Linda 055

It's always rewarding for a photographer to have a fine model with a happy smile. Again, there is no way of telling that Linda has 20/20 vision without glasses. It rather looks as if she has 20/20 vision with these pink glasses. But after all, that is what good modelling is about.

This excellent portrait marks the end of this brief but pleasant photo shoot with fine results. Linda is the 66th Lady behind Crystal Veil.

Not every lady is given to spend a lunch break posing in 26 different pairs of glasses, let alone 26 pink glasses with a Rx varying from +10 to -16. Although modelling was a new experience, Linda pulled it off with ease. To be honest, I was delighted but not surprised. A good author is capable of introspection and especially imagination.

Dear Linda, it was such a pleasure to work with you! We had been talking about doing this "Lady in Pink" photo shoot for a while and it's great that we had the opportunity. Your excellent selection of the glasses for this theme shoot gave me the chance to show eight glasses not seen before on my weblog. You also selected many glasses that had not been used in five years or so. In retrospect, your real handicap was not the strength of the glasses but the strength of the cold December wind. It took you several mugs of hot soup and hot tea to chase the cold from your limbs and it was reassuring to hear that everything was fine again after a couple of hours. You were clearly quite motivated and this is visible on many of the portraits that were taken. It also struck me that you have an excellent taste for glasses. If ever in life you find yourself in need of everyday glasses, selecting a suitable pair will be no problem for you. And who knows, you may find the inspiration to use your experience as a model in glasses for a chapter of a new book. Needless to say, you will have at least one devoted reader.... Thank you so much, Linda, and I look forward to meet you again!

Linda has her own website and she kindly gave me permission to include the link here: www.lindameijer.nl

Linda 054

Relaxed posing by Linda in her role as a quite shortsighted Lady in Pink. Note the double image of the solid right arm of the frame, behind and through the lens. At minus ten, these are strong glasses but nothing compared with the preceding couple of myodisc glasses. Everything is relative....

Linda 053

These Zenni glasses first appeared in their catalog four years ago. The frame was available in three different colors: peach, raspberry and pink. Only the raspberry version is still available. The peach version turned out to be the most popular among models but given the theme of her photo shoot, Linda chose this lovely pink version. Again, this is fine, credible posing.

Linda 052

Glasses: Zenni 278819
[L: -9.50; c-1.25 v / R: -10.00; c-1.25 v]

Linda 051

Classic myodisc glasses became almost extinct in the streets after contact lenses became generally available in the late 1960's. Here Linda is posing in a modern pair of myodisc glasses made in China.

Linda 050

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

Linda 049

Two dozen models posed in these magnificent Flair glasses before Linda but she has the scoop of posing in the combination with the giant pink hat. The gradual transition between bowl and carrier lens can be seen in this portrait. Note the elongated shape of the model's right eye. This is caused by the magnifying effect of the positive carrier lens.
The first owner of the Flair glasses was a German lady with slowly increasing high myopia. Her prescription was minus eleven in the mid / late 1970's. She bought her first blended myodisc glasses in the early / mid 1980's but changed to high index lenses in the late 1980's. Apparently this was not an improvement so she switched back to blended myodiscs when she got the Flair glasses.
"Quiet, bordering to serene" was how a visitor of my first exhibition described the posing style of my models in extremely strong minus glasses and this applies to this fine portrait of Linda as well. She expressed beforehand that it would be no problem for her to pose in glasses of minus fifteen. There was no boasting in her statement. Linda is a talented author with several excellent books (in various genres) to her credit. As a result, she has the power of introspection and imagination, two key parameters for a good photo shoot in strong glasses. Big compliment to Linda!

Linda 048

Arguably the finest pair in my entire collection, these Flair glasses soon became a testing piece during photo shoots. The frame is elegant and the special lenses tell a story all by themselves. These so called blended myodisc lenses were an invention of the early 1980's. They offered an aesthetic alternative for the standard myodisc lenses with their clear demarcation between the central "bowl" and its surrounding carrier lens. Here Linda shows two aspects of blended myodisc lenses. The "half moon" image next to the model's left eye shows the position of the carrier lens and also the position of the major "cut in" effect characteristic for lenses of -13. By contrast, the lens in front of Linda's right eye shows no cut in effect and no power rings either.

Linda 047

Glasses: Flair, early 1990's (blended myodisc lenses)
[L: -13.00; c-1.00 v / R: -14.00]

Linda 046

These extravagant cat eye glasses appeared in the Zenni catalog five years ago and they have been a favorite among my models ever since. Linda took to the style straightaway and here she treats us with one of the best portraits in her photo shoot. The surprised expression is priceless. Hat off for Linda!

Linda 045

Glasses: Zenni 4844 (long out of stock)
[L=R: -8.00]

Linda 044

Glasses: Zenni 665918
[L=R: -8.00]

Hair in the wind, Linda is braving the storm in a modern pair of cat eye glasses acquired last year. It now looks as if the cat eye style will not have its long anticipated second breakthrough. Zenni picked it up two years ago and they had two dozen amazing pairs in stock. Some opticians also had great examples on the shelf but so far, cat eye glasses only landed on a small minority of - alternative - noses. Fortunately, several of my models really went for the cat eye style and Linda is the fifth model posing in this pair. What I like about Zenni is the way they pick up a style without slavishly copying it - they always add a touch of their own.

Linda 043

Linda posing in another treasure from my early days as a collector at the "Waterlooplein" flea market in my native Amsterdam. These glasses were as wonky as the Piave pair but fortunately, a friendly optician managed to bring stability to the arms.

Linda 042

Glasses: AO Fashion, mid 1970's
[L: -7.00; c-1.75 v / R: -7.50; c-2.00 v]

Linda 041

Giant eyes.... These are the strongest pair of glasses for long sight used during this photo shoot. Time to switch to strong minus glasses....

Linda 040

Glasses: R+H, early / mid 1990's, from Germany
[L: +8.50; c+0.25 h / R: +8.25; c+0.75 v]

Linda 039

These Sover glasses are highly reminiscent of the style chosen by Silhouette 30 years ago. This is probably why their first owner bought the Sover glasses. She used two identical Silhouette glasses in different colors (blue and green) and added the Sover pair because of its nice pink and black frame. The three pairs in one lot and given the highly individual, strong prescription it's certain that they came from the same nose. The lady in question was substantially longsighted with a fairly high amount of astigmatism. Fair play to her, she had a great taste for glasses.... Three decades later, the same compliment goes to Linda. She is the third model posing in the Sover glasses, being preceded by Charlotte (142) in 2010 and Farishta (830) earlier this year. Thank you, Lady in Pink!

Linda 038

Glasses: Sover, mid 1980's
[L: +4.25; c+2.75 o / R: +5.00; c+2.00 o]

Linda 037

Glasses: Pro Design (Club Line), late 1980's
[L=R: +4.50; c+1.00 o]

Right at the start of her photo shoot, Linda posed in an (almost) identical pair of Pro Design glasses, fitted with lenses for very mild myopia. The pair shown here has an identical frame number but the first pair is a touch higher. The lenses here are for substantial long sight. The first model who posed in these glasses before Linda was a longsighted amateur model called Charlotte (022). The glasses were subsequently used in my photo shoots with identical twins Nathalie (091) and Kimberley (093) who swapped the identical Pro Design glasses halfway the series. Two years later, Bonnie (009) and Lydia (037) joined their ranks during my second photography trip to Ireland. And here it is Linda's turn, using a large pink hat to complete the nice ensemble.

Linda 036

When arrangements were made for her photo shoot, Linda said that she had no problem whatsoever with posing in strong glasses. She felt confident and looked forward to the not every day experience. Here she poses in what can be regarded a strong pair of glasses, made by Rodenstock from Germany for their Exclusiv series. The marble structure of the frame tells that it was made just over twenty years ago. Again, the first owner of these glasses must have been an elderly lady who used a separate pair of readers. The add in these Rodenstock glasses is quite strong (+3.50) so it was a wise decision to have only the right lens as a bifocal. Better the extra cost of separate reading glasses than the extra risk of a broken hip.... As stated before, Linda prefers large glasses and this Rodenstock pair really suits her face quite well.

Linda 035

Glasses: Rodenstock Exclusiv 335, late 1980's or early 1990's
[L: +6.00 / R: +5.50; c+1.50 h / bif add 3.50 (R lens only)]

Linda 034

These MC Penny glasses were used in three photo shoots during my second stay in Ireland in that fruitful photography year 2013. Bonnie from Limerick (117), Colleen (101) from Wexford and Abeer (126) from Dublin were the freelance models who brought the Penny glasses to life. The only model who experienced some benefit of the progressive lenses was Bonnie who was one of the very scarce longsighted models who posed for my project. The search for photogenic longsighted models will be continued next year when I hope to have more time available than there is now. Meanwhile, a word of thanks goes to Linda who in spite of her own 20/20 vision managed to act quite convincingly as a longsighted lady. The quiet concentration here is simply perfect posing.

Linda 033

Glasses: MC Penny (whoever they were), early / mid 1990's
[L=R: +3.00 / var add 3.00]

Linda 032

The first owner of these fine bifocals was an lady from the Cardiff area in Wales. She had a rather unusual prescription, the difference between both lenses being three diopters. This can create major problems as the image seen through the left lens is noticeably smaller than the image through the right lens. Most opticians consider this three diopter gap the upper limit for glasses. Anyone with a higher difference is advised to go for contact lenses. It's easy to imagine that contact lenses were no option for the first owner of the glasses. The strong reading add suggests that she was probably in her seventies. Linda is the first model who posed in these bifocals from Wales and she was clearly pleased when I gave her a couple of compliments about the trick with the reading segment and her looks in these glasses. The color combination is perfect. Also, the major difference in Rx between both lenses creates a flattering image by adjusting the slightly uneven size of the model's eyes. One of the nice aspects of my photography project is that the glasses in my collection are getting a second life, making another lady happy, if only for a minute or two. Linda was forced to hold the big hat with one hand to ensure that the strong wind could not blow it away, but she was not bothered by this minor inconvenience. Women are masters at multitasking, especially when overladen with sincere compliments about their posing and their looks. It's the photographer's Holy Grail to keep it that way.

Linda 031

Upon my request, Linda is checking her looks through the almost invisible reading segments of these bifocals. Again, these lenses is an example of fine craft man work. It takes a little while to get used to the small, circle shaped reading parts but the first owner of the glasses must have been a happy lady.

Linda 030

Glasses: Gan Aimh, mid / late 1980's
[L: -3.50; c+2.00 v / R: +0.50; c+1.50 v / bif add 3.00]

Linda 029

Whatever the explanation about the twin glasses, this pair caught Linda's fancy during the selection process and she was absolutely right. The frame provides a perfect blend with the model's facial shape and pink outfit. Linda clearly bridged the couple of wrong diopters with ease. Good!

Linda 028

These nameless glasses have an identical twin sister that had to be left out of this photo shoot as its color did not fit into the category "blending with pink". Aside from the color, there is a small but interesting difference between the lenses in both pairs. The twin sister has slightly (0.50) weaker lenses. Both glasses were acquired simultaneously and they were in the same small box. They clearly came from the same owner who must have bought them on the same occasion. There are at least two possible explanations for the 0.50 difference between both pairs. One explanation is that the lady in question was at the onset of presbyopia and used the twin pair for close work. An alternative theory is that the twin pair were her everyday glasses and the pair shown here by Linda was only used for night driving. There is a remote possibility that the lady bought the twin pair first and soon found out that she needed a slight increase. In that case she was lucky that her optician still had the frame in stock.

Linda 027

Glasses: Gan Aimh, late 1980's
[L: -2.25 / R: -3.00]

Linda 026

Filos from Italy have been active since the 1960's and my collection includes seven examples of their work. The large, solid frame is quite characteristic for the mid and late 1970's. Generally speaking, the 1980's brought more refinement. Large frames remained but the style was more subtle and airy. The lenses in these Filos glasses are so called transitions, an invention made around 1970. Many glasses from the 1970's and 1980's have transition lenses. During outdoor photo shoots implies that speed is required when using glasses with transition lenses.

Linda 025

Glasses: Filos, mid / late 1970's
[L: +1.50; c-2.00 v / R: +1.25; c-2.00 v]

Linda 024

Fine, expressive posing by Linda in a lovely pair of pink glasses called "Janine". Four years ago, I did a photo shoot in my garden with a young amateur model called Esther. It was a pleasant afternoon but we were forced to move around the house several times because of the intense direct sunlight. After a while, Esther and I landed in an alley and this caught the attention of several curious neighbors. One of them was a friendly lady in her early sixties called Jannie. After watching us for a while, Jannie said, "I may have some glasses for you". Within a few minutes, she returned with two vintage pairs in her hands. When I suggested to Esther that she might try Jannie's old glasses, she was all go for it. Jannie was longsighted and over the years her prescription got worse. The pink glasses shown here by Linda were Jannie's second or third pair. My estimation is that her prescription had doubled by the time she gave me her old glasses. Jannie was a gifted poet in the regional dialect of Twente. She died two years ago but her memory lives on among the neighbors. Linda is the first model posing in the Janine glasses since the photo shoot with Esther. It was a cold day and it would be an understatement to describe Linda's fingers as pink. Thank you Linda, for your stamina!

Linda 023

Glasses: called "Janine", made in 1983
[L: +2.25 / R: +3.00]

Linda 022

The marble structure on the frame was quite popular in the Netherlands between the late 1980's and mid 1990's. In fact, glasses like this pair shown by Linda were the only exception to the retro style. The marble frames were kept larger and this had to do with the preference of elderly ladies in need of bifocals. The strong reading segments (add 3.00) are really invisible in this "en face" portrait. Again, this is a pair that was not used in any of my previous photo shoots. Speaking in reporter / journalist terms: Linda had yet another scoop....

Linda 021

Glasses: Gan Aimh, late 1980's / early 1990's
[L: +2.50; c+0.50 v / R: +2.00; c+1.00 v / bif add 3.00]

Another example of fine posing by Linda. Her expression here suggests that she is "lost in thought". However, in reality she was following directions from my side, to show the position of the almost invisible, circle shaped reading parts. The focus zoom function was used during the editing process to put further emphasis on the model's expression.

Linda 020

Glasses: Rodenstock (Young Look, 231), mid / late 1980's
[L: +0.50; c-1.00 v / R: 0; c-1.00 v]

Another pair of glasses that somehow escaped my attention during the selection process for earlier photo shoots.

Linda 019

Pearle appeared on the Dutch market in 1979, taking over all the shops of a company called "Brilmij" that started its activities two decades earlier. The glasses shown here by Linda are characteristic for the mid 1980's. The progressive lenses are quite mild for long distance so Linda could see her avid photographer almost in full detail. Like the preceding Silhouette glasses, this pair by Pearle was not used during any of my preceding photo shoots. This portrait is identical to the previous photo but edited as a pencil drawing. Nice!

Linda 018

Glasses: Pearle Vision, mid 1980's
[L: +1.00 / R: +0.50; c+o.50 h / var add 2.50]

Linda 017

Glasses: Silhouette 1172, made circa 1985
[L: +4.00 / R: +3.00 / var add 2.75 (L only)]

Silhouette was one of the top brands during the heyday of the large frames. My collection hosts over one hundred pairs, many of which were featured in my photo shoots. Linda has the honor of being the first model who poses in this almost forgotten pair. The first owner was probably an elderly lady. She made a wise choice (or got sound advice from her optician) with regard to the lenses. Only the lens for her left eye is progressive, the right lens is single vision for long distance. So much safer when walking the streets or descending a flight of stairs.... No doubt, she had a separate pair of reading glasses.
Time was scarce during this photo shoot which took place during a slightly extended lunch break. As a result, there are no long series. Linda managed to switch glasses 25 times during an hour's posing. Hat off for Linda!

Linda 016

Drop temple glasses emerged in the late 1970's and they remained fashionable for a full decade. Then retro fashion took over. All too soon, drop temple glasses disappeared from the streets, never to come back. A great pity! It is to be hoped that somebody in the business will resurrect the style.
Linda made an excellent choice when she selected these fine drop temple glasses for her photo shoot. The frame really suits the shape of her face. Amazingly, these bifocals were not used in any previous photo shoot. Apparently they were waiting patiently for Linda to arrive....

Linda 015

Glasses: Gan Aimh, mid / late 1980's (drop temple glasses)
[L: +1.75; c+0.50 h / R: +2.50 / bif add 2.75]

Linda 014

Handle with care.... These giant Piave glasses were a welcome discovery at the Waterlooplein flea market (Amsterdam) in the late 1980's. The frame was in a wonky condition but I bought it anyway because of a sweet memory from the past. Early in 1975, I met an art student who disliked her rather outdated glasses. Within a few months, we bought her a new pair by Piave and this was a large improvement in her acceptance of glasses. Fashion was changing at a dazzling speed during the early seventies. Frames got larger and larger. The heavy lenses in her purple Piave glasses were like shop windows. Her prescription was minus six and the sides of her new shop windows were almost a full centimeter thick. The giant, airy frame was not designed for such heavy lenses and as a result, the glasses were not entirely stable on her face. But the main thing was that she liked her looks in them. Thick lenses were a common sighting in the streets. Ladies with fairly strong glasses were all "in the same boat". It took over a decade before index lenses became available. Ironically, this innovation coincided with the end of the large frames. The change was quite abrupt and within a few months, Dutch opticians were only selling rather dull, tiny retro frames. The only positive side was that many large glasses could be bought at the flea market for coppers and brass. Coming across these Piave glasses was a special moment. Aside from its color, the frame was identical to the pair used by the art student. Linda is not shy or conservative so she needed no encouragement from my side to give the Piave pair a try. Needless to say, she kept the large hat on. Giant glasses simply call for a giant hat....

Linda 013

Glasses: Piave, made in 1975
[L: -2.50 / R: -1.50]

Linda 012

Linda is a lady blessed with many qualities, one of them being her spontaneity. It was my pleasure to watch her assessing her looks in this ensemble of a giant hat and huge glasses with "dégradé" lenses. The four portraits in this series were taken within fifteen seconds and this capture shows the model's moment of praise for the ensemble. Never mind the December cold outside....

Linda 011

The "dégradé" lenses in these huge glasses from Dublin certainly add a touch of mystery to a lady. The hat was a recent bargain on the beautiful Greek island Crete. If you like to start a collection of hats, Crete can be recommended. I paid the princely price of five Euros for this giant pink hat.

Linda 010

These huge glasses were acquired in Dublin, shortly after the turn of the Millennium. When Linda saw the large table filled with pink glasses, this was one of the very first pairs she tried on. Here she renews the acquaintance, checking her looks with the help of an invisible hand mirror.

Linda 009

Glasses: Gan Aimh, early / mid 1990's
[L: -0.75 / R: -1.00; c-0.75 v]

Linda 008

Linda has 20/20 vision so it made sense to use glasses for both short sight and long sight. This Italian pair by Bon Lux has lenses for very mild long sight (+0.50) so Linda could bridge the distance to her photographer with ease. The glasses were featured in six previous photo shoots. Small wonder, the frame is simple but attractive. This is fine posing indeed. Although not a regular glasses wearer, Linda made an excellent choice from the pairs selected beforehand. A thumb rule at photo shoots: "The more a model likes a pair of glasses, the better the posing".

Linda 007

Glasses: Bon Lux, from Italy, early 1990's
[L=R: +0.50]

Linda 006

Glasses: Gan Aimh, early / mid 1990's
[L: -1.00; c-0.50 o /R: -2.50; c-0.75 o]

These pink metal glasses were a buy in a charity shop at the Irish west coast, some twelve years ago. They were only featured in one of my very first photo shoots (Brigitta 003). Pink being the theme for the present photo shoot, I went through my entire collection and selected about a hundred pink(ish) pairs for Linda to try on. She selected 26 pairs for this photo shoot, including many almost forgotten pairs like this. Nice!