Emma 209

"How did I look, Mr. Photographer? Did you ever portray a dancing lady in such strong glasses?"
"I did, many times. My Lady Nel is an avid salsa dancer and she wears glasses all the time. The glasses you are posing in are her prescription"
"Wow. Well, to be honest, I'm glad that I don't need such strong glasses myself. Shall we switch to the next pair?"
"Can I take one more gala portrait for the mantelshelf?"
"Sure. My pleasure"

Emma 207 - 208

A few dance steps can do miracles when it's getting chilly. It happened two years ago during the photo shoot with Nigerian beauty queen Osi. We did the first part of her epic photo shoot in the King's Inn gardens in the heart of Dublin, closely watched by half a dozen gardeners who held an extended conference about how and where to plant new narcissus. Needless to say, this conference took place just a few meters from the spot where Osi and I were at work. The photos were taken in a sitting position, picknick style, with a tripod between us. After a while, our limbs were getting a bit stiff so I suggested to Osi that we could take a short break and do a bit of dancing. You should have seen the faces of the gardeners :). Anyway, they took the silent hint and returned to work.
Here Emma is treating us with a few steps, not for the entertainment of gardeners but simply to get warm again. It worked, even in very strong glasses!

Emma 205 - 206

The "wall of glass" can offer privacy but it has another advantage as well. Depending on the vantage point of the viewer, there are less power rings than what might be expected. This is demonstrated here, especially in the upper photo. High index lenses are popular as they reduce lens thickness but the additional cost is immense. Also, I sometimes get the impression that opticians occasionally put some pressure on clients to choose high index lenses for moderate prescriptions. There is no doubt that the option for high index lenses make sense when the prescription is minus twelve. On the other hand, there is no way of hiding such a strong prescription - the massive "cut in" effect and the mighty power rings clearly tell what's going on. So why not prefer "showing rather than hiding" and keep lots of money in one's pocket?

Emma 204

Emma showing the nice decoration on the arms of the frame. These glasses are fitted with Nel's prescription for long distance, minus twelve. In spite of the plano front, ens thickness at the sides is no less than 15 millimeters. The choice for standard 1.57 lenses and the large size of the frame has led to the nickname "Wall of Glass". The wall hides the model's left eye from the side but the eye is just visible through the plano front. These are glasses that allow a lady some privacy when required...

Emma 203

These striking glasses were ordered with Zenni early this year. The dilemma was that they came in three colors, all beautiful. This red frame seemed to be the best choice. Its sister frames were white and tortoise shell. Only the white version still remains in catalog. The frame is clearly designed for ladies with a large PD.

Emma 202

Glasses: Zenni 205618
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

Emma 199 - 201

"Wonderful posing, Emma. This may turn out to be one of the strongest series"
"Thank you, Mr. Photographer. Don't forget to haul me up. This slope is rather soft and it's getting a bit chilly"
"Not to worry Emma, just give me your hand. I will pull you up and take the final picture at the same time"

Emma 198

Lens thickness is nearly half an inch but most of this is concealed by the massive straight arms and also by the way the frame folds back towards the corners.

Emma 196 - 197

The frame with its long, straight arms made a perfect fit for Emma. By contrast, most models noted a lack of stability because of the straight arms. As a result, the glasses were only used in three previous photo shoots (with Marike, mother Juliana and Doreen). Opticians have instruments to adjust the arms to their client's need. During photo shoots, there are no tools for that. No time either....

Emma 195

For this series, Emma had to be lead a couple of steps down the talus towards the water, wearing these glasses with their prescription of minus twelve. Modelling is not all about wine and roses....

Emma 194

These Zenni glasses are fitted with lenses in Nel's prescription for long distance. The frame has straight arms and this made it a perfect candidate for the photo shoot with Emma.

Emma 193

Glasses: Zenni 268317
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

Emma 192

Arguably the best of the five photos taken of lovely Emma in Tiaotiaotu glasses from China. Again, a couple of hours went into the editing job but it was well worth the effort. The quality of posing was simply too good to be left out. Besides, we have to suffer for our art....

Emma 190 - 191

Two "en profil" photos of lovely Emma in small but exotic Tiaotiaotu glasses from the People's Republic of China. No editing problems here....

Emma 189

From one striking pair to another, and from one problem to another.... The glasses shown here by Emma were acquired from SGS in China, four years ago. My collection hosts another example of this rather unique frame, fitted with myodisc lenses. However, the color of the myodisc glasses would not have suited Emma at all so I brought these leopard glasses to Epe. The lenses are a "gentle" minus twelve but the problem is that they have no anti-reflective coating. It took a lot of editing to produce this image of Emma's lovely eyes, unearthed below a wall of glare. Anyway, here they are....

Emma 188

Glasses: Tiaotiaotu
[L=R: -12.00]

Emma 187

Another fine portrait of lovely Emma in luminous greenish glasses by Zenni, Rx minus eight.

Emma 186

Emma almost held her breath when I put the glasses on her nose with great care. It took a couple of portraits before she forgot about the cripple condition of the special glasses.... The contrast in colors would never have come out if we had used this pair earlier during the photo shoot. Good timing, or to be honest, lucky timing.

Emma 185

These giant greenish glasses were yet another surprise discovery in the Zenni catalog, three or four years ago. Again, clearly 1970's style, only different.... I was fortunate to order them straightaway. A few weeks later they disappeared from the catalog, never to return. This may have to do with the frame material. It's not unlike PVC but quite brittle. The frame soon developed a bad crack and as a result, the glasses were only used during three photo shoots (Nel, Daisy in Flanders, and top model Sohaila from Ireland). I took the gamble to bring the crippled glasses along to the photo shoot in Epe and fortunately, Emma did not hesitate to pose in them. An eye catching combination!

Emma 184

Glasses: Zenni (long out of stock)
[L=R: -8.00]

Emma 180 - 183

These four photos were taken within fifteen seconds, twenty at most. Together they illustrate the variation in expression that only comes out when a model / photographer team is well under way. Good photo shoots call for an element perhaps best described as a "platonic intimacy" based on mutual trust and understanding. These key parameters were overwhelmingly present during the epic photo shoot with Osi Ugonoh in Dublin. Osi was the first black model in front of my camera. And then, out of the blue, there was Emma on a terrace in Gronau, like a flower in the desert....

Emma 179

Some photos just call for a different way of editing because of their atmosphere. There is something special in Emma's posing and expression here. Hard to express in words except that I like it very much.

Emma 178

Zenni has an open eye for current trends in fashion but they also produce glasses inspired by styles from the past. The nice thing is that their glasses often have a playful twist of their own. The big glasses shown here by Emma are a fine example. The style is closer to the late 1970's than to the current black hipster frames. The white dents at the sides are a detail I never saw in any frame before. The frame came in two different colors and Emma kindly agreed to pose in both versions.

Emma 177

Glasses: Zenni 279924
[L=R: -8.00]

Emma 172 - 176

Zooming in on the classic theme, from the perspective of my photography project. The strong glasses are the interface between the beautiful young lady and the red roses. A barrier in reality but the connection in the concept. Again, wonderful posing by Emma.

Emma 171

Emma's devoted photographer could not resist inviting his beautiful model to pose in this classic, timeless way.

Emma 168 - 170

"Bed of roses" (Bon Jovi)

Emma 166 - 167

Some editing with Orton's effect thrown in for additional variation....

Emma 164 - 165

It's just as if Emma has an instinct for the mood induced by each new pair of glasses. She saw the frames before putting them on, but she did not see the effect of the glasses in a mirror. The lenses were way too strong for that. There was a bit of instruction from my side but most of the atmosphere was the model's own creation.

Emma 163

Same burgundy red color, a more refined frame, fitted with stronger lenses. These glasses were an experimental present to Nel in 2010. Her prescription was just a touch above minus ten at the time. Zenni has an upper limit of -10.00 for progressive lenses. Nel only used these glasses on a couple of occasions as she could not get used to them. Emma is only the second model posing in these almost forgotten glasses, being preceded by Kimberley (one of the identical twins) in 2012.

Emma 162

Glasses: Zenni 2351 (long out of stock)
[L=R: -10.00 / var add 2.25]

Emma 161

There is a sweet touch of melancholy in this portrait of lovely Emma. End of season....