Produced by Patrick Demarchelier, a world-renowned photographer, the Pirelli 2005 Calender was put together in the spectacular setting of Rio de Janeiro. The metropolis that, as Naomi Campbell says (appearing for the third time in the 'The Cal') "reflects the Brazilian people?s energetic and positive spirit".

Demarchelier has assimilated the spirit of Brazil (?O Espirito do Brazil? is the title of the backstage film) and of Rio de Janeiro, a city dominated by strong contrasts.

His black-and-white photographs investigate the most mysterious aspects of the models of the 'Pirelli Cal 2005' seeking out the invisible source of their allure.

Alongside Naomi Campbell (who made her debut at just 16 years of age in the 1987 Calendar by Terence Donovan, returning in 1995 for the one by Richard Avedon) are Filippa Hamilton and Isabeli Fontana (also chosen by Bruce Weber for the 2003 edition), Adriana Lima, Diana Dondoe, Erin Wasson, Euguenia Volodina, Julia Stegner, Liliane Ferrarezi, Marija Vujovic, Michelle Buswell, 'Valentina' and Valeria Bohm.

"The Pirelli Cal is the world?s most prestigious calendar. It is pure art," says Demarchelier, whose masterly use of light, strong contrasts and striking portraits are quite the opposite of Nick Knight?s imaginative and highly coloured calendar last year.

The 2005 Calendar marks a return to the traditional technique of black-and-white photography that also characterised the calendars by Arthur Elgort (1990), Peter Lindberg (1996), Richard Avedon (1997), Bruce Weber (1998) and Herb Ritts (1999).

As the art director, Douglas Lloyd, states, "every image is a graphic portrait, classic but at the same time modern, exalting the beauty of the female body".

The result is a truly unique version of the Pirelli Calendar, made up for the first time of 22 pages. The Calendar closes with a lively collage of shots "stolen" by the great photographer in a famous Rio discotheque, during the party that concluded the shooting.

Demarchelier's attention to detail and light

Celebrated in the pages of the most important international magazines, Patrick Demarchelier is one of the master fashion photographers of our era. His work has been published in the American, British, French and Italian editions of Vogue, in Mademoiselle and Glamour and other magazines around the world including Premier, Life and Rolling Stone.

In 1989 Princess Diana asked him to portray her, becoming her official photographer and the first non-Briton to photograph the Royal Family.

Always attentive to detail, Demarchelier chose the Pirelli models? clothes with particular care. These, he comments, "confer elegance and an aura of mystery and emotion on women".

Intriguing and sensual, the garments were specially designed to underline contrasts and geometrical lines. Standing out amongst the clothes worn by the models is the Pirelli Pzero line, to which Demarchelier dedicates his August portrait.

The French photographer uses a personal technique that ensures the immediacy of the result, taking direct positive shots on Polaroid film. His photography stands out for its capacity to apply the most sophisticated studio techniques to spectacular, luminous locations, creating images that are fluid and at the same time immersed in nature.

Demarchelier has chosen two particular locations to immortalise his muses and to re-create in the open, the environment of the photographic studio: a dune on the beach and the luxuriant garden of a colonial house. The elegance and fresh spontaneity of the young models give the photos a sense of expression and natural beauty, in line with the exuberance of Brazil.