Postcards from Afar

ChrisR

ChrisR

I'm a well known grump...
Messages
11,413
Name
Chris
Edit My Images
Yes
I'm part of a fun postcard exchange that started, I think, from Twitter and now from Mastodon and Bluesky... but neither are necessary to take part. I probably should have posted this in the Printing forum, but most of the participants are film photographers, so I thought I'd try here and see if anyone else is interested. You sign up via Elfster (which some may know for the Secret Santa exchanges), then each month you are asked if you'd like to participate. Then around the middle of the month names are drawn; you get someone to post your postcard to, and someone else gets your name to post to you. That's it, send one, get one (assuming no system fails, eg post). No long term commitment, just the one month, but you'll get a new invitation next month.

Postage costs for postcards from the UK to anywhere overseas were £2.20 up until today; I don't know how much they've gone up, but it's not a lot. I did receive one card sent via an internet-based service; it was nicely done, and I sent one myself that way next month, but in the end I prefer printing one myself. Some people send their cards in envelopes, but I prefer to just print mine on 6x4 or 7x5 photo-paper, heaviest I've got (300 gsm+), write a message and address on the back, and post it naked. Seem to have survived so far, although I haven't had a thanks message from my last card (sent to Australia).

I'm building up a nice little collection of cards; it's fun! It's nice choosing an image for that particular recipient too (though you don't know much about them other than their address, and any internet-based snooping you can manage!).

I think the invitation is here: https://www.elfster.com/gift-exchanges/c88cefae-2c7f-4818-ae2a-b6f91365b02c/?join=yzg4
 
FishyFish said:
I went to look at this and seem to have accidentally signed myself up! Do you have any recommendations for internet-based services that will just send a single card to the recipient @ChrisR ? Thanks.
Click to expand...
Excellent! I used Mypostcard.com, which is the one used by the person who sent me the January postcard, IIRC. I think I paid $3.97. The quality of the one I received was good, better (more sturdy) than one I could print myself, and had the advantage that the recipient had a better chance of being able to read the message!
 
March was a bit of a bust for me, sent one to my Australian nominee, but it didn't arrive, so I sent a follow-up via the Postacrds.com site, and not heard back about that, either (quite important to send a thank you, via the Elfster site, I think). I didn't receive a card myself, first time this has happened, although it's possible it's back home waiting for me right now. I don't mind though (not really...), knowing the frailty of the world postal system, and indeed people's memories. I'll keep doing it though, it's really surprising the different things I've received. I also like choosing and printing the card, though not writing it (writing is physically hard, but I hope worth it). International postcard postage has gone up to £2.50 from £2.20, which is a bummer, but it's still a nice thing to do.

The next round will open in a week or so, any more takers?
 
OK F&C folk (digerati welcome as well!), the August round of Postcards from Afar is open for signups now: https://www.elfster.com/gift-exchanges/8b5a2e6e-9038-4e93-8197-fc42edfd700c/?join=ogi1

If you decide to join in, you get allocated a name in the middle of the month, and you then send that person a postcard made with your photo or other artwork, preferably by the end of August. Meanwhile, another random person has been allocated your name and has agreed to send you a postcard. OK, the latter doesn't always happen, and sometimes the cards are, well, not totally interesting, but the process is still enjoyable.

There are a couple of companies that will print and send a postcard for you, but I've settled on printing an image on 5x7 reasonably heavy paper (W H Smith 260gsm photo paper), which turns out to be good as there's no watermark on the reverse and it takes ballpoint ink quite well. (I'd prefer a stiffer paper but haven't found a reasonably priced one.) For me, the 5x7 size works better than the more standard 6x4. I send mine "naked" in good old fashioned postcard style, and so far they've mostly got through, but some people use envelopes. RM postage £2.50.
 
I've signed up for this, seems like a nice idea
 
Years ago, we had a few postcard sharing threads, where we printed and shared a postcard. The last one, that I attempted to set up, was here (That thread has links to the previous rounds). It's a bit like the zine challenges that @Harlequin565 has been running in the Printing forum, but a much smaller commitment. Those first rounds were made a bit complicated by involving a guessing game; I participated in Round 2, and the theme was song titles; we were supposed to make a new photo inspired by a song title, and the recipient was supposed to guess the song. I'm not really sure that idea contributed much, except it presumably prompted original photography rather than digging in the archive; it was the complexity of the theme/guess approach (and neglect on my part) that saw round 3 get abandoned.

This was my pic for round 2:

CB1403B My fathers eyes.jpg

Anyway, I was wondering if we should revive this idea of sharing postcards of our film photos, maybe without the theme/guessing complexities? And if so, should it be on here or on the Printing forum?
 
I think it's a good idea to resume. I think it belongs more on the printing forum if we extended the idea to the digimob, which would get it more interest I imagine, but if only for fustycrusties then it could stay in this section. @sirch any thoughts?
 
I’d be interested in this idea. Not the guessing game part, but yes, I’ll follow this thread with interest.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top