About

Hi, I’m Tino

Croatia born Photographer, Web Developer, Travel Guide in Bali

Greetings!

My name is Tino. I was born in Zagreb at 13 Izidora Kršnjavoga Street, the son of a mother from Croatia and an Indonesian father from West Sumatra.

I attended high school in MIOC, and at the Faculty of Science and Mathematics I obtained a master’s degree in mathematics, majoring in computer science.

From 2000-2003. I worked at Siemens Croatia as a software developer, and my hobbies were photography, playing the guitar, and writing poetry as well as short stories.

In 2002, as a member of the Zagreb Photography Club, I won a bronze medal at the Zagreb International Salon of Photography, for a nude with the title “The Unbearable Lightness of Existence”, based on the novel of the same name by one of my favorite authors, Milan Kundera.

As the only domestic winner, I received a valuable award from the hands of the then mayor of the city of Zagreb, and the photo (taken in Slovenia) showed two models (girls) naked behind bars.

DECISION TO JUMP INTO THE UNKNOWN

One autumn day in Zagreb, while I was sitting in the office at the computer and my colleagues were deeply engrossed in numbers, formulas and difficult business tasks, I noticed a small sparrow outside the window.

It was raining, so the sparrow was all drenched and wet. But nevertheless, I secretly ‘envied’ him that he was OUTSIDE and FREE and that he could, at least in theory, go wherever he WANTED!

In that turning point of inspiration, a solid DECISION, which had been smoldering for a long time, matured in me: I decided that I don’t want to spend the rest of my life and youth in a ‘cage’.

Furthermore, I wanted to express myself freely and do something I love: in order to realize my full creative potential and leave some personal contribution to others.

And so I soon ended my current employment, with the help of friends and relatives, sold our family apartment in Dubrava, Zagreb, and set off for distant and exotic Indonesia!

BALI!

I moved to Bali in 2008, where I have been professionally photographing international (mainly Australian) weddings, private villas, models and families on vacation for a long time, as part of my own photography and video brand.

MY KNOWLEDGE OF BALI

In 2005, family of the then president Megawati, the daughter of the first Indonesian president Sukarno, involved me in a project in Bali that was related to Sukarno’s rich artistic legacy.

So I spent almost half a year in an original, authentic Balinese village, specifically in the home of the highest Balinese priest (Pedanda). There I photographed locals, various art and sacred objects, worked on a website for the High Priest, went to ceremonies with him, read books about Bali, and overall, learned firsthand about Balinese customs and lifestyle, myths, religion and culture.

TOURISM

Thanks to all these experiences and circumstances: knowledge of languages (Croatian, Serbian, English, Indonesian), locations and routes, local customs and culture, an increasing number of agencies and individuals began to hire me to organize and lead trips around Bali and the neighboring islands of Indonesia, with photography beaing an extra option and added value. Previous guests would recommend me to their acquaintances, and that’s how all the stories and photos that fill these pages were created.