Kontakt Photo Missions #01:
Grand Turk Island, Turks and Caicos
April 2nd, 2021 – A part of the reason why I started the Kontakt Blog was to share some of the travel photography I’ve captured while exploring the world. Although we studied photography in film school I focused more on shooting video and film after I graduated. Over the years the lines between video and photo started to merge and in 2012 I bought my first professional Canon DSLR camera.
As the years passed I collected thousands of photos and other than a few personal prints and Instagram posts these images have sat mostly unseen. Now when I travel I almost feel guilty for not having my stills camera with me. Everywhere I go I see a landscape to be documented or a face that needs to be immortalized on film. Below is a set of photos from my first trip with the camera, when I visited my friend Andrew in Turks and Caicos in April 2012. On this trip I experimented with long exposure and HDR techniques and played a lot with color and saturation in post.
I landed in Providenciales then jumped on a quick 30 minute pond hopper flight to Cockburn Town. Though I don’t like to shoot through windows in general this view of Grand Turk island was cool to see as we approached for landing.
After the long winter in Canada it was good to be on the beach and in the water. The tropical climate and ocean takes it’s toll on the island and the erosion resulted in some beautiful textures.
We spent our nights hanging out at Bohio Dive Resort and the infamous Ike’s Bar where Andrew introduced me to one of my now favorite drinks, the Dark and Stormy. Their Conch Chowder was amazing as well. In the last picture Captain Andrew Kirn is seen taking a group of divers out to explore the infamous Grand Turk Wall.
The camera changed the way I traveled and helped sharpen my cinematic eye and also reinvigorated my love of capturing images even when I wasn’t getting paid by to do it. Photography helped my filmmaking and cinematography by improving different techniques including framing, lens selection, lighting and image post production.
Look for more Kontakt Photo Missions in the coming months. We’re working on the Kontakt Print Shop where you will be able to buy photo prints, in the meantime contact us directly for Print Options & Pricing!
