Hailing from the small island of Bermuda, triathlete Flora Duffy has risen to international acclaim after winning a host of renown championships, including the 2017 MTP Champions Race (Elite Women’s Category) in Stellenbosch, South Africa and placing eighth at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics. To say I was excited to meet Flora for our shoot was an understatement. I was ecstatic. She is at the top of her game physically and a world-wide ambassador for Bermuda.
I met Flora for the first time a few days before our photo and video shoot was to begin. The thing that immediately struck me about her was her humility and easy-going nature; there wasn’t a conceited bone in her entire body. Together we chatted with Jill Dill, the PR Projects Manager at Bermuda Tourism Authority, about the location and overall concept for the day. That’s when Flora turned to me and said ‘Look Nhuri, you’re the professional. You tell me what to do and I’ll make it work’. It was music to my ears and made the project an absolute joy for me as a photographer.
Flora to me embodies internal strength and perseverance, both of which shined through in the photos. My time with her didn’t feel like ‘work’ because she was just so content with being herself and authentic in front of the camera. We captured a bulk of the footage during an early morning sunrise session at Horseshoe Bay. There was an ocean mist coming from the wave break that created a haze in the background and made for some really stunning images. As the sun rose higher, we moved to a few other picturesque locations including Tucker’s Point Golf Couse and the old railway trails on South Shore. My goal was to showcase two things: beauty and strength. I couldn’t have asked for a better subject and backdrop to embody both of those elements.