The 2014 calendar has adorned garages, workplaces, kitchens and race controls alike, and well, despite the fact it only had 363 days on it (I'm led to believe that Dorestians don't believe in the 31st March or 30th April).
So if you remember last year had it's trials and tribulations. So you'd think that luck would be kind and that 2015 would be a breeze... yeah right! Last year we were very fortunate with the semi final locations, meaning that any last minute shoots could be done at the semi finals at Bristol. This year, I knew I had to get a better geographical spread and with that geographical problems befell me, being 70 miles from Land's End! So a few roadtrips and photographers needed to be contacted.
With the best of intentions, I set about trying to shoot as much as I could as early as I could. But as you know, the road to hell is paved with them. I was approached by a few ladies who were based around Essex and were willing to go to the Arena Essex and do their thing. Unfortunately, both girls had to pull out at the last minute, saving me a journey on the Britain's biggest car park the M25.
The next person I wanted on the shoot was Paul Moss (979). The Moss family supported last year's calendar brilliantly, and with PJ embarking on his massive tour, I thought it only be right to spend a May evening down in Fowey, creating a little bit of Christmas. The models for the shoot were Lucy and Ruth. Lucy was the unfortunate girl from last year, she had been part of the January shoots with the 605 and 835 cars, which had to be scrapped due to poor lighting and mist! So with Lucy and Ruth, the Barista Babes (both work in Starbucks) we set out for Fowey. Lucy picks up the story
"After a long shift at work I was regretting not packing a jumper as Jonny had suggested, instead I opted for a bottle of wine to keep me warm between photos. Ruth and I met Jonny and so the drive began down to the shoot, talking about the outfits, the calendar and the prang he'd had in his car the week before. The prang was played down and wrongly so! After taking control of the music and banging out some old school dance tracks and Eurovision songs, somewhere down a country road out of no where our vision was completely blocked by ninja squirrels (thats the story we are releasing to the press) smashing the wind screen and forcing us to come to a stand still. After sitting in silence for a few minutes regaining composure we discussed Jonnys "prang" the week before where he then revealed the bonnet was being held down by cable ties!! - This explains the reasoning for the bonnet flying up and smashing the windscreen whilst driving on a twisty, turny country lane. We agreed om the ninja story and reattached the bonnet and continued to the shoot. On arrival the temperature had dropped a good 3-4 degrees and we were freezing. Off me and Ruth tottered to get changed and open the wine with the hope it would warm us up. Jonny had kindly bought 2 dresses off a website for us to wear which were "one size fits all" in this case it was " one size fits Ruth" sitting down to put on my shoes the inner seam split and from then on a little more of the seam came undone with each breath. Not only was I conscious of my breathing ripping the dress, it hardly covered my bum! After half a bottle of wine I simply apologised to the lads for the extra flesh and maneuvered myself into the poses required in this very restricting dress and our heals sinking immediately into the grass. The whole evening we were in giggles and its full of events I will never forget. Turns out the wine was the best idea I'd had, after the traumatic drive too the shoot and the comical outfit mishaps"
Then after a St Day, I saw the excellent in car video on the Neil Hooper car, once I found the guy whos camera it was, I friended him on Facebook to thank him for the video. I then looked at his work, and lo, he was a fairly good photographer and his missus was fit! Cue Dave and Abi coming on board. With a list of drivers and locations and potential shoot venues, it was always going to be tricky, but Dave got started whilst I sorted a few more things out. First up was a trip to Exmouth for Dave and Abi, to shoot the front cover with Neil Hooper (676) with plenty of excellent shots.
June became a wasted month as I struggled to find models that were available. After enjoying the hospitality of the Issac's team, young Matt's (937) car was chosen to go for a Halloween shoot, including recruiting one of his cousins to shoot on it. Last year's star Alana had been missing in action for the majority of the time, as she had left her jannery shores to head to big city. However she was, like Take That, back for good. So after initially coming for the ride, I got her to come on board, as we dived into Exeter to find something Halloween-ish. Driving into Exeter can be a nightmare, parking even worse. As the girls hit the shops to find something, but to no avail. Exeter's only fancy dress shop was closed, so mass panic, and then I suddenly had a lightbulb moment, Argos sell Batgirl outfits! Punch the code. Only one here. Grrrr, but then the friendly assistant said there was one in Honiton, and it will just going to be a pick up. Boom!
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| One from my camera, which is shite! |
The next big tour included a rather large and bold move. I was aiming to shoot quite a lot of cars over the weekend. Regular trophy girls and one of Mr Brown's girls, Niomie Jade, put me in touch with two young ladies from Holbeach who wanted to do to shoot. Step forward, Emma and April, who were very excited! So with Abi and Alana also goign to lose their Skeg virginity, things were gathering apace. So with 5 girls pencilled in, things couldn't go wrong, could they? Damn right they could, as Niomie, Abi and Alana, pulled out with work and other committments. So with 2 girls, I decided to give it a go. I had arrived early Saturday morning to be greeted by a bunch of drunk janners, and Kat Dawe. I turned up as the party was in its embers, with the bad tidings that my girls wouldn't be there until Sunday. On Sunday, the girls did come, and so did the rain and inclement weather, which saw shoots done under darkened skies. Luke Loveland (120), Tim Bailey (817) and Micky Brennan (968)'s cars were done. Highlights included Mummy Brennan wanting to get involved too! However, the first apologetic attempt of April Showers starring George Macmillan (100) was woeful.....
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| Soggy! |
With August here, I saw that the following weekend was going to be make or break. The wonderful Timehop told me that all shoots had been completed this time last year, and I had 6 done. Out of 26! So the Batten weekend was going to be make or break. Darren Wade (891) had offered sponsorship, so jumped to the front of the queue. He'd brightened up his motor and made it look immaculate only to the point of being dazzlingly shiny. That was the only shoot done on Saturday. I was left with a problem. Cars were here. Girls, not so. So I took a punt, and asked the regular trophy girls Emily and Kim if they were keen. Thankfully they were! Sunday Morning and after a reasonable nights sleep and drinking session, and the bag of outfits was dropped in the girl's changing room. Madame Starter, Sammy Brenton, thought it was a game of dress up, such was the jumble sale look to the dressing room. As Kim and Emily sorted out their outfits for the Steve Gilbert (542), and got their outfits ready for the oncoming conveyer belt of cars coming onto the track, their friend Kirstin came in, possibly at the wrong time, as Sammy, Emily and Kim cajoled her into getting involved. Kirstin had recently had a bad car accident which had her left with nasty injuries. She threw herself into the shoots. Meanwhile, whilst Gilbert, Wagner, Harley, Speak and Batten's cars were being shot by Dave and Alan Parkinson, Alana, Tom Adcroft (768) and Tom's dad, joined Bart Smeets on the side road behind the pits to shoot her February shoot, with Tom's dad helping the best way he could.
After shoots with the Moodie and Alyward cars had been shot by Dave, and Constable and Aldridge, with Bart and Alana, it was all eyes on the Polleysport towers. George and nephew David, set about soaking Abi and Kirstin, with a tiny Peppa pig bucket, but the boy did good. George also proclaimed he had a new favourite, Kirstin taking over from Steph off last year's calendar!
"Dennis told the "Dolls" that the cars were clean but by the end of the shoot the dolls were VERY dirty lol.Shaunnie learned that some impact guns are heavy and she had to ask for a lighter tool lol.. I learned that my girls I cast were tiny as I had to kirby grip the waists on their skirts to hold them up lol"
At the end of St Day, I went over to Race Control to speak to Sammy. Not only did she tell me her mum had a print shop, and that they could probably turn around in less time and lead up to print. This bought me some time. With pictures from Jac and our Scottish one not yet with us yet and with time rapidly running out, a plan B was hatched with Sammy. She was going to bring her own outfits along, however it absolutely tipped it down. The ok had been passed by steward for us to go on track, helpful when Sammy works there, and the Chris Bradbury car was chosen. Then as Dave and I were on track shooting the pictures, when the phone goes with Jac and her pics, so that solved the pink month. Hang on, isn't Sammy in pink....we need red! So with a quick bit of photoshopping to change the pink to red!
All shoots were now in, and well then the miracle happened. With Spikey's excellent design work, it was over to the printers and with it, many afternoons of work, and stacking and assisting putting it together. For a full list of thank yous.... check the back page of the calendar!
So with a bootfull of calendars and other such paraphernalia, we head to Scotland. I love this years calendar, fruits of plenty of hard labour running around like a headless chicken. Now comes the bit where you come in....
For just £10 you can get your hands on THE stock car calendar of the year, and your money goes to help us tell cancer to do one, and help those who have been ridden with this terrible disease.
See you up the Wall
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