Currently working on the annual tradition of curating my personal favorite images from the year. I don’t remember when this started but I’ve always had one for my favorite Washington DC images of the year. More recently I added another list where I reflect on my favorite travel images of the year as well. It’s definitely been a busy year but do you have any images that come to mind? I love this time of year to reflect back.
And don’t worry, the top travel images will definitely have some from Turks and Caicos. I hope to visit the Carribean again in 2020!
My camera settings for this image are F6.3 at 1/160th sec and ISO 250 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom lens.
Guess what? Another drone shot. I’m obsessed with my drone. It is exciting to fly and to capture such different perspectives. Its almost like a whole other world that I’ve never seen before. I just wish there were more places around the Washington DC area where I could fly or else I would do it a lot more often.
This image was captured around 6 am at Grace Bay in Turks and Caicos. It seemed like Andrew and I were the only ones who were up at that time which was awesome because we had the whole beach to ourselves. Can you spot us in this image?
My favorite part about this image is obviously the color of the water but I also think the little details are so interesting too. Like the lines in the sand created by the beach chairs. I also love how the beach chairs look so little in this image. If you saw us at all on our trip, we spent most of the time in that exact location just sunbathing. It was amazing.
I don’t know if you can tell but I’ve definitely been having some beach withdrawals.
I thought this image was interesting because it could be two different things. Either the light reflections on the ocean water or a whole bunch of fish swimming by. Obviously, it’s fish but I’m hoping it made you look a little deeper into the image to figure that out.
I was standing on top of this pier when I captured this image. I took that pier image in 2015 and to this day, it still looks the same. Either torn apart or never finished but easy to walk along the planks. Andrew and I noticed other people standing on the pier and saying something about a Baraccuda. Obviously, we jumped up from our beach chairs and I grabbed my camera to go check it out. We didn’t see a barracuda but saw all these fish swimming around the pier in what seemed like circles.
I loved how the sun was hitting them just right and made the water look so transparent. It was difficult to see exactly what I was capturing through my camera lens because the sun was so bright but I think it turned out cooler than expected.
Even though we didn’t see the barracuda, I did see a dolphin, a stingray, and possibly 2 nurse sharks just from the beach. So very cool if you ask me!
My camera settings for this image is F4 at 1/4000th sec and ISO 320 with my Sony A7II and 70-200mm zoom lens.
Taken around the same time I captured this image, I had so much fun watching these fish swim by. I wasn’t able to go underwater so seeing one of these fish swim from above the water was pretty cool. One after the other, more and more started to show up and I was so excited. At one point it seemed like they just kept circling Andrew and me.
I don’t know about you, but when animals or wildlife just show up like this I get extra excited. Sometimes it’s hard to keep my composure but with them circling us, I had plenty of opportunities to capture this image. I think my favorite part about this image is seeing how thick the waterline is. I don’t know why it wouldn’t be the fish. I just think this perspective is so interesting. Plus I like all the water bubbles in line with the fish. It honestly makes me want to go back to a beach later this summer and try it again.
But honestly, they just kept circling us and we had no idea what was going on. After a while, Andrew asked if I got my shot and I said yes. Then he told me to put my camera on video mode so he could jump in the middle and I could capture them all racing away. LOL. I still haven’t looked at the video footage yet, but I’m pretty sure it will just like a big blob of nothingness. If it turns out well, promise I’ll post it. HAHA
By the way, I’m working on a blog post of all my favorite GoPro accessories and I’ll definitely be discussing how I captured this image. If you have any other questions about the GoPro, please let me know and I’ll try my best to answer your questions.
My camera settings for this image is F2.8 at 1/800th sec and ISO 100 with my GoPro Hero 5 Black.
This was our 4th time in Turks and Caicos as a couple.
Andrew is originally from the Bahamas and because of that, he is very particular about the beaches he visits. And I don’t consider that a bad thing! That only means we visit the nicest beaches together. One of his favorites of all time is Turks and Caicos. It’s so beautiful with the white sand and crystal clear water. You can be standing at waist deep water and still see your feet! Plus it’s a pretty short flight considering the travel time to other beaches like this.
I love it because the vibes are super chill. I’ve never felt threaten or scared even with leaving my camera equipment on the beach, nothing has ever happened to it. The water is so calm. You can wade in the water and never even move from your spot. Sometimes big waves can be fun, but if you’re just trying to relax, I LOVE the peaceful waters.
So being the water-loving guy he is, I think this image perfectly shows him in his element. If you zoom in, you’ll see that he’s smiling 🙂 He looks free as a bird… or fish. The only way to really get him out of the water is by yelling “SHARK!” Then you won’t see anyone run faster. LOL.
My camera settings for this image is F2.2 at 1/1900th sec and ISO 100 with my DJI Mavic Pro.
On our way back from the beach and walking towards our room, I was completely distracted by the newly renovated swimming pool at Club Med. It is now above ground so it feels like an infinity pool and when no one is in it, the reflections are absolutely gorgeous. This image makes me want to jump in, but we actually didn’t spend any time at the pool. Andrew’s way more of a beach person but when I travel with my girlfriends, I feel like we’re at the pool 90% of the time. I’m ok with either. As long as there’s some sort of body of water, I’m all good.
Which one are you? A pool or ocean person?
But I’m glad we walked by it right around sunset because the colors are stunning. Andrew was returning our beach towels and getting us drinks when I captured this image. I just loved the way the palm trees and clouds were reflected in the water. I tried my best to get as close to the water to make the reflections look extra big. Proud to report that there was no water damage to ANY of my cameras during this whole trip 🙂
If you find yourself traveling to Grace Bay, I highly recommend spending your time chasing the sunset because of where you are located on the island. It sets right in front of you making it difficult to take a bad image. The sun rises on the other side and with all my experience there, your time is probably better spent in bed then waking up super early.
My camera settings for this image is F8 at 1/60th sec and ISO 200 with my Sony A7II and 16-35mm wide angle lens.
