Season-openers of long championships are always interesting times, with so many new variables to consider. Phillip Island with the grass, the rolling slopes, and the blue Bass Straits is a photographer’s dream.

Vibrant colour, varying light, flowing lines, textures and patterns – combined with new bike liveries – offer myriad possibilities for composition and detail.

To add to all the new variables, as a photographer, the weather decided to go from wet to cold and windy to beautifully sunny to harsh sunshine and light haze that played havoc with reflections and highlights.

While the Kawasakis and Ducatis stayed with the green and red, Yamaha offered stronger contrast with the shocking pink and orange for their respective riders. Honda though with the Red Bull sponsorship, was a transformed livery.

This year, I worked to a slightly different self-defined brief, to try and capture more of the aggression, with an almost more violent and darker mood. I also tried getting more experimental with compositions, and less tied to conventions such as sharpness and detail. I hope the images speak for themselves.