Paradise Photography is a boutique photography company in the Turks & Caicos that offers guests of the Sands on Grace Bay a variety of photography services including engagements, marriage proposals, and babymoon photo sessions. In particular, our proposal sessions include a private consultation with the groom to help develop and plan an overall strategy for his surprise proposal. We recently conducted one of these surprise proposal sessions for a guest of The Sands at Grace Bay – Mark Milner. Mark wanted to do the proposal and engagement photo shoot over two days at two separate locations, including sites around The Sands property.
On day one, Mark pre-arranged for a “fake” taxi pickup by one of our photographers who took Mark and his fiancé’-to-be, Anna, to a remote location under the guise that Mark wanted to simply enjoy a sunset with Anna on an unnamed remote beach in Leeward. James Roy of Paradise Photography picked Mark and Anna up in a white SUV, which looked like most island taxis. When we arrived to our secluded beach, Mark asked if I would take a quick photo of him and Anna with his cell phone. I said that I was also a part time photographer and that I happened to have my camera with me, and that the photo would be better if I used my equipment. Mark and I had agreed to this arrangement one month before during my phone consultation with him. We felt that it would be easier for me to get the best angle if I did not have to sneak around in the bushes trying to get the proposal from a hidden position. Our plan was a complete success, because Anna said “yes,” the sunset was magnificent, the photos were amazing; but more importantly, Anna did not suspect that all of this was set up beforehand. After Anna said yes, Mark told her that I was really a professional photographer and that the entire trip had been prearranged.
We spent day two on the beautiful grounds of The Sands. We shot around some of the more interesting areas including the open air front lobby with its white Barbadian coral limestone pillars and gorgeous soft lighting. Another picturesque spot was the intimate hammock lounge tucked inside a grove of coconuts just outside the front lobby on the property grounds. The beautifully manicured pools were a great backdrop for additional romantic images of the newly engaged couple. Even around the outside of Hemingway’s Restaurant and bar proved to be an intriguing backdrop. To top off the shoot, I took Mark and Anna to The Sand’s pristine stretch of Grace Bay Beach. We usually conduct day two of a multi-day shoot during the late morning and early afternoon, in order to capture the vibrant blue colors of the water and sky that contrast against the bright white soft sand of Grace Bay Beach. Needless to say, Mark and Anna were not disappointed. The surprise was well worth the effort to create a magnificent proposal photo shoot that will provide Mark and Anna with lasting memories of their engagement in tropical paradise.
