Military wives strip off in sub-zero temperatures for nude calendar in honour of their husbands

Pictures taken in Braemar in the Highlands and Moray in Aberdeenshire

Features wives of men from the three armed services

Women had to strip off in Arctic conditions in the Highlands

Their faces are left out to show they represent all military wives



Garrison Girls charity helps combat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder



A group of military wives trekked up a mountain and bravely bared all in temperatures of minus 4C to create a nude calendar in honour of their husbands.



The Garrison Girls, who are wives of men from the three Armed services, stripped off in the Scottish mountains for the artistic shots.



The women, who have never modelled before, can be seen stretched out naked on rocks by a river, walking across a narrow wooden bridge and perched in the window of a ruined castle.

The October 2014 picture was taken near Moray in Aberdeenshire

The February picture was taken near Braemar in the Scottish Highlands during Arctic conditions

The June picture features two Garrison Girls, who are wives of men from the three Armed services

January 2015, like many of the pictures, includes military kit to remind people of the link to the armed forces

Helmets, berets and military kit bags are subtly placed in each of the stunning shots to remind people of the link to the armed forces.



'It was around minus 4C up the mountain and when we took our clothes off it felt like being in a freezer,' said Emma Matthias, 29, who helped co-ordinate the shoot and whose husband is a Royal Engineer based at Kinloss Barracks in Moray, Aberdeenshire.



'We were all very car sick as we drove round the winding roads to the mountain, so we turned up looking rather green.



'We then had to trek for about half an hour before posing for the pictures and we were so cold our skin started turning blue.

The women, who have never modelled before, were photographed in countryside beauty spots. Pictured is March 2014, taken near Braemar

The girls' faces are obscured to show they represent all military wives. Pictured here, November 2014

The calendars cost £10 and can be bought from www.garrisongirls.com. Pictured here, April 2014

'At the top of the mountain we were quite exposed and it was rather embarrassing as people could see us, but we took our dressing gowns with us to cover up between shots.'



A dozen girls took part in the photo shoot, which took place in Braemar in the Scottish Highlands last autumn and a beach in Moray in Aberdeenshire during the summer.



Their husbands are from army regiments, including Black Watch, the Royal Corps of Signals and the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, as well as the Royal Navy and RAF and hold all ranks from officers to privates.

Scottish photographer Jim Furness, based in Dundee, carefully selected the locations for the pictures.



He said: 'I set out to portray the beauty of women within nature, especially the wild landscape of Scotland and work to create images where the figure and the landscape complement each other and are empowering and liberating, rather than exploitative



'An ex-serviceman myself, I came across plenty of pin-up style nude photography during my time in the forces in the 70s and 80s and had the idea at that time about creating beautiful, empowering nude images of women, but it wasn't until a few years ago that I actually picked up a camera and did something about it.



Money raised will go to the Garrison Girls charity to help combat Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. Pictured is May 2014

Scottish photographer Jim Furness, based in Dundee, carefully selected the locations for the pictures.

Photographer Jim Furness says that most of the wives found posing nude to be an affirming and exhilarating experience. Pictured is September 2014

A dozen girls took part in the photo shoot, which took place in Braemar in the Scottish Highlands last autumn and a beach in Moray in Aberdeenshire during the summer. Here, August 2014

Miss December features a woman with her back to the camera in a ruined doorway, revealing her butterfly tattoo

'Over the years I have worked with many women who have never modelled before, or had the experience of being nude outdoors in the countryside.



'Most find it to be an affirming and exhilarating experience and often find that their self-esteem and confidence in general is improved, especially when they view the resulting photos and see how wonderful they look.'

Calendar organiser Sarah Bennett Thurston, 36, whose husband Paul is in the army, said she decided to make the calendar because she wanted to do something positive.



'It is very hard being a military wife and I wanted to do something to empower the girls,' she said.



'A lot of the girls have had three or four children and they were absolutely terrified taking part, but they did it because they wanted to help.



'The pictures show them as they really are with cellulite and stretch marks, but they all look amazing and I think many of them were quite surprised and pleased with the results.'

Sarah, from Bournemouth, who has three children, said they had deliberately left out the girls' faces to show they represent all military wives.



'It is not about the individual girls, but who they represent,' she added.



The 2014 calendars cost £10 and can be bought from www.garrisongirls.com