ANGELA B. PAN

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.

At any given time, you could have found me with at least 2 different cameras while I was in Turks and Caicos. Since I was not able to swim or do much physical activity, I figured I’d spend my time laying around or capturing images. (Which is an amazing plan if you ask me). So I ended up bringing 4 different cameras on the trip, 5 if you count my iPhone.

1. Sony A7II
2. DJI Mavic Pro Drone
3. GoPro Hero 5 Black
4. Canon T70 film camera

It may have been a little excessive to have at least 2 cameras on me, but that was the only way I was able to capture everything I wanted without having to go back to our room to get a different camera. But during the day, I loved having the GoPro and Drone. Both of these cameras allow such different perspectives that I’m not used to when just shooting with my Sony.

But to be honest, I’m usually very cautious when flying my drone in front of a lot of people. I know a lot of people don’t like it. It can be noisy and a disturbance so I try my best to only fly when there aren’t as many people around. One morning, Andrew and I woke up early just to fly the drone. It was great because at 6 am we were the only ones on the beach. I was free to fly wherever I wanted. But I do like images with people in it…

So the next morning, I chose to fly around 8 am. There were a few people on the beach but not as many as there would have been if it were later on in the day and I didn’t fly as long as I did the previous day. But it was great because the sun was completely out and the colors in the water were looking amazing. I especially like looking at all the shadows the sun created.

My camera settings for this image is F2.2 at 1/2200th sec and ISO 100 with my DJI Mavic Pro.

In a crazy turn of events, Andrew and I spent the weekend in Turks and Caicos. At first, I didn’t think we were going to make it considering I had emergency surgery two weeks ago but in the end, we made it happen! I tried my best to try to postpone the trip. Going through all the paperwork and things to get a date change but it just wasn’t working in our favor. So we decided to just take it slow and still go to the Caribbean island. Why waste the money we already put down for it?  The purpose of the trip was to celebrate a huge milestone for Andrew, so that is exactly what we did 🙂

It turned out to be an amazing trip. Yes, we took it slow. But that’s what a beach vacation is all about. At least for me. What better way to recover and just lay around all day than under a beach umbrella. But there were definitely times when we were walking around in the airport or on the beach where I just couldn’t go anymore. I had to sit down and take a break and Andrew was very patient with me.

Prior to leaving for the trip, I thought it would be fun to get a new toy. So I bought a PolarPro FiftyFifty Dome for my GoPro. I love the GoPro as an underwater camera and I wanted to step it up a notch and try out the dome. Since Andrew and I have been to Turks and Caicos a few times before, I knew there wasn’t going to be much to photograph above water. So I envisioned him doing a handstand in the water so I could really see what it was going to be like shooting above and below the water line.

Since the camera is so small, I thought it would be easier to just set it to timelapse and just concentrate on getting the composition right. My camera settings for this image is F2.8 at 1/1900sec and ISO 100 with my GoPro Hero Black 5

To quote the Clean Bandit – “N-n-no, no, no, no place I’d rather be”

If you’re planning a trip to the caribbean or a beach somewhere, I’d highly recommend Turks and Caicos. Andrew have been at least 3 or 4 times and it’s still our number 1, most favoritest beach we’ve ever been too. The clearest water, white sand beach and my favorite part is that there are NO waves. That little line you see in the foreground of this image, yea that’s the biggest wave you’re going to get. Which means you can sit and drink your drink in the water without having to worry about water crashing down on you. It’s like all the best parts of a beach and definietly not as crowded as some of the other islands.

This post was not sponsored. I’m just a big fan 🙂