Though not as entertaining as El Bob’s trip, here are the rest of the photos and videos during my trip to Puerto Rico. All photos taken with the Sony DSC-W170.

The first couple I met at San Juan airport.

The view from Don Jose Hacienda, Mexican restaurant

Appetizer.

Enchiladas with some weird powdery cheese.

Red fish.

Sculptures on Av Ashford, Condado, PR.

Salmon and mofongo at Yerba Buena.

Things to buy at Wallgreens.

More things.

Delicious chocolate ice cream.

Mmm, breakfast.

And some sausage omelette.

Rooftop of Radisson hotel in Condado, PR.

Panning across the balcony.

Oceanside.

Nothing like swimming on a rooftop. If only I swam.

Charlie, a.k.a Hyundai Brio. Our first stop at Cayey, PR looking for some lechon.

The usual view from a local road on the mountain.

Lechon.

Beef patty and champagne soda.

Typical lechonera stop in Cayey.

Sunset view after dinner.

Sunrise view heading towards Luquillo.

Hang gliding view.

Dancing with the clouds.

Up, up and away!

Sometimes it feels like you’re not even moving.

Always in the mood for steak.

Cappuccino

I love smoked salmon.

Back at home…

Fort San Felipe del Morro.

Fruit Punch.

Delicious appetizers at Raices, Old San Juan.

Another omelette for breakfast.

The equipment.

A part of me likes to stay mysterious while the other part is an open book. For the most part, I’ve created an “online personality” for the purpose of marketing my work. To present the work I do, I believe you need plenty of confidence and deliberateness. Just like wild predators, the viewers and critics can smell fear and self doubt, but at the same time they are attracted to someone who knows what they are doing. As an artist, I have to tell it how it should be rather than asking how you think I should make it. I have never been the type to look for a community of artists to share work with, instead, I only care about my own creations and interests while sharing it with the public. I don’t like to kiss ass with my clients, I don’t like giving disclaimers to justify a sub-par piece of work, I don’t like selling Photoshop Actions for an arm and leg, I just let my work do the talking.

There is an apparent disadvantage of creating an online personality – people will believe it and take you for what you present. This comes with many false assumptions about who I am. For the most part, I don’t care what people outside of my immediate circle thought of me, in fact, my goal was to create awe, envy and maybe even jealousy. I wish I could say my personal life was strictly separated from my work, but that is impossible and the lines are crossing more and more, as most of my acquaintances and so-called friends are people whom I’ve met through my work.

Long story short, while I still intend to keep the cocky, snobby, jerkish personality online, I meet many people in person who find it a relief to know that I am quite the opposite. While they realize I am a nice guy immediately, I still have to answer the same questions over and over – which brings me to the purpose of this entry. These are a few quick facts about the man behind the camera.

Personal Facts

I am a very shy and introverted person without a camera, and sometimes still shy with a camera.
I don’t talk to strangers or random girls, ever. They need to come up to me first.
I hate trivial conversations.
I don’t drink alcohol, and I have never done drugs.
I hate parties.
I have been single 98.148% of my life.
I am a hopeless romantic.
I do not sleep with models.
I kissed two girls in my entire life.
I always enjoy a good wedding.
I eat to live, not live to eat.
I have been told I am very gentle.
Some people call me Deadpan Tony, Tony Balogna, Turtle, ynot, T.
I have a very deadpan personality.
I have a dysfunctional family.
I will shoot my own destination wedding, with little to no guests.
I hate hearing all my female friends wanting me to be their wedding photographer if they ever find a man and get married. I hope you never find that person.
I have dry humor.
I love hotels.
I spend money like water.
I love driving more than photography.
I drive 25,000 miles a year.
I love really loud music to the point I can’t hear myself think.
I am always online.
I suck at math.
I have number dyslexia and terrible short term memory.

Professional Facts

I am a visual artist, majored in graphic design, graduated BFA from Mason Gross (Rutgers).
I can draw and paint, but I suck at sculpture.
I have been using Adobe Photoshop since 3.0 in 1994.
I started photography with 35mm film on my brother’s Canon Rebel.
Most of my models are not aspiring or professional models, they probably work in your office.
My modeling work is strictly a hobby and not a job, besides, aspiring models do not have money.
I search for models online, either through MySpace or Model Mayhem.
My most expensive hotels range from $600 – $800 per night.
I prefer shooting indoors with controlled lighting and privacy. If I had to shoot outdoors, I prefer a secluded beach on an exotic island.
I prefer working with 27-31 year old subjects.
I rarely use makeup artists.
I have been to 113 weddings since 2005.
I’m a PC.
I program in PHP and MySQL.
I work 9-5 in an office.
I hate Nikon skin tones.
I only shoot in JPEG.
I don’t use color profiles.
I don’t join forums and talk about photography. I take photos. Don’t be the second type of photographer.
I don’t buy new camera bodies just because it’s new. That makes you a measurebator.

Closing

I have recently been more motivated to get out and talk to people and let them discover who I am. I am an open book for anyone that genuinely wants to know more about me. I dare you to ask the personal questions, I urge you to express your feelings, I challenge you to intrigue me.

Addendum

I’ve been waiting forever to share this image. Here is a quote to be paired with the photograph.

I never cared to be known as the pretty girl. In fact, I’d rather be known as the lab geek or girl who can scarf down more In-N-Out burgers than all her boys. Just because I have modeled doesn’t mean I care to be known as a model. To me that title implies watching what you eat and I love food too much for that. I made sure Tony knew before we started working together a year and a half ago that I don’t fit the typical model mold. So let me attempt to rewrite that definition so that it is tailored to each individual. Me: I am strong – physically, mentally, emotionally – and I can rule the world in sweat pants and sneakers. Put me in front of or behind the camera and I’ll be equally satisfied. Put yourself in front of Tony’s camera and he’ll show you beauty is about how you feel.

Nicole

I adopted El Bob from Ceyey, Puerto Rico. I drove down there from San Juan to have some lechón (suckling pig) at local restaurants, or lechoneras. It only cost $3 to adopt this piggy from being eaten. Don’t worry, I did’t eat in front of him. Unfortunately Bob didn’t get into any other photo opportunities other than Old San Juan. I’ll post the other photos of my Puerto Rico trip next.

I dropped Bob near the water fountain when I was trying to take a picture, and his ear broke off. While doing some window shopping I spotted a butterfly store selling ugly yarn dolls. I met store owner Cirene, a gorgeous woman, who explained all the stories behind each yarn doll. I found her intimate knowledge of about 100 of these dolls extremely attractive, as I am attached to all of my ugly dolls back home. When she heard about Bob’s accident, she was heart broken and immediately offered to help me reattach his ear on the spot. As her gratitude for making her day more interesting, she offered to let me take a picture of Bob with the butterflies, since her store has a “no photography” policy. I can easily say my experience with her was the best 20 minutes of my entire trip.

All photos were taken with my point and shoot, Sony DSC-W170. The trick is to use a tabletop tripod, set your ISO at the lowest possible, and use a timer to take longer exposure shots for the best quality. Of course in daylight, you can just snap away handheld. I also have grid display on my LCD so I can easily apply the rule of thirds. One of the very few advantages this Sony has over my Canon Elph is the wider lens.

Bob stayed at Hotel El Convento.

Bob is amazed at the size of the front entrance door.

Bob checking out the courtyard.

Bob is testing the bed.

Closeup of Bob testing the bed.

Bob decides to take a nap.

Bob is dreaming about Ms. Piggy.

Bob likes keys.

Bob also likes lifesavers. He can’t swim.

Bob taking a trip on Noah’s Ark.

Bob visiting Catedral de San Juan.

Bob wishes he could be on top of the totem pole in Plaza Quinto Centenario.

Bob lost an ear after a fall.

Bob visiting Fort San Felipe del Morro.

Bob is free.

Bob enjoying the breeze.

Bob is thirsty.

Bob admiring the cruise ships. Will he fit?

The Butterfly People store where Bob was fixed by the gorgeous Cirene.

Bob feeding with the pigeons at Plaza de Armas.

Bob’s night out in town.

Bob reading the wall.

Bob’s new friends, Jo Ninja and Buster.

Pork and beans.

After feeding Bob, it’s my turn.

Bob visits the Bodies Exhibition. Glad it wasn’t about piggies.

Bob likes pina coladas. Where’s a bendable straw when you need one.

Bob at Playa del Sol at the airport. It’s chicken.

Bob gets the window seat. But he can’t see out the window.

Bob waits for his luggage.

Does Bob get self conscious?

Bob back in the office.