Sandra 240

This fine encore portrait of lovely Sandra posing in trifocal Cazal glasses from the mid 1990's concludes her wonderful photo shoot. Sandra is the 57th Lady behind Crystal Veil.

A word of thanks is due to Frank and Maureen from England for their generous donation of these beautiful Cazal glasses. Much appreciated!

Sandra, it's high time for an innocent confession. You had already caught my attention as a potential model - there was that indefinable quality. One day, I saw you in glasses and grabbed my courage together, which resulted in the (not exactly everyday) invitation to do a photo shoot. Your spontaneous, open minded reaction was heartening - "I have never done a real photo shoot before but it sounds like a fun idea.".

It was my pleasure to witness your selection of the glasses. Clearly the way a lady picks glasses that might suit her style, pretty much the same way as in an optician's shop but with the advantage that many glasses gave you fair - and sometimes even perfect - eyesight. Models with perfect eyesight have an entirely different way of selecting glasses prior to their photo shoot as everything about glasses is new to them.

The photo shoot itself was a treat. There was no rush. You were generous with your time and this greatly facilitated both of us. When we started shooting, you soon got into your stride and yes, that indefinably quality was there in glorious plenty. You made a wise choice, asking me to give clear directions for each next portrait. Every photo shoot is different and in my opinion, a photographer should always adapt his modus operandi to whatever makes his model feel comfortable. Over the years, several seasoned freelance models told me that this adaptation is often absent when they are posing for professional photographers hired by agencies. My project is about prescription glasses but above all, it's about ladies who feel comfortable in their glasses or even wear them with pride. Call it "turning a disadvantage into an advantage".

We started the photo shoot with half a dozen glasses near your own prescription and then you picked the Flair glasses out of the box. Minus fourteen is a different ball game than your familiar minus five but you managed quite well. It's mainly a matter of using one's imagination when posing in glasses that create a massive blur. From then on, I knew that you could pose in a wide variety of glasses and still look good.

Sandra, it was my privilege and honour to work with you. Thank you so much for an agreeable afternoon on the university campus and for the many wonderful portraits!    

Sandra 236 - 239

Four encore portraits of Sandra posing in an antique pince-nez made around 1900, fitted with biconcave lenses near her own prescription (see also Sandra 001 - 003).

Sandra 235

An encore portrait of smiling Sandra in antique steel glasses with straight arms, made around 1910 (see also Sandra 004 - 005).

Sandra 233 - 234

Here are two encore portraits of Sandra posing in Essilor half rim glasses from the 1980's, fitted with lenses near her own prescription (see also Sandra 128 - 130).

Sandra 232

This heavily edited portrait of Sandra took a good bit of navigation and patience from both sides of the Dutch Football glasses but it came out quite well, thanks to Sandra's stable hands. I like this experiment and it's fun for the model as well as she can see two tiny images of her photographer behind his tripod.
There is an element of optical illusion in this portrait. It seems as if Sandra is wearing sunglasses but in reality the shades are produced by the way the extreme lenses in the Dutch Football glasses are dimming the light. During the editing process, I tried the "pencil drawing" option and it just took a few minutes of trial and error to get it right. Great! Thank you, Sandra!

Sandra 231

These tiny orange glasses were sent to me by Steve (SGS) from China, exactly four years ago. Aside from the rather unusual frame color, these glasses are remarkable because the use of myodiscs was avoided, in spite of the extreme lens Rx (minus 23). The tiny lenses are over half an inch thick at the sides.
Just after the glasses arrived, the World Championship Football was held in South Africa and the Dutch team somehow managed to reach the finals. These glasses were often used by my company when the tension during a match became unbearable - bad fouls, penalties to be taken etc. After the tournament, the glasses were used in at least seven photo shoots with amateur and freelance models. With another World Championship about to start, it seemed a good idea to have the Dutch Football Glasses featured in another photo shoot. This fine portrait was taken near the very end of this photo shoot and Sandra was not bothered by the excessive prescription of the lenses. Good!

Sandra 230

Glasses: nameless, nicknamed the "Dutch Football Glasses"
[L=R: -23.00]

Sandra 228 - 229

Posing in myodisc glasses is more difficult than posing in glasses with a mild to moderate prescription and the same goes for the photographer's role in creating satisfactory images. There is often an excessive reflection in myodisc lenses, caused by the extreme curve of the inner surface. However, a careful editing process can do miracles, even when conditions during a photo shoot on location are far from ideal.
The striking glasses shown here by Sandra were made by Valentina Rehder and sent to me by Stephan from Bavaria, four years ago. The frame is modern, yet reminiscent of the "op art" style from the mid 1960's. The glasses were featured in three early photo shoots (Petra 321, Margriet 106, Douce 165) in 2010 / 2011. It's nice to bring these striking, extreme glasses back into circulation once more. Thank you, Sandra!

Sandra 226 - 227

Glasses: Valentina Rehder (myodisc lenses)
[L=R: -20.00]

Sandra 224 - 225

Each minus diopter makes the eyes look about 2% smaller so the size reduction created by these myodisc lenses is 40%. As a result, the model's lips seem enlarged. Still, myodisc glasses can make the eyes "speak" and these fine black and white portraits of lovely Sandra testify to that.

Sandra 221 - 223

Three edited versions of the same portrait. Here Sandra is posing in another pair from the parcel sent to me by Stephan from Bavaria. The lenses are the traditional "Kreislenti" myodiscs with a circular "bowl", Rx minus twenty. Note the double image at the corner of the model's left eye. This effect is created by the slightly positive carrier lens that surrounds the bowl with its extreme prescription. The inner part of the frame is orange and some of this is visible through the right lens(es).

Sandra 220

Glasses: nameless, "Kreislenti" myodisc
[L=R: -20.00]

Sandra 217 - 219

These Laienboss glasses are the pink twin sister of the preceding pair shown by Sandra. The lenses are  "Formlenti" myodiscs, Rx -16. The glasses were in the same parcel sent to me by Stephan from Bavaria, one of my favorite photographers. Big compliment to Sandra for her fine, credible way of posing in glasses that only created a massive blur!

Sandra 216

Glasses: Laienboss (myodisc lenses)
[L=R: -16.00]

Sandra 214

During the final part of this extended photo shoot, Sandra obligingly posed in a series of contemporary glasses with myodisc lenses. This red pair was sent to me by Stephan from Bavaria. Note the additional work done on the myodisc lenses, creating a "Formlenti" effect. Nice!
These are two versions of the same portrait. A bit of extra editing was done in the upper version, removing some of the characteristic light effects in the lenses.

Sandra 213

Glasses: Bailingguizu (myodisc lenses)
[L=R: -16.00]

Sandra 212

Glasses: Zenni 282817
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

Sandra posing in the final pair of eleven Zenni glasses selected for this photo shoot. These glasses stand out because of the lenses. A real crystal veil.... I don't know if Zenni used a different lens material for these glasses. The visual effect may be enhanced by the solid frame.

Sandra 209 - 211

Sandra posing in another pair of genuine cat eye glasses by Zenni. The large size of the frame is extraordinary and this was simply beyond the technical abilities of manufacturers during the heyday of the cat eye style (c 1955 - 1962). The decoration with the little dots is nice. The strong prescription adds to the visual impact. "Not for the fainthearted", this pair is a real eye catcher.

Sandra 208

Glasses: Zenni 625616
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

Sandra 205 - 207

Sandra posing in another modern pair by Zenni that can be called "genuine cat eye glasses". The green frame colors are quite unusual but attractive and the same goes for the "bamboo" decoration of the arms. The lenses in these glasses are in the prescription of my life partner Nel.

Sandra 204

Glasses: Zenni 628534
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

Sandra 203

Sandra posing in pair by Zenni that can be qualified as "genuine cat eye glasses with a unique but consistent twist". Here I am referring to the notches on the sides of the front. This was never tried out during the classic cat eye era but I'm certain that the notches would have been welcomed by many ladies in the late 1950's and early 1960's. Some things get better with age.... Big compliment to the Zenni designers!

Sandra 202

Glasses: Zenni 483925
[L=R: -8.00]

Sandra 200 - 201

Sandra likes the cat eye style so I did my best to serve her well. These contemporary Zenni glasses can be classified as genuine cat eye glasses. No twist here. The only difference with the vintage cat eye glasses is the slightly larger size and the modern frame material. Note the perfect match with the model's eyebrows. Great!

Sandra 199

Glasses: Zenni 626325
[L=R: -8.00]

Sandra 197 - 198

These Zenni glasses have more than a touch of the cat eye style than the previous pair shown by Sandra. Available in three different colors, these has been favorite glasses among my models ever since Claudia Allegonda posed in them during the fall of 2011.

Sandra 196

Glasses: Zenni 283625
[L=R: -8.00]

Sandra 193 - 195

These Zenni glasses are liked by many models and several of them chose this pair for use in daily life.

Sandra 192

Zenni lists these glasses in the category "cat eye frames" but in my opinion, there is only a touch of the cat eye style here. A nice touch, for sure.

Sandra 191

Glasses: Zenni 274015
[L=R: -8.00]