Ron Dubin is a master photographer and frequent commenter on asian ramblings. It’s a pleasure to announce the publication of his new book.
Ron Dubin wanted to get away. He’d had a trying year: Moving across country, from Los Angeles to Florida, coupled with the illness and death of his mother, Dubin was ready for something else.
“(If I had been offered) an assignment in Pompeii the day before it got buried I would have asked if I needed a visa,” says Dubin in the forward of his book, Bolivia, A Journey.
Ron is a man of many photographic talents. Over the last four years, his images have been featured in food and travel publications, regionally, nationally, and online. Dubin has also shot in Peru, France, Italy, Switzerland, The Netherlands, and extensively in the U.S.
Dubin’s book, 86 pages of extraordinary photographs and the stories behind them, offers readers a look into Bolivia’s diverse scenery and people. His landscape images are striking: Bold mountains under remarkable skies. The local creatures, llamas, snakes, and flamingos, have also been photographically captured in their native habitats.
The photographs of the people, going about their daily lives, give readers a revealing look into Bolivian life. The images document small-town residents going about their daily routine. These images, captured by an impartial observer, offer a glance into another place and culture.
Dubin’s image, The Sisters, captures two siblings at Isla del Sol. According to Ron, they were the most frightening thing about the town. The encounter resulted in him purchasing two palm fronds from the pair.
“She kicked my butt… There are three-card Monte dealers in New York that could learn a thing or two from them,” he says.
The architecture: Basilicas, moments, and ruins, were not overlooked by Dubin’s lens. The buildings, combined with the wide blue sky, are a visual pleasure to view. The images of the Basilica of Our Lady of Copacabana, near the banks of Lake Titicaca, illustrate the sacredness of the site to both the indigenous and Catholic people.
Built in the 16th century, Dubin explains, “It is a popular custom to get your car blessed in front of the church which considering the roads, couldn’t possibly hurt.”
Dubin admits to knowing little about Bolivia before setting out on his expedition. “What I did know couldn’t fill up a trivial pursuit card,” he says. He did know about Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. One of the final images in the book is of Ron brandishing the famous outlaws’ pistols.
Bolivia, A Journey can be purchased at Blurb. Ron Dubin maintains a photo blog at blog.rtd13.com
Wow — Bolivia just figured in Amazing Race, and I was looking at it and thinking a) how gorgeous it was and b) how horrible it would be to get around in, lol! Thanks for the heads-up!
Butch Cassidy and the back of a Trivial Pursuit card are about my level of knowledge too. 🙂
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LFC: I love The Amazing Race. I’ll keep a look-out for the newest season. It should be on TV here sometime in 2011.
You know, I was going to ask my kids to get this for me for Christmas but you did such a good job of selling it, I think I’m going to order it now!
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Beautiful shots. I’ll have to check out this book. Thanks for the recommendation.
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Bolivia is a dream location for me – lots of spectacular scenery for great photographs.
Very cool shots!
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I done a little bit of traveling in Bolivia and it’s amazingly beautiful and cheap. btw – just downloaded The Amazing Race and am watching as I blog surf
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Congratulations on the book, Ron. The photos are fabulous but also have a deep sense of reverence and peace. I hope it was a salvo to the year that precipitated it.
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Corina: That’s cool.
Erica: No problem.
Lola: Yes, I’d like to shot there too.
QR: Damn you and your TV watching ways. I’ll have to take a look for it online.
yb: It’s a great book, thanks for the comment.
Now I know why every S. America traveler we’ve met so far has listed Bolivia as their favorite country. It’s gorgeous!
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Theresa: Yes it is. Ron has done an excellent job documenting the country.
I love the shots, particularly the one used on the cover.
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Jackie: Ron is a master, you should see the book!
Thanks for the kind words guys, I truly appreciate it…. 😉
R(etc… )
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