There is something incredibly special about a family that travels together, especially when that family spans generations and gathers on an island as beautiful as Turks and Caicos. A trip like this is rarely just a vacation. It is a chance to slow down, to be together, and to make memories that everyone carries home long after the tans have faded. That is exactly the spirit the Cordell family brought with them when they returned to Turks and Caicos for another vacation together, staying at the lovely Beach Enclave Villas on the North Shore.
The Beach Enclave is a collection of villas located at some of the most picturesque locations around the island, covering both Grace Bay beach and Long Bay beach.
Because the Cordells had been to Turks and Caicos before, they already knew how special it is. We’ve done their photos before, but their family had grown since then, so it was definitely time for an update. Ten of them in all, from the adults down to the youngest, an infant, gathered for a family portrait session to memorialize their time together.
Choosing the Villa Garden
Everyone knows Turks and Caicos for its turquoise water and soft white sand, and it is no wonder that most families picture the beach when they think of their photos. While the beach is gorgeous, it’s not always the only place or the best place for photos, depending on the group. Sometimes a group is large and moving everyone to the shore can be logistically challenging. Sometimes there are mobility constraints of certain members of the group that make the sand difficult. And sometimes, like with the Cordells, it comes down to very young children and a short window of time.
Their villa at Beach Enclave was walking distance to the beach but instead we did all of their photos in the in the garden with the vibrant colors of greens and flowers that worked great with their clothing color palette.
With so many little ones in the group, we needed to work quickly and stay close, capturing as much as we could while the kids were still full of energy and before anyone got tired.
A Big Group and a Small Window
As Turks and Caicos photographers, we always like to arrive early, and for a session like this it matters even more. We got to the villa with enough time to walk the property, study the light, and figure out where a group of ten could stand together and still feel relaxed. When you are working with children who range all the way down to an infant, a plan makes all the difference. You cannot ask a baby to wait, so we have to be ready before the family even arrives.
That preparation paid off. Because we knew where we were going and what we wanted, we could keep things moving, get everyone in frame, and let the kids be kids without losing the moment. The energy stayed high, the smiles stayed real, and we came away with far more than we could have if we had been figuring it out on the fly.
The Garden as a Backdrop
Turks and Caicos is known for more than its beaches. The island is full of brightly colored flowers, from sunny yellows to soft pinks, and the local bougainvillea grows in what feels like a whole rainbow of colors. Add the deep tropical greens of the palm trees and the rest of the landscaping, and a villa garden becomes a backdrop every bit as beautiful as the shoreline.
Imagine having all of that beauty right outside your door. The gardens and greenery of Beach Enclave gave us a rich color and texture in every frame, and the outfits the family had chosen worked beautifully against all of it. Everything came together. The setting felt lush and warm and unmistakably island, without any of us having to leave the villa.
Why Villa Portraits Work So Well
There are real advantages to photographing a family at their villa, and this session showed all of them. The light in the garden was soft and flattering. It was a little cooler for everyone too, since we were not standing out in the full beach sun, which matters a great deal when you have babies and toddlers who tire quickly in the heat. There was far less wind, so hair stayed put instead of blowing across faces. All of those conditions add up to portraits where everyone looks comfortable, eyes are open, and the whole group is glowing with the color the island had already given their skin.
For a family of this size, with children this small, those small comforts are what let us get the shots that matter. Comfortable people make for happy photos, and happy photos are the ones families keep.
Memories That Come Home With You
At the end of the day, the location is not really the point. Whether a family chooses the beach, the garden, or the architecture of their villa, what matters most is that they are together and that the time is captured. The Cordells understood that. They came to Turks and Caicos to be with one another, and they walked away with portraits that hold onto exactly that.
We loved how this session turned out, and we were so glad to hear the Cordells felt the same. Thank you to the entire Cordell family for trusting us with your time together and for letting us be part of this trip. Sessions like yours are why we do this.
If you are planning a trip to Turks and Caicos and think your window might be short, or your group large, or your little ones small, know that a beautiful villa session is always an option. Wherever you are staying, we would love to be your Turks and Caicos family photographer and help you turn your time on the island into something you can keep.
