As well as Bolivia,Ronhas travelled to Peru, France, Italy, Switzerland and The Netherlands for his photography and also provides travel and food photography for a variety of local, regional, national and online publications.

I have been in contact withRonfor a couple of months now since he very kindly contacted and thanked me for a previous post regarding his work.

RecentlyRonagreed to answer some questions regarding his work……..

1. Can you please tell me a bit about yourself and your photography?

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 travelled 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.

2. How did you get into photography?

Photography is something that I was always drawn to and appreciated but was never really in a position for one reason or another to pursue. When I finally did find myself at a juncture in my life that seemed amenable to jumping into it, I did so with both feet.

3. If you had to describe your photography in 3 words what would they be?

Live the moment.

4. What camera/s do you currently use and why?

I shoot Canon, Two DSLRs and a P & S. I’m very happy and comfortable with them.

5. Where is the most inspirational place you have ever visited?

I love Bolivia. The diversity is amazing. The vastness of the Salar de Uyini is just incredible and awe inspiring. Cities can be inspirational but having grown up in New York, I might take them for granted. But even the Grand Canyon, which is on most people’s “have to do before you die” list didn’t generate the same response from me that the Salar de Uyuni and The Altiplano did. A truly mind blowing experience.

6. Do you have an all time favourite photo that you have taken?

Believe it or not, not really although the train will probably always be near the top. My reactions to my work tend to depend upon my mood. There are images that I’ve made that I didn’t think much of originally, that 6 months or a year later had grown on me considerably. I think it’s like that with most creative arts be it music, film, food etc. and life in general.

I know that with a few exceptions tastes evolve and expand, what I enjoyed in my twenties is different than what I enjoy now in my forties. It doesn’t mean I had bad or no taste then (although I’m sure there are some people that know me who might disagree), just different. That’s why I approach looking at my work with a skeptical eye. An excellent image will always be an excellent image.

Will it consistently generate the emotional, guttural impact that makes an image great? Who knows. But that’s what makes the world go ’round, right?

7. What is in your camera bag?

It really depends upon where I’m going. Besides the two DSLR bodies and a G9 point and shoot, my full, take everything bag (Tamarac) has lens coverage from 10mm to 400mm plus a Lensbaby. A couple of ND filters, Circular Polarizers, 12 rechargeable AA batteries, flash, multiple memory cards, lens cleaners, GPS unit, 2 portable hard drives, a laptop and the various chargers to keep it all powered. A tripod goes on the other shoulder. I also use a Crumpler and a Kata bag when I don’t need to bring everything.

8. Do you ever have the time to take photos just for fun? If so what do you like to take photos of?

I think that anytime I have a camera in my hands it’s fun but to answer your question, I do love photographing my son Spenser.

9. Do you have a favourite photographer?

I know this is going to sound bad but the answer is no, no favourite. 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 roll over the photography exhibits. There’s always something fresh by someone I never heard of that I look at and think “very, very cool”. The same thing happens when I’m browsing the web, there’s a lot of talent out there.

10. Other than your camera, what is the most important item in your camera bag?

Up until New Years I would have said a spare pack of cigarettes. I’ll have to see what replaces that as the year goes on.

11. What photography sites (other than mine!) do you regularly visit on the internet?

There are so many sites out there, unless it’s all you do, it’s impossible to keep up.The Luminous Landscape,The Online Photographer andAsian Ramblings are regular stops. For more, there’s a slew of choiceshere .

12. Is there anywhere in the world that you would love to photograph?

The comedian Steven Wright had a joke: “It’s a small world… but I wouldn’t want to paint it.” To answer your question, it’s a small world and I would love to photograph it, all of it.

13. What are the main challenges you face regarding your photography?

I think it’s the same thing that’s affecting everyone right now, the economy. Magazines and newspapers are cutting back like crazy. The dollar is devalued virtually everywhere in the world. Discretionary income and spending is down across the board. Tough times right now.

14. If you could give someone starting out in photography 3 tips, what would they be?

Shoot what you love. Shoot a lot. Repeat.

15. You have a great Website, did you design it yourself?

Thank you, I appreciate that. Yes, the site is running on WordPress using the Thesis theme. I use Exposure Manager for the gallery and sales.

16. Where do you look for inspiration?

It’s not so much looking for it as just being cognizant of what’s going on around you, being able to recognize an opportunity and taking advantage of it. I think like some other things in life, inspiration comes from the weirdest places at the most unexpected times. For me, being prepared would be the most important part of the equation though you can’t discount luck either. This image of the corner market in Coroico, Bolivia is a great example of things just coming together unexpectedly. For some people it’s the chickens. For others it’s the pig’s head. There are those that find the women casually conversing by the pig’s head to be the most interesting. For me, my favorite part is the sleeping dog. Every individual component contributes to the whole of this image. Five minutes earlier or later, the women might be gone, the dog could’ve left, the pig, well, he’d probably still be there. Being in the position to make this image was lucky.

17. Do you ever have inspiration ‘blocks’ and how do you get over these?

Absolutely, doesn’t everyone? I look at them more as motivation “blocks” though. What will get me over them most of the time, besides a good bottle of wine, is keeping the camera out of my hands and focusing on something else completely different or just going through my library and revisiting images that I didn’t think much of initially. As I mentioned earlier, a different look while in a different mindset might work out great. This image is a good example, for me anyway. I’m not sure how I missed it the first, second and fifth time around but I did.

18. I notice you have a few shots of motor racing on your website gallery, is this another passion of yours?

I would love to tell you it is but unfortunately the answer is not really. A friend was visiting me in Cape Canaveral and wanted to attend the Rolex 24 hours of Daytona which is about an hour north. It was a great experience and fun to shoot and I was extremely happy with the images I was able to make, especially the night landscape of the speedway. Would I do it again? Absolutely, but it’s not something I would go out of my way to cover.

19. If you had to pick 3 photos to showcase your work, what would they be?

I couldn’t select just three, I hope you don’t mind a fourth?

Lastly, a massive thank you toRonfor taking the time to answer my questions, I know how busy he is and his time really is appreciated!