Two Bermudian marketing students have put their new found skills to good use to produce their own Bermuda swimsuit calendar which is available in stores now.

After only two weeks on the stands, Whitney Morfitt and Amanda Pacheco are already about to turn a profit with their calendar “Sincerely Yours”.

Miss Morfitt is currently in her third year at St. Mary’s University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Miss Pacheco is at Dalhousie University, also in Halifax. The two girls are roommates and are both in a marketing and entrepreneurship programme. They decided to form their own production company called Carmaney Entertainment.

“We thought a Bermudian calendar would be a great way to showcase what we have been learning, especially since we are good in photography and modelling and such,” Miss Morfitt told The Royal Gazette. “So we went about the process of picking our models, basically we did have interviews.”

Some of the scantily clad models in the calendar have modelling experience, but others were new to the camera.

“We did know a couple of the girls and we were introduced to a couple of the girls,” said Miss Morfitt. “We basically had general interviews and when we were satisfied we came up with themes and ideas and went from there.”

Miss Morfitt is herself a former Miss Teen Bermuda and appeared in a calendar in 2001.

“I have been interested in modelling pretty much all of my life,” said Miss Morfitt. “It is a hobby of mine, definitely. It was interesting being behind the lens instead of in front of it, editing, producing and putting it together.

“We learned a lot along the way, but we had so much fun doing it. I guess that was most important. It re-emphasised for me that there is a lot of work for both sides.”

She said producing a calendar is a lot more work than simply picking 12 photographs.

“It is very difficult,” she said, “but we enjoyed it. We stayed focused and we are very satisfied with our product . We did try to make it tasteful. None of the photographs are way out there. We tried to keep it classy with the aim of showing off the beauty of the person.”

She said the female perspective they brought to their swimsuit calendar made it a little different from male-produced ones.

“I think that is because we are looking at different things than what guys may be looking at,” she said. “I got ideas from when I was in a calendar, and put my own ideas to it. So far the feedback has been very positive. Girls and guys seem to like it.”

Miss Morfitt took a few photography classes at Saltus Grammar School Post Graduate Year, and is now teaching herself. The photographs in the calendar were taken by local photographer, Fudge.

The girls used a staff of five to ten people to help them put together the calendar. Clothes were provided by various individuals who were thanked in the calendar. Makeup was provided by A.S. Coopers.

The calendar was shot in the summer in mostly remote beach locations.

“We decided to do it this way because there weren’t as many people looking at the models, and it was easier for them to concentrate,” she said.

Miss Morfitt said she is proud that she and her roommate actually managed to complete the calendar, and that it is already selling well.

“We have been doing this since January last year,” she said. “There is so much planning and preparation time that went into it.”

Miss Morfitt said she and her partner learned a lot from marking their first calendar. They are already planning their next one, and there will be things they do differently.

“This year we had each girl’s photoshoot on a different day,” she said.

“That became rather tiresome when the weather started going bad and we had to keep rescheduling and rescheduling. We started getting frustrated. Maybe we would look at having more photoshoots on the same day, especially when there is good weather.

“Especially during the end of the summer when it started raining a lot, our photoshoots started getting held up quite a bit.

“We couldn’t have done it without our staff and models and everyone who was willing to help. There were probably five to ten people who were dedicated to helping us. It has taken a lot to get here. Our main ones were Tiffany Madeiros,Thomas Brown and Fudge, the photographer. Those are probably the main ones.”

She said that when she finishes college she would like to be successful at whatever she does.

“I want to find a career that I am happy with and that keeps me motivated for improving,” she said.

For more information about obtaining the calendar, contact Carmaney at 532-3474 or 331-8355.