It’s been five weeks of great guest photographers so far. What started out as a blind request for guests from the internet, has turned out to be a lot of fun, as well as a travel experience for me. Each week has brought different perspectives from different locations. I’d like to thank the five photographers so far; Manuel Guerzoni, Jessica Stewart, Gary Arndt, Alina Kodatt and last week’s photographer, José Brito. Please take a moment to check out their work if you haven’t already. Each was hand picked by me because their photography really had something to relate and was quality work.
Now on to this week’s guest photographer! I first ‘met’ Ron Dubin on Travel Blog Exchange. When he signed up and posted some photos, I immediately contacted him to see if he’d be interested in being a guest photographer. Most of his shots are from travels to Bolivia, a country I’ve never had the experience of visiting. Ron’s photos gave me a great feel for the country and are what made me want to feature him here, hoping that you too will enjoy his shots of a land far off for most of us. His website of photographic works can be found here, with an RSS feed here, email subscription here and his Twitter ID is rtd13. He’s also been interviewed on The Traveler’s Notebook, a good read.
Ron has printed a book of his photos from Bolivia and it is for sale through Blurb.com.
And now for the four questions for Ron:
1. Explain a bit about who you are and the type of photography that interests you most.
I have been working as a photographer for four years. My passion is capturing landscapes and wildlife although I’ve done travel and food photography for a variety of local, regional, national and online publications. I’ve been fortunate to have traveled and worked extensively in the U.S., from covering rocket launches in Florida to surfers in California. Internationally, I’ve shot in Bolivia, Peru, France, Italy, Switzerland and The Netherlands. I’m originally from Brooklyn, New York. Now I split my time between Los Angeles, CA and Cape Canaveral, FL.
When I’m in Los Angeles, I spend the bulk of my time shooting head shots for up and coming performers. Last September I published a book featuring my work from Bolivia and am currently putting the finishing touches on another book featuring my other work mostly all of which can be found on my blog http://www.rondubinphotography.com.
2. If you could have a paid trip for 4 weeks anywhere in the world just to photograph and report back, where would it be?
Tough question. Sometimes I think that I’d like to go back to someplace that I’ve been and do it “better” than I did it the first time. Then there’s the flipside to that, experiencing someplace I’ve never been, seeing something totally new and fresh which is always a rush. Where ever it may be, it would have to be a place that offers a variety of landscape as well as wildlife opportunities. Interesting people and urban setting are important too. I’d say Africa but I’m wide open to suggestions so feel free to send them to me.
3. Name two of your photography inspirations.
I know this is going to sound bad but the answer is I don’t really have any. There are plenty of photographers whose work I enjoy. I live relatively close to the Getty Museum and try to get there every time they change the photography exhibits. There’s always something fresh by someone I never heard of that I enjoy. The same thing happens when I’m browsing the web, there’s a lot of talent out there.
4. What do you hope to convey to others through your photography?
Ideally, I would hope for two reactions. The first would be that the viewer can get a definite sense of place through my images, feeling like they’re actually there. The second would be that the they immediately go online and book their trip to experience the image first hand. I’d be happy with that.