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This fine portrait of Jolien posing in powerful Zenni glasses concludes her photo shoot in the snowy forest. The suggestion of real eye contact between model and photographer comes out quite well and the mighty power rings add to the general impression of a true "Lady behind crystal Veil". Great!

A word of thanks to Jolien for taking up the challenge of doing a photo shoot in prescription glasses under these cold circumstances. It was an hour of hard work for both of us but quite enjoyable. Right from the start it felt as if we had done our first photo shoot only a few weeks ago. All the reflexes were there in the same way as they were the first time. There was more relaxation because the procedure was no longer a secret waiting to be unveiled. The result is a fine example of "cameraderie" between model and photographer. The fact that Jolien gradually switched to fulltime wear of her own glasses may have been instrumental as well. All I can say is, thank you very much!

Another word of thanks is due to Joke Becker for her kind assistance at the editing of the photo material.

Finally I wish to thank Joke, my model Caroline and the friendly glasses collector from the UK for donating a number of glasses to my always greedy collection. Your glasses really added an additional flavor to this photo shoot of Jolien in the snow and I will probably use more of your glasses in up coming photo shoots.

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An enigmatic "en face" portrait of Jolien showing the heavy "cut in" effect caused by the strength of the lenses. This portrait was an experiment. I noticed that close up "en face" portraits with these strong glasses did not come out well under the circumstances. There was too much reflection from the snow. I am an avid smoker and many portraits are taken with a cigarette in my hand. The experiment was simply blowing some of the smoke from my cigarette into the air between photographer and model. Feel free to disagree but I was happy when this portrait emerged on my computer screen. Call it a mystery portrait....

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Powerful lenses fitted in an equally powerful frame.... Jolien wears glasses with a bold black frame in daily life so she did not mind me experimenting with the heavier styles. Besides, these powerful glasses blend well with her new haircut.

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Looking at the sky is one of the helpful tricks for a model posing in strong glasses way beyond her own prescription.

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Jolien posing on the snowy forest path, wearing a pair of Zenni glasses with lenses ten diopters stronger than her own prescription.

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This series of Jolien posing in a recently arrived pair of Zenni glasses was taken some twenty minutes before the end of the photo shoot. The lenses are in the prescription of my life partner Nel (-11 / -12).

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Glasses: Zenni 2828
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

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This beautiful portrait of Jolien is one of my favorites from her photo shoot in the snow. Credible, natural posing, as if she just had a bump in her prescription from -1.75 to -8.00. Great!

This was in fact the last pair of glasses used during this photo shoot but I kept one pair out for the finale....

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Great posing by Jolien, showing the power rings in the lenses lighting up in the dark.

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These are quite solid glasses indeed - but not "over the top", considering the current trend in fashion. Four years ago they would have been regarded as "extreme". Fortunately the two decades of "retro" fashion are gone and I hope that more and more variety will be seen in the streets.

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Jolien posing in another pair by Zenni that was not used in any of my previous photo shoots.

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Glasses: Zenni
[L=R: -8.00]

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Fine posing by Jolien in a new arrival from Zenni. A switch from plus two to minus eight presented no problem to the model. It's all a matter of motivation and having fun.

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Glasses: Zenni
[L=R: -8.00]

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Mission accomplished.... Time for yet another switch from plus to minus lenses!

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Aside from the limitations caused by the tiny frame, the lenses in these Berkeley glasses have no anti-reflective coating and it was precision work for both Jolien and myself to avoid the glare.

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Daylight was fading by the minute but we knew that the box with glasses was nearly empty. On the average each pair of glasses took us about two minutes, the first minute waiting for the fog to disappear from the lenses, the second minute posing and snapping at breakneck speed.

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Patient Jolien kept following my instructions closely in order to show as much of these tiny Berkely glasses as possible.

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These Berkeley glasses (and four other pairs) were kindly given to me by a glasses collector from London who came to see me in Amsterdam in November. A gesture much appreciated! He attended my photo shoot with Lucy who tried a couple of his glasses during the final part of the shoot. The Berkeley glasses were not chosen by Lucy but they were "baptized" at the very start of my photo shoot with Marieke. Two days later it was Jolien who gave them a try. Note the approaching man and dog in the background.

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These Berkeley glasses may have been used as readers but they lend themselves well for posing if one has the patience to find the proper vantage point. Note the unusually low position of the arms. Nice!

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Glasses: Berkeley, from the UK, 2000's
[L=R: +2.00]

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Amused posing by Jolien in vintage cat eye bifocals from the UK. It took us a good bit of navigating to produce this portrait. The way the reading segments light up in the fading daylight was most rewarding. Thank you, Jolien, for your patience in the cold!

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When doing a quick selection for the photo shoot with Jolien I grabbed half a dozen glasses that had been used during my photo shoot with Marieke, two days earlier and these vintage cat eye glasses seemed worth another try. When Jolien put them on, the lenses started  fogging up straightaway - the glasses were in a box beneath us in the snow. It took about half a minute before the fog started clearing up and the model's wide eyed look became visible.

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These vintage cat eye glasses from the UK were featured in several previous photo shoots including the very first with my life partner Nel in November 2008. Her prescription is -11 and she could see nothing through the +5 lenses but she was amazed when she saw the pictures: "I never saw myself with such big eyes!". A year later, Farishta posed in them but most of her portraits came out cross eyed. It took a real longsighted model (Charlotte) to produce really satisfactory portraits in these glasses. Charlotte declared one of her portraits in these bifocals as her favorite and this was included in my first exhibition in 2010. Her portrait is still very popular among viewers of my account on Deviantart.

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Jolien posing in a pair of vintage cat eye glasses from the UK. The style of the frame is quite typical for the late 1950's but I saw many elderly ladies in England wearing cat eye glasses like these as late as the 1990's. They are bifocals with circle shaped reading segments. In the Netherlands, this type of bifocal lens did not appear in the streets until the mid 1960's. Whatever the year of manufacture, these cat eye glasses are a cherished item in my collection.

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Glasses: nameless cat eye, late 1950's
[L: +5.00; c+2.00 o / R: +5.00; c+0.50 o / bif add 2.50]

Jolien 339

In my project I like contrasting effects and here is a fine example if you compare the portraits of Marieke in gala dress with the well deserved shelter enjoyed by Jolien in her warm coat! Besides, both models did full justice to the glasses and vice versa so I was a happy man :).

Jolien 338

When I invited Jolien for a brief photo shoot, these vintage cat eye glasses were on my kitchen table as they had been used during my photo shoot with Marieke in her gala dress, only two days before. I was curious how some of those glasses would work in the photo shoot with Jolien so here they are. Jolien wisely put up her hood as the cold was getting more intense by the minute. A frame around a frame....

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Glasses: nameless, late 1950's or early 1960's cat eye
[L=R: +3.50]

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Because of the cold I was not sure whether the previous picture had come out well so I asked Jolien to have another go. The dog was less patient and missed a prolongation of its modeling career :).

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Jolien posing in a vintage pair of Bausch & Lomb glasses on a snowy forest path near my house. The glasses were featured in several of my early photo shoots. Rachel and Hiska spring to mind but especially Astrid, now a great freelance model who did no less than five photo shoots for me. The first photo shoot with Astrid was done on the same forest path, about half a mile closer to the German border. There was no snow on the ground but the frost was quite severe and after an hour we were forced to continue in my living room. My fingers were numb and worse, they were glued to the press button. Among the very first glasses used during that photo shoot was this pair by Bausch & Lomb. When she saw the results, Astrid was adamant - these were her favorite glasses and her favorite portraits. We did four more photo shoots and each of them yielded great portraits but at the end of each day she insisted. "There is nothing like those Bausch & Lomb glasses!". It was nice to find myself back on the same forest path in winter with Jolien posing in the Bausch & Lomb bifocals! Note the lone dog in the background.

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These Bausch & Lomb bifocals were acquired near the Irish West coast some ten years ago. When I asked if there were any "second nose" prescription glasses the lady smiled and produced a box containing a dozen glasses. She picked this pair straightaway and said, "I thought you might like these, they are really vintage". The lady was absolutely right! Small wonder that this pair by Pausch & Lomb caught the attention of several models when I embarked on the "Ladies behind crystal veil" project.

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Glasses: Bausch & Lomb, late 1960's
[L=R: +1.25 / bif add 1.75]

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Another fine portrait of Jolien in "Judy" glasses, showing the unusual prescription of the German lady who first bought these glasses, a generation ago.

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There is a touch of melancholy in this portrait of Jolien, caused - or at least enhanced - by the extreme cylinder in the left lens which has any value between minus four and plus five, depending on the angle. In comparison, the right eye seems enlarged as the lens is nowhere on the minus side.

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Fine posing by Jolien in "Judy" glasses made in Germany some twenty years ago. There is a touch of the Silhouette design of the late 1980's in this frame. The effect of the extreme (-9.00) cylinder in the left lens is less marked here than in the previous portraits.

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My collection hosts a number of glasses once bought by ladies with severe cylinders in their prescription. Somehow these glasses tend to be neglected during the selection process for photo shoots so I decided to squeeze this "Judy" pair in. Jolien would probably not be worried by the ultra strong cylinder in the left lens as the right lens - with only a weak cylinder - is four diopters off. Note the highly unusual difference in shape between the model's eyes.  

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Glasses: called "Judy", EB Germany, late 1980's or early 1990's
[L: -4.00; c+9.00 o / R: +2.00; c+0.50 h]

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Nobody dared to brave the cold and walk the dog so Jolien and I enjoyed a pleasant hour in the forest without any interruption by people asking questions. I often refer to this forest as my "extra garden" as it's located right behind the garden I am supposed to keep in order. This huge garden is much better, it needs no maintenance :).

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Jolien studying the skyline through lenses some four diopters above her own prescription. It's definitely an advantage when the model has a previous experience as "Lady behind crystal veil". After a lapse of nearly two years, Jolien seemed to remember my instructions from her first photo shoot and this saved us a lot of precious time.

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During this second photo shoot with Jolien some memories of her first experience in front of my camera came back. She reminded me that she was pregnant during the first photo shoot and now her daughter was walking in the snow, amazed by the change of the surroundings! I keep in touch with many models who posed for me and it brings an added value to a wonderful experience shared with my camera between us.

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Many viewers of my weblogs will remember Caroline who did an extended photo shoot for me in a park, back in 2010. A very photogenic lady, full of expression. Caroline recently sent me a parcel containing some of her old glasses and this pair was my choice for the photo shoot with Jolien. Thank you, Caroline!

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These Black & Gold glasses are anything but black and gold but they certainly make their presence felt on the nose of a model. I threw them in for a bit of contrast with the background and also to thank the generous lady who sent them to me.

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Glasses: Black & Gold, probably 1990's
[L: -5.75; c-2.00 v / R: -5.00; c-0.75 v]

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Daylight was fading fast. The cold was another factor urging us to do this photo shoot at high speed. All in all, Jolien posed in some thirty glasses during the hour available. Big compliment to Jolien!

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Another fine portrait of Jolien posing in "hipster" glasses by Zenni.

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Jolien showing the power rings in hipster glasses by Zenni, Rx minus eight. The portraits posted here follow the chronology of the photo shoot, showing the model's great ability to switch glasses with totally different prescriptions.

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Jolien posing in one of the many variants of the fashionable "hipster" glasses. Zenni is always fast when it comes to picking up the latest trends - even so fast that many of their glasses are sold out when one wants to order them again! But let's call that a luxury problem.

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Glasses: Zenni
[L=R: -8.00]

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Another fine portrait of Jolien in retro glasses called Carina. The lenses are two diopters above the model's own prescription.