Simona 200 - 202

Three more examples of superb posing by Simona in Nel's black and white Zenni glasses. During the second half of the photo shoot, models sometimes wonder if the portraits will come out fine but there is no need to worry. In my opinion, the section in strong glasses often brings the best portraits of the entire photo shoot. Simona was no exception. There is no way of telling that these are not her own glasses. Great!

Simona 199

One of my favourite portraits from this remarkable series in the black and white Zenni glasses. Perfect posing by Simona, especially the natural, credible eye contact. The lenses in the glasses are ten diopters above the model's own mild prescription. Hat off for Simona!

Simona 198

These striking black and white glasses were made by Zenni in 2012. I ordered this pair fitted with lenses in the prescription of my partner Nel so that she could see if she liked them. The glasses looked great on her and she now wears her own pair, fitted with progressive lenses made by ciliaryblue in England. Here Simona is posing in the "trial" pair with single vision lenses, Rx minus twelve. Zenni did a great job on the lenses, without charging any extra cost. I had ordered their standard 1.57 lenses and as these came out too thick, they flattened the lenses at the back side so that the glasses could be folded up neatly for their journey to Holland. The effect is not unlike that of myodisc lenses. Great job!

Simona 197

Glasses: Zenni 2823
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

Simona 195 - 196

Simona kindly obliged when I asked her to repeat her posing during the rush visit by the Dutch master of Fine Art.
"Can I take off these glasses now? I would like to see the drawing"
"Of course you can"

Simona 193 - 194

"Mr. Photographer, I have the impression that your man has gone, am I right?"
"Yes, he is probably having his drink at the terrace of the Porter House Inn"
"That's fast. Did he really make a drawing? "
"He did. I will show it to you, later on. Will you do me a favour?"

Simona 191 - 192

Meanwhile, Simona had kept posing in her inimitable way. It seemed that her posing was even better than it was before the rush visit by the Dutch master of Fine Art.

Simona 190

Simona resumed posing and I had only taken a few photos when the stranger said,
"It's ready. You can keep my sketch if you like, or give it to your model. Thank you for your time"

I was really amazed by his beautiful drawing and the speed of light at with it was made.
"It's beautiful. How much do you want for it?"
"There is no charge at all"
"May I insist?"
"The price of a pint will be fine"

I gave the stranger a fiver and some coins.
"Good luck"
"Blessings to both of you. It has been my privilege and honour"

I looked at Simona, then looked around. The stranger had disappeared in the dark. Gone up in smoke.

Simona 189

"Hey Simona, what's the matter with you?"
"Didn't you hear anything unusual, Mr. Photographer?"
"I'm afraid I didn't"
"I heard a strange noise, just as if someone came down with a parachute"
"That would be highly unlikely after nightfall, don't you think?"
"Even though these glasses are way too strong, I swear I saw something coming down"
"Dear Simona, I hope that your myopia has not progressed by the posing. It's impossible but what you just said is alarming. Please take off the glasses and put your own glasses on"

Simona then looked in my direction and said,
"I can see there's somebody standing right behind you. No details through these glasses but yes, a man"
Before I could turn around, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Then a voice of a man, in antiquated Dutch:

"Excuse me for the interruption. Vermeer of ladies in glasses, I presume?"
I did not move. Sometimes I'm a bit slow.

The stranger removed his hand and stepped forward so that I could see him. Amazing figure of a man, early sixties, an artist type dressed in what seemed to be 17th century style
"Allow me to introduce myself to both of you. My name is Van Rijn"
"May I ask what brings you here?"
"I saw you and your fantastic model at work. I realize that you may be running out of time so I will not interfere. My only request is, may I sit next to you and draw one or two sketches of the lady while you are at work?"
I translated the request to Simona.
"It's fine with me if you are comfortable with it"

The stranger produced some drawing equipment and sat down next to me.
"Please proceed with your Camera Obscura. I will not interfere with the posing or anything you are doing. It will not take long"

Simona asked me
"Do I have to take off the glasses?"
"No, please keep them on. He will not interfere with our photo shoot"

Quick as lightning, the artist started drawing. He was clearly a master at his trade. Totally absorbed in what he was doing.

Simona 188

Just after Simona started posing in these striking cat eye style glasses by Zenni, something unusual happened. For the first time she did not follow my navigation instructions for her next portrait. Instead, she looked intensely to something in the sky....

Simona 187

Glasses: Zenni 6206
[L=R: -8.00]

Simona 186

"You are a real charmer, Mr. Photographer, I am almost shy.... Does there ever come an end to all your sweet compliments?"
"Simona, be assured, this will only happen when your train has arrived and it's time to wave goodbye!"

Simona 184 - 185

Arguably the best portrait from this series in oval tortoise glasses made by Zenni in 2010. Powerful posing by a supreme model. Simona has that quality - she could wear all glasses styles and make them look good.

Simona 181 - 183

Vintage glasses, modern glasses, square glasses, oval glasses, mild prescription glasses, strong glasses - it had no effect on the unique way Simona kept dripping heavenly looks throughout her photo shoot!

Simona 180

Glasses: Zenni 2307
[L=R: -8.00]

Simona 179

Doing the second half of the photo shoot in strong prescription glasses is a challenge and an experiment for all models. Not only for the obvious reason that such glasses only create a massive blur for most models but also because the composition of the model's face is changed in a subtle way. Here Simona's lovely eyes look some 12% smaller than they look through her own glasses with a prescription just below minus two. As a result, her lips seem magnified and so their expression is crucial for a good portrait. Simona is blessed with beautiful, full lips so the contrast with her eyes seems even more extreme. On the positive side, the blue and pink frame is an eye catcher in its own right and the intense look in Simona's beautiful eyes does the rest. Great!

Simona 178

The sky is the limit for a beautiful young lady when she is given the opportunity to pose in "any type, kind or classification" of glasses. The quote derives from the song "The sailor and the farmer's daughter" by the now retired Irish singer / comedian Noel Murphy.

Simona 175 - 177

These blue and pink glasses by Zenni have been in my collection since 2009. Ideally suitable for blondes, they were used in several of my early photo shoots. A nice thing about Zenni is that they now have lots of big frames but they also keep producing smaller frames for clients who dislike big frames.

Simona 174

Glasses: Zenni 3385
[L=R: -8.00]

Simona 173

When I paid Simona a well meant compliment for her gorgeous looks in modern cat eye glasses, she reacted with this heartening, radiant smile.

Simona 170 - 172

Simona turning her other cheek to her court photographer, showing the extravagant beauty of contemporary cat eye glasses by Zenni. In my opinion these glasses suit Simona really well so I gave her the compliment. Night had fallen quickly on the beach but the weather remained fine, so why not continue?

Simona 168 - 169

Great posing by Simona in extravagant cat eye glasses made by Zenni. The credible eye contact with her devoted photographer is superb. There is no way of telling that these are not the model's own glasses.

Simona 166 - 167

These are real cat eye glasses by Zenni, with the side decoration of the front as a nice additional twist. Small wonder that more than a dozen models - mainly freelance and professional models selected them for their photo shoots. None of them chose these glasses for use in everyday life - too extravagant, perhaps. Here Simona joins their ranks in her own distinguished way.

Simona 165

Glasses: Zenni 4839
[L=R: -8.00]

Simona 163 - 164

Great encore posing by Simona in Zenni glasses. Half a century ago, a blonde would be frowned upon if she bought glasses with a dark frame. Now you see them everywhere in the streets. Some things get better with time :).

Simona 161 - 162

Two beautiful portraits of Simona's wonderful posing in modern cat eye style glasses by Zenni. Note that the power rings are less prominent than they are in many other glasses with -8.00 lenses. This may have to doo with the fairly narrow frame.

Simona 160

These Zenni glasses have a touch of the cat eye style and that's probably why the models all select them for the photo shoots. Several models are now wearing this pair in everyday life.

Simona 159

Glasses: Zenni 2836
[L=R: -8.00]

Simona 155 - 158

Four black and white versions of beautiful Simona and her fabulous posing in 1970's style glasses by Zenni

Simona 153 - 154

Communication between model and photographer is essential in every photo shoot but even more so during the first minutes after the switch to strong glasses. It includes more than just the navigation process. It's the photographer's task to keep talking in a reassuring way, giving the model instantaneous feedback on the visual effect achieved, then suggesting a look for the next portrait. It would be a challenge to have this transition phase in my photo shoots filmed so that the process is not only visible but also audible. Some day....