Frontier guards

Alas - no lady on this picture, but lots of crystal veils from

my collection.... This is a scan of a photo which I took from

a window on the first floor, some ten years ago, long before

I started working with models.

The title of  this photo is "Grenswachters" (in Dutch), or

"Frontier guards". It was fun to use glasses in a playful way

but part of my inspiration for this photo was the rapidly

increasing xenophobia in the Lowlands of Holland.

I am slowly recovering from a bad concussion so doing the
next photo shoot may take a while.   

Lucy 210

This beautiful portrait of Lucy posing in modern myodiscs

by Zenni concludes her photo shoot which lasted three hours.
Lucy is the 34th Lady behind Crystal Veil.

Lucy a chara, I wish to thank you for the brilliant way you picked
up the little tricks that come handy when doing a good photo shoot
in prescription glasses. Vantage points, expression of the eyes and
lips - multitasking indeed, but you mastered it in no time. Thanks
also for your excellent choice of frames. I knew that there was no
need for a gentle push after seeing you pick some bold frames at
the catwalk in Germany. You did particulary well in the big glasses
from the 1970's and 1980's but also in different styles from the past.
It's a wonderful experience when a model can wear anything and
still look good. Some of the glasses might be regarded "over the top"
but this was always compensated by your natural way of posing.
Your deliberate choice against the use of lipstick was remarkable
but highly effective. Big compliment also for your assured way of
posing. There was no way of telling that this was your first photo
shoot ever. Equally important, you were a joy to work with. It was
amazing to witness and capture the way your posing changed when
mounting the bycicle. Somehow you added a new dimension to what
was already a good photo shoot. Cameraderie at its best. The simple
fact that only a small minority of the captures during the final part is
left out here testifies to that. Mile fáilthe into the world of photo
shoots and thank you so much for a wonderful experience. You are a
natural talent and I hope that the camera has not seen the last of you. 

Lucy 209

Introspexion and a visual echo - key words behind the

final portraits of Lucy posing in modern Zenni myodisc

glasses, fourteen diopters above her own prescription.

Lucy 208

During my photo shoots I usually start with glasses around

the model's own prescription. The "big guns" emerge in the

latter half of the photo shoot when the model is really used

to the mixture of instruction and improvisation. The key is

what may be called a "visual echo". Carla, Lettie (first weblog)

and Marieke all surprised me with their unique way of looking

straight into the camera through lenses that only produced a

massive blur. When I asked them how they did it, the answers

were slightly different but pointing into the same direction. They

said that their handhold was the memory of what they saw just

before putting on the myodiscs. It made sense when memories
of holidays with my beloved partner Nel came back. On several
occasions, she put off her minus eleven glasses on a beach and
walked confidently into the sea, swam for a quarter of an hour
and returned to me with no apparent effort. I was flabbergasted
and asked her, how on earth did you do it? She explained to me
that just before taking off her glasses, she studied the colours of
the objects behind me and she also remembered the colours of
our bathsheets. Some of this "visual echo" effect can be seen in
these final portraits of Lucy as well.

Lucy 207

The key word for good posing in glasses way beyond one's

own prescription is "introspexion" - a mixture of an ability to

handle abstractions and a previous experience on stage where

the blinding lights force the performer to do the gig without

really seeing his or her audience. Lucy has both abilities in

glorious plenty - a bright student who was a fine singer in a

band during her school days.   

Lucy 206

"Here I am head in hand, turn my face to the wall" are the

opening phrases of the first introspective song written by

the late John Lennon. These phrases ran through my head

when taking these encore portraits of Lucy. "Head in hand"

did not apply to her - far from that - but she did turn her

face to the wall in an effort to produce portraits without an

overdose of glare in the myodisc lenses.  

Lucy 205

These modern glasses by Zenni are among the best of

"Kreislenti" myodiscs in my collection and they were

among the highlights in several photo shoots. Lighting

conditions were far from ideal so Lucy and I had to do

a lot of navigation to avoid excessive reflection in the

lenses.... Hide and seek! 

Lucy 204

Time went fast during the photo shoot with Lucy. Lighting

conditions forced us to change locations several times and

also I noticed that I was slower than usual after an accident

at work. At this point we were really running out of time but 

Lucy kindly agreed to do some encore posing in one of the

myodisc glasses from the table.

Lucy 203

Glasses: Zenni 3310 (myodiscs)

[L: -19.25 / R: -19.75]

Lucy 202

Shortly after the Silhouette glasses arrived, Bianca came

along for her photo shoot and she agreed to give them a try.

Her portraits in these Silhouette glasses were truly amazing.

With this in mind, I intended to suggest them to Lucy but she

beat me to it. They were among the first pairs that she picked

from the table. Her posing here can only be described in terms

which I learned from a real estate agent in Co. Clare, Ireland

(in a totally different context, but still): "Not for the faint hearted".

Lucy 201

Martin from Köln supplied these Silhouette glasses from

the 1970's. In my subjective memory these were happier

times in which money was not the dominating factor it is

nowadays. Somehow the glasses with the big frames gave

the streets a sunny aspect and I missed that when retro

eyewear took over in the late 1980's. But there are signs

of improvement. The big frames are back and there is more

variety than say, one or two years ago. I hope that the big

frames will contribute to make the world a happier place

again, if only to look at :). Lucy definitely made a contribution

of her own. In my eyes, everything in this portrait is perfect.

Feel free to disagree with this elderly nostalgic....

Lucy 200

When Lucy was asked if she wanted to use lipstick for

her photo shoot, she simply said, "There's no need" and

she was absolutely right!

Lucy 199

Glasses: Silhouette 436, made in the 1970's

[L: -6.00; c-0.50 v / R: -5.75; c-0.75 v]

Lucy 198

One of my favourites in this wonderful photo shoot. I have

seen many beautiful portraits over the past two years, but

this portrait of Lucy would make one's heart melt....

Lucy 197

The narrow, high frame has a subtle effect. It's hard to describe

but I think that it has to do with the impression of raised eyebrows.

Lucy 196

Martin from Köln, Germany sent me these glasses. Not

really an eyecatching pair when seen as a stand alone object

but they worked great in my photo shoot with Esther. I was

happy when Lucy decided to give them a try.

Lucy 195

Glasses: nameless, late 1980's

[L: -7.00 / R: -7.50]

Lucy 194

Another lovely portrait of Lucy in drop temple glasses

Lucy 193

Lucy showing the 1980's drop temple glasses from Bavaria

from their most striking vantage point.

Lucy 192

Most of the drop temple glasses in my collection have mellow,

rounded frames but this pair has a striking, angular frame.

The glasses were sent to me by "Planet Myopia" Stephan from

Bavaria, one of my favourite photographers.

Lucy 191

This "en profil" capture of Lucy shows the advantage of

drop temple glasses over their traditional sisters. It's all

about seeing and being seen at the same time. Well, isn't

it what good eyewear is all about?
Lens thickness is nearly one centimeter (at a modest -5.50)
so we had to do some navigation, otherwise the effect would
be lost behind a wall of glass.... 

Lucy 190

Lucy slowly turning her head back towards the camera,

showing the beauty of 1980's drop temple glasses. Note
the shoe box and the glasses on the table in the background.
If you don't see them clearly, consult your optician :)

Lucy 189

From time to time I receive requests for pictures taken

three quartes from behind. Here Lucy is posing from that

unusual vantage point, allowing the viewer a peep through

the left lens of the drop temple glasses.

Lucy 188

The left lens in this nameless pair of drop temple glasses

from the 1980's has exactly the right Rx for Lucy but the

left lens is far too weak. Posing with monovision again.... 

Lucy 187

Throughout her photo shoot, Lucy kept posing great in glasses 

from the 1980's so it was only natural that she would try a pair

of drop temple glasses from the era as well.   

Lucy 186

Glasses: nameless, 1980's (drop temple)

[L: -5.50 / R: -2.00; c-0.50 o]

Lucy 185

Great, confident posing by Lucy in Silhouette glasses made

in 1985. A word of thanks to the Silhouette company for

sending me the year of manufacturing of these and many

other Silhouette glasses. Much appreciated!

Lucy 184

The difference of four diopters in the Silhouette glasses can

be seen clearly in this portrait. For Lucy, the Rx of these

glasses must have been a bit awkward to handle as her own

prescription is halfway between both lenses. But she managed

a lovely smile, knowing that she could remove the glasses

within half a minute. 

Lucy 183

The right lens in these Silhouette glasses is four diopters

stronger than the left lens. I have the same Rx difference

between both eyes (L +2 / R -2) and buying new glasses

is always a time consuming affair for the optician of my

choice. My appoach has always been to order the right lens

in a Rx that gives me over 100% visus but the left lens has

to be slightly below the optimal Rx. This compensates the

major difference in size between both images. I feel more

balance. Opticians always fulfill my request to leave the shop

in a trial frame and check if the balance is to my satisfaction.

I wonder how the first owner of these Silhouette coped with

her problem. Judging by the wear and tear of the frame she

did not wear contact lenses. My guess is that the difference

in size of objects seen through her glasses was less than in my

glasses, so she was in a better position.

Lucy 182

Glasses: Silhouette 1200, made in 1985

[L: -3.25; c-2.50 o / R: -7.00; c-1.00 o]

Lucy 181

Another lovely portrait of Lucy posing in mainstream OWP

glasses from the 1980's. The lenses are remarkably thin so

the first owner of the glasses must have spent a small fortune.

Lucy 180

...

Lucy 179

These fine OWP glasses from the 1980's have been in my

collection for more than a decade but Lucy is the first model

who posed in them. A case of not seeing the wood through

the trees....

Lucy 178

Glasses: OWP, 1980's

[L: -7.00 / R: -5.50]

Lucy 177

Wonderful posing by Lucy in 1990's glasses by Carlo

Sebastiano. The right lens is a bit too strong but the left
lens is just a quarter of a diopter below the model's own
prescription. The glasses were previously used in my
photo shoots with Clarine and Caroline (first weblog).

Lucy 176

Slightly over-exposed but nice - Lucy posing in designer

glasses by Carlo Sebastiano. The marbly structure of the

frame puts these glasses in the early or mid 1990's.

Lucy 175

Glasses: Carlo Sebastiano, early / mid 1990's

[L: -6.25; c-1.00 v / R: -5.25]

Lucy 174

Another pleasing portrait of Lucy in "Donna" Rodenstock

glasses from the 1980's. The lenses are made of plastic and

quite thick by modern standards, but lens thickness was far

less of an issue in the 1980's than it is nowadays. Everyone

was in the same boat, so to speak. High index lenses only

became widespread during the 1990's.

Lucy 173

Farishta was the only model who posed in these "Donna"

glasses before Lucy did her photo shoot. The other frame,

fitted with bifocal lenses, can be seen in my first photo shoot

with Marleen (first weblog, Marleen 007).

Lucy 172

Another quiet but beautiful portrait of Lucy posing in 1980's

"Donna" glasses by Rodenstock. Just like the OWP glasses
in the previous series, this Donna pair has a difference of two
diopters between the lenses. The left lens is exactly in Lucy's
own prescription but the right lens is two diopters too strong.
Monovision again, but the difference with the preceding series
is that there is no squinting.  

Lucy 171

My collection hosts two examples of this "Donna" frame by

Rodenstock. Less striking than many of their sisters from

the 1980's, these "Donna" glasses escaped the attention of

most of my models during the selection process. A pity!

Here Lucy shows that glasses don't need to be spectacular

as a stand alone object. After all, it's the blend with the face

that counts. Rodenstock was second to none in designing and

manufacturing glasses that worked fine for their clients. There

is real harmony in this beautiful portrait. Great choice, Lucy!

Lucy 170

Glasses: Rodenstock (Donna), 1980's

[L: -5.50 / R: -7.50]

Lucy 169

Lovely, confident posing by Lucy in OWP glasses from

the early 1990's.

Lucy 168

When I started my first weblog, it was simply meant as a

digital catalogue of the glasses in my collection. However,

during the search for models it turned out that some of them

had an almost identical prescription. It's nice to see how the

same pair of glasses works for different models - blondes

and brunettes, young and mature. These OWP glasses are

no exception. 

Lucy 167

It's sometimes difficult to guess the approximate age of the

glasses in my collection. In this case, the size of the OWP

glasses would lead one to beleive that they are 1980's but

the blue decoration on the sides has the marbly structure

that was popular during the 1990's.

Lucy 166

These OWP glasses were shown in my photo shoots with

Mieke, Elena and Farishta (first weblog). The difference in

Rx between the left and right lens makes the glasses suitable 

for models with a prescription of -4 (e.g. Elena) but also for

models with a prescription near -6. Needless to say, all these
portraits show to some extent that the model has monovision.
The left lens is fairly close to Lucy's own prescription but the
right lens is too weak and this accounts for the bit of squinting
with the right eye in this series of portraits.