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Each year the biking community produces a calendar to raise funds for the charity Helping Jonah - Helping Others. Mefi Ous Maidens, features photos of local female bikers posing with a variety of motorbikes and I was assigned five of the calendar girls to photograph for the latest edition.

I’m always keen to pull out the stops with every assignment, and this was no exception. We spent some time researching possible locations and I used portable studio lighting for the shoots and in some cases, even a smoke machine.

One of the main locations was a dilapidated commercial yard - a photographer’s playground. Abandoned and rapidly deteriorating, the yard offers endless creativity for portrait photography with dark and dingy workshops, overgrown rusted vehicles and crumbling buildings. There is beauty in decay and I was keen to use it as a contrasting backdrop for these portraits.

The shoots were not without their difficulties - rusty nails, glass and brambles were a constant threat to both feet and tyre. Many locations required clearing of junk, while retaining just enough to compliment each scene. Foliage was cleared for access and one location required a makeshift ramp to get the bike inside. One shoot was marred by a disagreement between my car and the smoke machine - my attempt to make old burnt-out cars look like they were still smouldering resulted in my own nearly catching fire!

The second great location was a private bar owned by one of the models. Built in a shed, the tiny bar has great character and made for a quirky location to pose bike and rider for a more unusual shot. I can only imagine some of the awesome parties that have taken place in this funky drinking establishment.

Thanks go to organiser Jayne Packham for her boundless energy and assistance throughout the shoots and of course to the brave models themselves - most of whom had never posed before but displayed stacks of enthusiasm and above all, a willingness to try. I hope my photographs prove that you don’t need to be an experienced model to look great!

Calendars are available now at various businesses around the island and more information can be found here. Grab your copy before they run out - it’s for a great cause!