Léonne 194

This superb portrait of Léonne in beautiful Christian Dior

glasses concludes her photo shoot.

My expectations were high when the arrangements for this

photo shoot were made. Léonne is an experienced model

and the photos in her portfolio looked very promising indeed.

I have to confess that I was a bit shy when the door bell rang,

but this was soon forgotten. A raven beauty - but also an easy

going, unassuming, spontaneous and sympathetic young lady.
I felt at ease with her straightaway and now it was up to me
to make her feel at ease in my company too. The photo shoot
followed a chronology and it's presented here in that sequence.
The portraits tell the story.

Léonne, thank you so much for a pleasant afternoon in the garden.
You were good company and the quality of your posing is no less
than superb. This goes especially for the credible, natural way you
posed in strong glasses. I think that you have a brilliant future ahead
of you and I wish you luck in every respect. You deserve it!

If viewers of this weblog are interested in doing a photo shoot with
Léonne, they can contact me and I will check with Léonne if she is
interested.

Léonne 193

Fine posing by Léonne, suggesting that her view of the

horizon at the other side is more promising.

Léonne 192

Flower in the forest - Léonne gives the impression that

she is waiting for someone at the horizon and trying to

focus as far as she can....

Léonne 191

Léonne showing the way the massive Dior frame conceals

the 10 millimeters thickness of the lenses

Léonne 190

Léonne posing in a pair of Dior glasses that has been in

my collection since the late 1980's. I discovered them at

the "Waterlooplein" flea market in Amsterdam, a great

place for second nose glasses at the time.

Léonne 189

These Christian Dior glasses were clearly designed with

high myopic ladies in mind. The lenses are one centimeter

thick but this is neatly concealed by the way the frame

folds back. The power rings tell that the lenses just fail to

reach the double digits.

Léonne 188

A beautiful portrait of Léonne posing in a favourite pair

of Christian Dior glasses. Quiet, natural posing, as if these

are glasses in her own prescription. The Rx of the glasses

is some nine diopters off.... Great!

Léonne 187

Glasses: Christian Dior 2019, late 1970's / early 1980's

[L: -9.00; c-0.50 v / R: -9.00; c-0.75 v]

Léonne 186

When I told Léonne that this would be the last picture of her photo

shoot, she reacted so spontaneous that the capture, although slightly

over-exposed, simply can't be left out.

Viewers, stay tuned, this is not the end. You may have seen the preview

which had Léonne posing in a beautiful pair of Dior glasses. The finale

consists of the fruits of that series of Léonne in those Dior glasses....

Léonne 185

My expectations were high when I suggested to Léonne that she might

give these small oval Zenni glasses a try, but I was not prepared for

a match like this. In my opinion, this is the sweetest portrait in this

entire photo shoot, and I mean "sweet" in a very positive way!

The glasses are equipped with 1.67 high index lenses and as a result,

the lenses hardly stick out of the frame. This can be seen in the reflection

by the mirrors. Great job!

Léonne 184

Glasses: Zenni 3818 / 8818

[L: -11.00 / R: -12.00]

Léonne 183

Tired is a word that does not exist in Léonne's vocabulary and she

kept "dripping good looks" right until the very end of her photo shoot

which lasted well over three hours. A young lady with stamina.... She

also clearly enjoyed her photo shoot in glasses. This lovely capture

testifies to that. Great! 

Léonne 182

Glasses: Zenni 2611

[L: -11.00 / R: -12.00]

Léonne 181

Another powerful portrait of Léonne in contemporary Zenni glasses.

Léonne 180

These Zenni glasses are in the style that now dominates the streets

in Holland. The style certainly makes its presence felt on a young

lady's face. A good thing is that at least some big frames have become

fashionable again and I hope that the range will expand to the wide

variation in big frames that was so inspirational in the 1970's and 1980's. 

Léonne 179

Glasses: Zenni

[L=R: -8.00]

Léonne 178

Léonne posing great in a pair of Zenni glasses that has always been

popular among my models. Many models now use these glasses in

everyday life - in their own prescription, of course.

Léonne 177

Glasses: Zenni 3390 (same frame as the myodiscs)

[L=R: -8.00]

Léonne 176

When I paid Léonne a compliment for her looks in the party glasses

she replied with a lovely smile. Life as a portrait photographer can be

rewarding indeed.

Léonne 175

I call these the "party glasses" in my Zenni collection. Probably not

chosen by many for everyday use but great for special occasions!

Léonne 174

Glasses: Zenni 2212

[L=R: -8.00]

Léonne 173

Léonne - or rather her reflected images in the mirrors - showing the lens

thickness when standard 1.57 lenses are used for a prescription of 12

and 13 diopters: about one millimeter per diopter. The split arms of the

glasses are instrumental in showing the effect of what may be described

as a wall of glass. Note the major "cut in" effect when seen "en face".

Léonne 172

Glasses: Zenni 3391

[L: -13.00 / R: -12.00]

Léonne 171

Lens thickness is the determinating factor for the choice when myodiscs

have to be used. The reflected images of Léonne in the mirrors show

the reduced but still considerable lens thickness, even when 1.67 high

index lenses are used. I like the quiet, natural posing here.

Léonne 170

The minification of the eyes is often discussed between myopic ladies

in glasses. In fact the minification is only about 2% per diopter, but

these myodiscs (Rx -19) produce a significant minification of 40%.

This and the preceding capture shows the size difference between

the naked eyes and their image behind myodisc lenses. 

Léonne 169

Glasses: Zenni 3310 (myodiscs)

[L: -19.25 / R: -19.75]

Léonne 168

Léonne liked these varifocals when she saw them on the table so we

used them to give her eyes a bit of relaxation between the posing in

strong glasses. Beautiful glasses for a lovely lady behind crystal veil!

Léonne 167

Glasses: Jean Louis Scherrer (Thera)

[L=R: +0.75; c+0.25 o / var add 2.25]

Léonne 166

Slightly over-exposed, this picture shows that a lady can be quite

attractive in glasses, even behind a veritable wall of glass. The power

rings make the lenses look as if they are frozen. Note the minification

of yours truly through the lens in the reflection by the left mirror.

Léonne 165

Another pleasing, natural portrait of Léonne in 1980's Rodenstock

glasses, Rx -16.

Léonne 164

Léonne bowing her head slightly, showing the mighty power rings

in 1980's Rodenstock glasses, Rx -16. Whoever the optician was,

he or she did a great job, managing to avoid the use of myodiscs.
Not to be outdone, Léonne produced an amazing natural look, just
as if these are her own glasses. Superb posing!

Léonne 163

Posing in strong glasses calls for a bit of navigation to obtain the best

captures and this goes especially when mirrors are used. My aim here

was to show the image from behind, in the reflection of the right mirror.

The effect is reminiscent of images that could be seen in the streets of

Amsterdam when I was a child. Contact lenses were not available and

as a result, ladies in very strong glasses were all but rare sightings.

Léonne 162

After her superb posing for the portraits, Léonne showed remarkable

stamina during the final half hour of her photo shoot. Posing in strong

glasses way beyond one's own prescription and producing credible,

natural looks is an art all by itself. What I admire especially is how the

fun of the experiment comes out in these pictures. Thank you, Léonne,

for your radiant smile!

Léonne 161

Léonne posing in the same Rodenstock frame as in pictures 158-159

but smaller and equipped with strong lenses. By coincidence, both

pairs were acquired during the same day trip to Germany.

Léonne 160

Glasses: Rodenstock Exclusiv 524, made in the 1980's

[L: -13.50; c-2.50 o / R: -15.50; c-2.00 o]

Léonne 159

Léonne posing in Rodenstock glasses with a very mild Rx, just a touch

above her own prescription. The frame was very popular in the 1980's.

Part of the attraction was the elegant shape of the arms. 

Léonne 158

Glasses: Rodenstock Exclusiv 524, from the 1980's

[L=R: -1.00]

Léonne 157

This radiant picture of Léonne would give one the impression that

real life behind Lentilux glasses can be bliss - but let's not forget about

the ghostly images seen by wearers of blended myodiscs when their

eyes are not pointed to the rather narrow center of the lens.

Time for a bit of relaxation for Léonne's eyes....

Léonne 156

The first time I saw a lady in blended myodiscs was in the late 1980's

in Kufstein after a spell of bad weather forced me and my climbing

mates to descend from the famous Wilder Kaiser mountains. Instead

of dizzying heights and abysses I caught a glimpse of a middle aged

lady in what seemed to be an extraordinary pair of glasses. She looked

formidable in them but back then I was too shy to pay her a compliment.

The way the image in the lenses of her glasses changed drastically at

every slight movement of her head was more dazzling than the heights

and abysses of the Wilder Kaiser. The sequence in this series of Léonne

in blended myodiscs (Lentilux) tells all about my sighting in Kufstein.

Léonne 155

A bonus performance - Léonne showing us the half moon again, not

in concentration but in a great moment of relaxation and spontaneity!

Léonne 154

Things happened so fast during this series in Lentilux glasses.... After

a week I don't remember exactly what I said to Léonne at this point,

but judging by the way she cracked up, it must have been something

like "The hard work is over, and you did it. Great!" - or more likely,

a wise crack :).

Léonne 153

The same effect as in the previous capture but now showing the half

moon in the next lens.... Utmost concentration - but not for long!

Léonne 152

Léonne obligingly showing the characteristic "half moon" image produced

by the bowl and carrier lens in front of her right eye.

Léonne 151

Intrigued by what I saw, I asked Léonne to move her head just a

fraction. Here is the answer to the question about the blank that was

seen in the previous photo. Yours truly and a part of the side wall of

the house can be seen through the Lentilux lens in the reflection by

the right mirror. Precision work indeed, and most fortunate that the

effect came out so well, given the breakneck speed required.

Léonne 150

Léonne posing under the same angle as in the previous capture, but

now pointing to the right. Again, the image from behind is produced

through the lens, this time in the right mirror. No minified photographer

here, not even a minified image of the side wall of my house.... It took

me a while to conclude that the blank seen through the "bowl" is the

grey sky!

Léonne 149

Léonne was most obliging during her posing for this series in Lentilux

glasses over 15 diopters above her own very mild Rx. The navigation

process usually requires a lot of concentration from both model and

photographer, but Léonne managed this entire series within a minute.

Many characteristics of Lentilux can be seen here, like the position of

the highly corrective "bowl" and the surrounding positive carrier lens.

The image in the left mirror has a novelty - I never managed to show

the image produced by a Lentilux lens from behind. There is a first time

for everything and here is the minified image of Léonne's honoured court

photographer. Admittedly, I really felt small when confronted with such

marvelous posing :) but the results were very rewarding. Hat off for Léonne! 

Léonne 148

A cheerful Léonne in blended myodiscs (Lentilux), Rx -16 and -18,

showing the intricate lenses from their most flattering angle. When seen

"en face" there are no power rings and there is no "cut in" effect. The

"en profil" reflections in the mirrors show no alarming lens thickness

either. Only the change in balance between the lips and the eyes betrays

that there is something going on.

I am still convinced that blended myodiscs would have achieved far more 

popularity if opticians had used pictures like this to show the esthetical

benefits of Lentilux to their clients. Anyway, better late than never....

Léonne 147

Glasses: nameless 1980's blended myodiscs (Lentilux)

[L: -16.25 / R: -17.25; c-2.00 o]

Léonne 146

Glasses: Studio Italy (Enjoy), blended myodiscs (Lentilux)

[L: -11.50 / R: -16.50; c-2.00 o]

A new arrival from Köln, dug up by the always reliable Martin.

These are heavy glasses and Léonne had to use both hands to

keep them steady, but she clearly did not mind!

Léonne 145

Sweet, spontaneous and above all, credible posing by Léonne in oval

retro style glasses from SGS, Rx -15. One of my favourites from this

section of her photo shoot. Thank you, Léonne!