightJet or Chromira are a better choice. I just ordered some Chromira reprints from West Coast Imaging from an image I previously had done in Lightjet, and the color is a bit cleaner with the Chromira.

Dan Morgan
5-Jun-2004, 12:58
just incase anyone is still interested there is one spot left in the exchange and entry closes on June 10th so e-mail me soon if you want to contribute.