Meet Tony Gonzales | Photographer & Videographer

We had the good fortune of connecting with Tony Gonzales and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Tony, why did you pursue a creative career?
Throughout my life a camera has always been in my hands. Whether it was creating a family video, taking photos with friends or just a project that I wanted to have fun with for school. What finally pushed me to follow this passion was a photo I took of my wife in Iceland. It’s a portrait of my wife’s eyes when we went whale watching. When I look at that photo I’m reminded of that entire trip and all the fun we had. I remember how cold it was on that boat. I remember how the wind and rain felt when we went hiking. I realized then that photography and videography was something I had to pursue. If one picture was able to bring me so much joy and I thought, ‘I wonder what would happen if I master this craft’. I love the process and the adventures that this career has taken me. I can honestly say that this career has brought a lot of passion into my life. I’ve never felt more in control of where I am going.

Please tell us more about your work. We’d love to hear what sets you apart from others, what you are most proud of or excited about. How did you get to where you are today professionally. Was it easy? If not, how did you overcome the challenges? What are the lessons you’ve learned along the way. What do you want the world to know about you or your brand and story?
I think what sets any photographer or videographer apart from others is the style and the process. If you have two photographers on a set with the same model or product, you’ll get different images. It’s not because they used different cameras, but because they will see composition, lighting and the mood differently. Then when you get to the post productions, the style of editing is different.

Typically that’s how clients find me. They saw something I made either online or from another client and they reach out because they like my style. What’s allowed me to ensure my clients are happy is that I bring the same about of respect and open mindedness to everyone. For me when I’m working for a client its not just about taking photos or video, its about how I am meeting their needs or solving a problem for them. The photos and video is the fun part of the job for sure; but delivering a quality product that makes an impact for my clients is what I’m in the business of doing.

What excites me the most is the payoff of a polished video or album. What I mean by that is seeing what started off as just notes or an idea and became something real. Then seeing how excited my clients are to see what they got. I still get nervous and for lack of a better word butterflies before posting something. It’s the anticipation thinking, ‘man what if they don’t like it, what if it sucks, what if I totally missed the mark’. But it’s what keeps me going. I want to keep on pushing my limits. I think every great artist feels the same way. We put our hearts into our work. So it’s like a piece of us is on display and we want that acceptance.

I got here with a lot of patience and conviction and it definitely wasn’t easy. With the way the world is today, we all want that instant gratification. I want it now, I need it now, I don’t want to wait until next week for another episode. haha  Accepting that it will take time was the hardest pill to swallow. I think that was because I was worried that if I failed, I didn’t know what I would do next. When I stopped focusing on the money and started focusing on the passion is when it got easier. Because then I wasn’t so hard on myself. I gave myself the opportunity to learn and to make mistakes. I also stopped worrying what other people would think. So what if I took a crappy photo or made a stupid video. At least I made something. It was a step forward. I had to understand that I was make this life choice for myself not for others. Other people don’t have deal with my choices or the path I take, I do. Accepting time, self education, and removing negative external voices is how I got to where I am now.

I have no idea what I want the world to know. haha I’m just one person trying to live a happy and meaningful life. I want to provide for my family and set the example for my daughter that she can do anything she sets her mind too. I’m no one special, just a guy with a camera who loves telling stories and capturing moments.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Oooo. That’s tough. The very first thing that comes to mind is Scat’s Jazz lounge in Fort Worth. I love that place and I haven’t been there since Covid. I’m dying to go back so I might just do that soon. It’s definitely a fun vide and a place to hear some great music. A restaurant that I want to go back to is Nick and Sams in Dallas. The most delicious steak I have ever had! I still can’t believe I finished a Tomahawk steak by myself. It was too good and it felt like crime if I didn’t finish it haha. Im just thinking of all the things I want to do again so selfishly I would say to go on a helicopter ride over Dallas at sun set. I went with my wife for one of our anniversaries and I want to go again. Except this time with my camera ahah. The place was call You Take Flight and the pilot was awesome. Lastly is just to take a walk. Either downtown Dallas or Fort Worth, heck we’ll do both! Start off with a nice cup of coffee from local shop and just see where the night takes us. Theres always plenty to find and new things to discover.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
oh wow! Well first, I’d have to say my wife without a doubt. Im lucky to have someone that believes and trust in me to make such a massive career pivot. It’s always scary to try something new. I didn’t know how I was gonna start or what I was going to do first. But she gave me the courage to take the first steps. We agreed that as long as I didn’t loose sight of what was important, family, then it was worth trying.

More support came from the photography and videography community. Joining different Facebook groups help. Some where good, others weren’t, but I was able to get some guidance. A lot of what I learned came from good ol YouTube University haha. Moment, the company that makes lenses for smartphones, was were I started. I didn’t want to drop some major cash on a brand new camera. So Moment helped out a lot. I bought two lenses and case to connect everything to my iPhone and that’s how this career started. I learned the basics from their videos and just put it into practice. Some shots were amazing, others were just straight up terrible. haha But that’s how you learn. You’ll have a lot of terrible shots at first that are overexposed, underexposed, out of focus or white balance being off. But that’s how you learn. You make mistakes and figure out what works. I always recommend beginners to Moment. It’s a great way to save money, learned the fundamentals and just have fun.

After a while my mind set went from wondering how long it would take to get better to how much further could I go. So then I found other YouTubers like Peter McKinnon, Matti Haapoja, Lizzie Peirce, Becki and Chris. Their passion in the work that they do and the information they shared pushed me to keep going and to get more creative.

So in short, it takes family and a community of people to keep the fire a live at the beginning. To get passed the doubts and uncertainty. Lastly I got to thank myself. Not trying to be cheesy but Im thankful that I believed in myself and didn’t give up. I ignored negative people that thought I was crazy. I ignored the ‘friends’ that got upset that I was working instead of going out. And that I continued on when it wasn’t going good. Because now I have my dream job and I love the work that I do.

Website: https://ynottonymedia.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ynottony_media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ynottonymedia/

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/gonz1792/

Image Credits
Two photos title with the photographers handle is her’s @albaroseportraits