fotoblur

Issue 4

Welcome to the fourth issue of Fotoblur Magazine, Win-
ter 2009. It’s hard to believe that it has been one year since
Fotoblur Magazine began. It has truly been a wonderful
experience to see Fotoblur Magazine grow. Who would have
thought that a small online community of photographers at
Fotoblur could have produced four publications this year of
highly creative, artistic photography. Well we did and each and
every one who was involved should be proud of this accom-
plishment. I look forward to continuing Fotoblur Magazine in
2010 and wish everyone a fruitful new year.
I would like to present 58 amazing photographs from 40 pho-
tographers from the online photography community, Fotoblur
2 KLAUS-PETER KUBIK - BadHole
Issue 4
40 Photographers
58 Photos
featured photographer
Cole Thompson
(http://www.fotoblur.com). Each image was submitted by the
artist, then hand selected by the community of photographers
at Fotoblur. Final selections where then chosen for final pub-
lication. This issue of Fotoblur Magazine is the result of our
community publishing project.
I also have the distinct pleasure of introducing fine arts pho-
tographer Cole Thompson. You’ll not only find his work awe
inspiring but also his words on creativity. Enjoy!
- Lance Ramoth
Fotoblur Magazine Contents
Issue 4, Winter 2009 2 Klaus-Peter Kubik
© 2009 Fotoblur Magazine 6 Bror Johansson
7 Deborah Parkin
ISSN# 1944-0006
8 Jody Miller
EDITOR & PUBLISHER: Lance Ramoth 10 Hengki Koentjoro
E-MAIL: contact@fotoblur.com 12 Hesham Alhumaid
WEB: http://www.fotoblur.com 13 Jennifer Short
14 Faisal Almalki
Special thanks to Clare Moore, Bruce Broussard, Cole Thompson Ethel Kambourian
and Rebecca Dufton for their helpful reviews.
15 Michael Vincent Manalo
Images published in Fotoblur Magazine are the sole property of the 16 Byong-Ho Kim
contributing photographers and are copyrighted material. No image 17 Heather Rivet
may be reproduced without the express written permission of its Faisal Almalki
owner. 18 Olivier Scher
19 Claudio Solera
Printed on demand by MagCloud (http://fotoblur.magcloud.com).
Zsolt Furesz
Visit us online at http://www.fotoblur.com
20 Yuriy Naumovych
21 Fernand Hick
22 Anja Bührer
23 Louise LeGresley
24 Dorothée Rapp
25 Robert Morin
26 Featured Photographer:
Cole Thompson
32 Slim Letaief
Mohammad Esmaeeli
33 Robert Mueller
34 Armands Belakovs-Ceimers
35 Codrin Lupei
36 Lucian Olteanu
37 MarieM
38 Jeannette Woitzik
39 Zsolt Furesz
40 Rui Palha
42 Caroline Blake
43 Fai AL-Buainain
44 storytaylor
45 Christofer Grandin
46 Ausadavut Sarum
47 Sirsendu Gayen
48 Barbara Corvino
49 Catalin Baican
50 Claudiu Gîlmeanu
6 BROR JOHANSSON - Narrow Street DEBORAH PARKIN - Playtime 7
 Imperial Valley Afternoon

Sunken Trailer, Bombay Beach

8 JODY MILLER JODY MILLER - Backlit Fronds, Hawaii 9

 Aquamoon ET

Inhale Vulnerable

10 HENGKI KOENTJORO HENGKI KOENTJORO - Metro 11

12 HESHAM ALHUMAID - Look!! JENNIFER SHORT - She Alone 13
 FAISAL ALMALKI - Yellow

ETHEL KAMBOURIAN - Rain

14 MICHAEL VINCENT MANALO - The Story Teller 15

 HEATHER RIVET - Wild Horses

FAISAL ALMALKI - The End

16 BYONG-HO KIM - Return 17

 CLAUDIO SOLERA - ...O...

ZSOLT FURESZ - Timeline

18 OLIVIER SCHER - Marie 19

20 YURIY NAUMOVYCH - The Loneliness FERNAND HICK - On The Wave... 21
 The Visitor

Der sterbende Schwan Take Me Away

22 ANJA BÜHRER LOUISE LEGRESLEY - HCB 23

24 DOROTHÉE RAPP - A Secret Path ROBERT MORIN - Dune Fence 25
 Featured photographer

cole
thompson
I believe you should create
what you love, love what
you create, and be true to
your vision.

Cole Thompson has been in over 100 juried exhibitions, was and be true to your vision. Forget everyone else! Rules, there
named Photographer of the Year by the Black and White Spi- are none! Experts, just another opinion! Advice, ignore most
der Awards, and has had his work featured in publications such of it! Trends and fads, they’ll be gone tomorrow! In the end,
as LensWork, B&W, American Photo, and PhotoLife. all that’s left is you and what you’ve created, be proud of it.

How did you become interested in photography?
At age 14 I came across some ruins in the countryside of
Rochester NY and learned that the house had been owned by
George Eastman. That caused me to read his biography and
before I had even completed the book or taken a photograph,
I knew that I was destined to be a photographer. But life and
fate had other ideas and instead of being a photographer, I
worked in the business world and didn’t pick up a camera for
the next 30 years. In 2004 I read an article about a new Digital
SLR, the Digital Rebel, and this piqued my interest. I picked
up the camera again and here I am.
What advice could you offer someone who is new to pho-
tography in becoming one with their creative potential?
From the very beginning, think of yourself as an artist and
not a photographer. Find your vision and then seek to be true
to it. Define early on what your definition of success is and
forget other people’s definitions. Think of rules as very vague
guidelines that sometimes apply. Ignore most advice, no mat-
ter how well intentioned, because it usually comes from that
person’s perspective and vision, not yours.

What is your motivation during the creation process?
I simply create, for myself, for my own enjoyment, and for my
own satisfaction. When I see a scene, I have a vision of what
I want that image to look like and my energies are focused on
how to bring what my eyes see into compliance with what my
vision sees.
You can view more of Cole’s work and subscribe to his news-
letter at http://www.colethompsonphotography.com. Also visit his a
blog at http://www.photographyblackwhite.com.
Cole can be reached at cole@colethompsonphotography.com.

Please describe your artistic philosophy?

I’ve got a lot of crazy philosophies, but they work for me. My
philosophies are all centered around self and the individual. I
believe you should create what you love, love what you create,

26 Featured Photographer: COLE THOMPSON Featured Photographer: COLE THOMPSON 27

28 Featured Photographer: COLE THOMPSON Featured Photographer: COLE THOMPSON 29
30 Featured Photographer: COLE THOMPSON Featured Photographer: COLE THOMPSON 31
 SLIM LETAIEF - Determined

MOHAMMAD ESMAEELI - Old Girl

32 ROBERT MUELLER - Tired Man (Life Cycles) 33

34 ARMANDS BELAKOVS-CEIMERS - Autumn Gold CODRIN LUPEI - Crying Games 35
36 LUCIAN OLTEANU - Cold waves MARIEM - Don’t waste it ... it is our life 37
38 JEANNETTE WOITZIK - ~ storybook ~ ZSOLT FURESZ - Seclusion 39
 Downstairs

Wet Games

40 RUI PALHA - Wet Way RUI PALHA 41

42 CAROLINE BLAKE - Hitchcock Déjà Vu FAI AL-BUAINAIN - Arabic Eyes 43
44 STORYTAYLOR - Hope CHRISTOFER GRANDIN - Afternoon Swim 45
46 AUSADAVUT SARUM - Uncle SIRSENDU GAYEN - Long Way to Go 47
 Purple Wave

Undisciplined B&W Daisy

48 BARBARA CORVINO CATALIN BAICAN - Sunken 49

 Contributors
Fai AL-Buainain
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/fai
http://www.flickr.com/photos/faiqatar
http://www.fai-photo.com
I am a photographer from Qatar.
Hesham Alhumaid
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/hesham
I was born in Saudi Arabia in 1988. In early 2008
I began photographing my nephews and nieces
using my older brother’s camera. Photography
was only a part time hobby which I started doing
when I had breaks from my studies. It wasn’t
long though before I felt so passionate about
seeing the world from behind my camera that
photography became an essential part of my life.
Faisal Almalki
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/fa1sal
An enthusiastic amateur, started photography in
2005 and loving every minute. I enjoy shooting
many different subjects but with some concentra-
tion on travel, architecture and abstracts.
Catalin Baican
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/ceul
http://baican.ro
Armands Belakovs-Ceimers
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/squarepic
I am 29 years old and photography has become
my passion since I bought my first DSLR 3 years
ago. All I wanted was to have a camera that could
capture good quality family and travel snapshots,
but now I find myself looking out of the window
on a cloudy work day and thinking how I’d rather
be out with my camera. And if it starts raining, I
am ready to wait. For me photography is about
patience and being rewarded.
Caroline Blake
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/mneme
Photography is my escape!
Anja Bührer
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/latoday
http://1x.com/member/11238/latoday/
I live in Berlin, Germany where I work as a light-
ing technician. Photography is my number one
hobby and during the last two years it has become
my greatest passion. I love seeing the world
through my camera because it opens my eyes to
things that are otherwise overlooked.
Barbara Corvino
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/barbara_corvino
http://www.ivisual.com/barbaracorvino
I love photography. I’m an architect and I live in
a coastal town in the North West of Italy.
50 CLAUDIU GÎLMEANU - Nude
Mohammad Esmaeeli
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/mesmaeeli
Mohammad Esmaeeli was born in 1983, in Teh-
ran, Iran. He considers himself a experimental
photographer and has been shooting since 2005.
Zsolt Furesz
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/realsaw
I’m a 33 year old amateur photographer from
Hungary. I started photography in 2007. I enjoy
conceptual photography where I can fully realize
my creativity.
Sirsendu Gayen
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/sgayen
I’m a teacher and passionate amateur photogra-
pher from Kolkata, India.
Claudiu Gîlmeanu
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/cgilmeanu
http://claudiugilmeanu.ro
Photography settles my thirst for beauty. In addi-
tion, it gives me a pleasant feeling when I capture
a moment from the flow of life.
Christofer Grandin
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/chrisgrandin
http://www.christofergrandin.se
Fernand Hick
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/fhick
http://www.fhick.be
My aim is to transfer, through my images, the
feelings I experienced while shooting. I am above
all, an atmosphere photographer who wishes to
share these emotions with those that look at my
pictures.
Bror Johansson
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/brorj
I’m a passionate amateur photographer that
shoots mostly landscapes and occasionally some
experimental photography. In the past I’ve
participated in national photo competitions and
international photographic salons. So far I’ve
received approximately 250 “accepts.”
Ethel Kambourian
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/ekambourian
Originally from Argentina, I’m currently based in
New York City from where I travel, shooting pho-
tographs, capturing moments, sometimes never
to be seen again. I have taken photos in North
and South America, Latin America and Europe,
Australia, and Japan. Nature, real and abstract
in its form, people, rich colors, sounds and the
wonderful light that I encounter provides me with
infinite photo opportunities.
Byong-Ho Kim
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/brad_kim
Born and raised in South Korea, I’m now a
resident of Los Angeles County, California, since
1983. As a boy, I loved fine arts and studied
painting for a number of years. Although becom-
ing an artist was my dream, I pursued a career
in business and economics. Upon retiring in
1997, my passion for the fine arts returned and I
attended the New York Institute of Photography.
My ultimate goal is to reach the hearts of the
viewers.
Hengki Koentjoro
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/hengki24
http://10711.portfolio.artlimited.net
http://www.koentjoro.com
I’m Hengki Koentjoro from Jakarta, Indonesia.
I love photography because this is the medium
where I can express myself with freedom. B&W,
in particular, gives me more flexibility for personal
interpretation. It is rich in mysteries and evokes
stronger emotion.
Klaus-Peter Kubik
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/kpk
Klaus-Peter Kubik, amateur photographer from
Germany.
Louise LeGresley
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/louise
I live in western France. I’ve always loved
photography, especially street photography. I’m
always looking for that “decisive” moment. My
image “HCB” is a homage to Henri-Cartier Bres-
son, a master of the decisive moment.
Slim Letaief
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/snocturnus
http://www.flickr.com/photos/snocturnus
Letaief Slim is a 29 year old student pilot from
Tunisia.
Codrin Lupei
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/codrin
http://codrinlupei.onexposure.net
Photography is a very important part of my life
because with its help I’m expressing my feelings,
my thoughts, small pieces of my life, of my world.
Michael Vincent Manalo
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/theflickerees
I love life. I want to remember every emotion
that I’ve felt, the feelings that I’ve experienced,
and the faces that I’ve seen. I also would like to
share these with the world. This is what originally
drew me to photography, which unlike any other
style of art, allows the photographer to capture a
moment which hopefully will forever be remem-
bered. However, if I can’t find the perfect place,
the perfect spot, or if my subconscious tries to
convey a much more deeper feeling, I’ll try to cre-
ate that world through digital art.
MarieM
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/marieancolie
http://mariem.jalbum.net
MarieM, aka Marie-Ancolie Romanet is an ama-
teur, self taught photographer, who enjoys beauty
everywhere and tries to capture whatever catches
her eye.
Jody Miller
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/jody9
http://www.jodymillerphoto.com
I’ve been a photographer most of my life, “chas-
ing the light” for over 35 years now. I’ve studied
with many of the world’s best fine art photogra-
phers and their inspiration has kept me pushing
myself to make better images every day. I look
for the essence of what every photograph is
trying to say and express that with whatever treat-
ment the image demands, from the “au naturel”
to the very heavily processed. I love the happy
surprises that occur in photography and use many
kinds of cameras, from large format film to toy,
to digital to achieve the result I’m looking for. I
will be happily chasing light as long as I am able
to do so.
Robert Morin
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/bobmorin
Bob Morin is originally from New Hampshire and
has loved looking at the world through a camera
since age eight. He received a BFA in Photog-
raphy in 1973 but left fine art photography for
many years to pursue other interests including
raising a family. He has now taken up the camera
once again after a 25 year absence.
Robert Mueller
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/robert
http://www.hailand.1x.com
Photography is my passion.
Yuriy Naumovych
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/naumovych
http://www.photodom.com/ru/photographer/naumovych
Yuriy Naumovych is from Ukraine.
Lucian Olteanu
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/lucianol
Lucian was Born in 1951 and is a director of
photography and a filmmaker.
Rui Palha storytaylor
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/rui_palha http://www.fotoblur.com/people/storytaylor
http://www.yesterdayslife.com/photofront/ruipalha I am an architect and an amateur photographer
I was born in Lisbon Portugal. Photography is a also interested in art production and communica-
very important part of my space. It is to discover, tion.
it is to capture, giving flow to what the heart feels
and sees in a certain moment. It is being in the Jeannette Woitzik
street, trying, knowing, learning and practicing the http://www.fotoblur.com/people/schnette
freedom of being, of living, of thinking. Why http://schnettepics.blogspot.com
shoot in B&W? Because if you are photograph- A few months ago I began composing images in
ing in color you show the color of the clothes but Adobe Photoshop. Most of them contain a sur-
in B&W you show the color of the soul. realistic atmosphere and sometimes this served to
express my feelings.
Deborah Parkin
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/abefleur
http://deborahparkin.com
I am currently working on a long term project
which I call ‘Childhood Narratives’ where I’m
exploring my own personal childhood memo-
ries. All my images are projected feelings. I am
currently using a Hasselblad 500c - with Ilford
HP5 and FP4. In the past I have used digital but
at present I’m enjoying medium format. I’m also
studying towards a photography degree.
Dorothée Rapp
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/doro
http://www.dorothee-rapp.de
Dorothée Rapp is magically drawn to the
dreamy revelation of light somewhere in mysti-
cal darkness, to moments of abandon, to the
transitoriness and secrecy, living on some gentle
melancholy in the midst of a vast universe.
Heather Rivet
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/heatherrivet
http://heatherrivet.zenfolio.com
I am a photographer attempting to show that a
landscape is more than just a sunset on a lake, but
can be as simple as a tree in the winter, or a trac-
tor trail through a farmer’s field.
Ausadavut Sarum
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/photobig
http://www.flickr.com/photos/photographerbig
Olivier Scher
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/larusgenei
I’m an ecologist, working in natural reserves in
France. I’m also an amateur photographer who is
very interested in the link between human beings
and their environment.
Jennifer Short
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/njsabs2323
http://www.camasphotography.com
I photograph a variety of subjects, however,
portrait photography remains my passion.
Claudio Solera
http://www.fotoblur.com/people/csolera
I started photography in 1978 with a Pentax
K1000, what a glorious camera! I don’t have
preferred themes. I take pictures of any subject
which promises me some feeling when I review it.
I always try to take the chance of improving.