Life on a DHB photo shoot!

In November 2014 I was invited by the lovely Christina at Wiggle to model their new DHB range of swimwear, trisuits and wetsuits. The huge perk to gleefully accepting this invitation was that the photo shoot was to take place in Lanzarote! Somehow, as a triathlete of almost fifteen years experience, I had never been to Lanzarote or Club La Santa- Lanzarote's fabled training camp.

In early January we met in Bushy Park for a few test shots. The awesome photographer, who insisted that he was so famous I was not allowed to use him in any blog posts and therefore shall be referred to as Bambie, had to review his potential models. Despite being told to keep my arms in when running (a common trait with triathletes due to our huge arms), Bambie informed me I had made the cut. I was really excited about heading out to Lanzarote and trying out the new DHB swimsuits, trisuits and wetsuits. I just hoped the weather was going to be better than it was on that day in Bushy Park (when there was snot everywhere).

After a slightly late arrival at Gatwick due to an early start, a taxi not turning up and some snowfall, myself, Natalie (the other lovely model), Bambie and the Wiggle team took our flight to Lanzarote.

On arrival, my excellent directions soon got Christina lost as we drove three times the distance down the island than was necessary. I reverted to a game of 'you choose which direction we turn next' which, surprisingly, failed to materialise in us finding our hotel. We did eventually find it though!

Bambie, who had arrived several days earlier, greeted us. Not long after we had unpacked, we were being ushered to Bambie's favourite eaterie- a short walk along the shore. Fair play to Bambie, the food was very good.

Being on a photo shoot meant much earlier starts than I was used to (6.00am rather than 8.00am) which meant early nights. I was not in sync and this led to many a journey where I was the boring one, asleep in the back. I do like a good nap! On the first morning I was confused as the television was one hour ahead of my mobile and so I was actually an hour early meeting in reception. Punctuality is not normally such a strong point for me.

We would head out on scouting missions for the first day and a half for Christina and Bambi to review the island and make a plan of action for what discipline and kit would be shot where and when. This meant that we saw the whole island at least once, which was great. We were also hoping that the cloud would break but, as we were reminded by at least two locals, 'this is the worst winter we have had since 1978'.

We definitely made the most of it though and the cloud often made for more dramatic photos. The lava fields will always look amazing, no matter what the weather. One fantastic shot was taken when I was cycling just a couple of feet away from Bambi, who was sitting in the back of the van whilst we were doing 40mph. Fun for me and it got a great shot so happy days!

Our boat trip led us around the coast in some cool, choppy waters. This enabled us to get some fantastic shots of the wetsuit in deep sea, as well as a couple of good shots of the trisuit. Natalie perfected her dive fairly quickly where as I am not sure I ever did- although one of the photos suggests I did dive well on at least one occassion. One of the highlights of the trip was actually the return leg of the boat trip, where Bambi and I spooned at the front of the boat whilst the ladies hung on for dear life at the back.

The final day, before a rush to the airport, saw us get some brilliant shots exiting the water in a lovely little cove. Bambie even got in the water- although we kept a close watch on him as baby deer should not be left near water on their own.

I had a great time on the DHB photo shoot and it was really interesting to listen to Bambi talk about his past shoots and his method of shooting. A lot of preperation goes into each photo and so many need to be taken to get those shots that are deemed worthy enough for promotional material.

Despite the fact one of my sponsors provide me with one of the best wetsuits around I would have no hesitation in recommending the new DHB wetsuit as a fantastic suit for entry level, novice and even intermediate triathletes and open water swimmers. It was a tight yet comfortable fit and it felt smooth to swim in. The swimsuits and trisuits are also extremely comfortable and they look stylish as well.