Lovely ladies behind crystal veil: maart 2016

dinsdag 29 maart 2016

Cat 049 bis

Encore posing by catchy Cat in cat eye glasses from the 1990's.

Cat 048 bis

Cat is an amazing poser and actor, even in a cold park. I like the almost dramatic aspect in this portrait.

Cat 047 bis

Wonky or not, these cat eye glasses soon became a favourite among models and Mirjam even used them during the catwalk at my first exhibition, over five years ago.

Cat 046 bis

I selected these glasses with Cat in mind as they are cat eye style. One of the arms is badly warped so it needed a helping hand.

Cat 045 bis

Glasses: Gan Aimh, early / mid 1990's
[L=R: +0.50]

Cat 043 bis

Excellent posing by Cat in Christian Dior glasses from the late 1970's. The direct eye contact is second to none.

A rare squint.... Posing in glasses with the perfect Rx but with an additional cylinder of -1.00 can be harder than posing in glasses that re way off. It was quite misty in the park so Cat did not miss much information anyway.

Cat 041 bis

These magnificent silver Christian Dior glasses are incomplete. They came with a brownish plastic clip (still in the box but crumbled beyond repair) that was decades ahead of its time.

Cat 040 bis

Glasses: Christian Dior, late 1970's
[L: -1.00; c-1.00 o / R: -1.00; c-1.00 v]

Cat 039 bis

I have a most unusual prescription and after having perhaps ten thousands of glasses through my hands, this was the first pair that gave me perfect eyesight. Of course, things have changed during the past 25 years and now these glasses would be useless to me.

Cat 038 bis

These classic Christian Dior glasses were a buy at the annual street fair in my native Amsterdam on Koninginnedag (Queen's Day) in the late 1980's. Posing in these glasses called for concentration from the model's side as her own prescription is halfway both lenses.

Cat 037 bis

I don't remember seeing Dior glasses in this colour when they astounded the world with their first collection in 1976. However, the shape of the frame is highly reminiscent of the first collection so let's keep it at 1977.

Cat 036 bis

Glasses: Christian Dior, made in 1977
[L: +0.50 / R: -2.00; c-1.00 o / var add 1.75]

Cat 035 bis

Encore in Christian Dior glasses from the 1980's....

Cat 034 bis

Cat in Dior glasses from the 1980's, showing the whitest teeth I ever saw during a photo shoot.

Cat 033 bis

Christian Dior glasses.... Note the lift in what you see in the lower part of the progressive lens.

Cat 032 bis

Glasses: Christian Dior 2112, early / mid 1980's
[L: -0.75; c-0.50 v / R: -0.75 / var add 1.50]

Cat 031 bis

I gave Cat compliment after compliment during this remarkable series. She rewarded me with many spontaneous moments like this. It was a lively interaction at its very best. Real team work!

Cat 030 bis

Perfect vision, blurred vision, mono vision.... It made no difference for this fantastic, highly motivated model. Even more important, Cat clearly liked what she was doing, from the start till the very end of her photo shoot. What a gem!

Cat 029 bis

"Halfway.... Next eye....". Another example of "trompe l'oeil". Cat is able to send the viewer in any direction she chooses. Which eye is actually seeing? You can watch this portrait till the cows come home and still see it either way. Cat is really the master of illusionist posing....

Cat 028 bis

Cat being Cat, she overcame the initial reflex within seconds, zooming in on her role as a model. Once you forget about the 20% difference in eye size, it's hard to determine which eye is leading in this portrait. Cat could easily go for a high myopic lady needing the left lens to see her photographer. Thank you, phenomenal Cat!

Cat 027 bis

Make-up specs are made for mono vision.... Cat's right eye is clearly leading here, seconds after flapping the right lens down. It shows how the brain works.

Cat 026 bis

Even early in her photo shoot, Cat and I had a tremendous flow. The photos 024 - 026 were taken within ten seconds, illustrating the extraordinary adaptation speed by this fantastic model.

Cat 025 bis

The make-up specs were subsequently chosen by many models who saw the fun of posing in them. I selected them with Cat in mind as her PD is almost identical to Nel's.

Cat 024 bis

These make-up specs were acquired 15 years ago, fitted with lenses of +2.50. In June, 2009 I gave them to my life partner Nel as a surprise gift to mark the first anniversary of our relation. Her optician secretly fitted the glasses with Nel's prescription for reading just in time. Unfortunately, Nel could not get used to the make-up specs. Impossible to change the routine of a lifetime, nose pressed against the mirror.... After the start of my photography project, Nel gave me back the glasses, hoping that some models might be interested to pose in them.

Cat 023 bis

Glasses: "Made in Taiwan"
[L: -8.00; c-0.75 v / R: -8.25; c-1.50 v]

Cat 021 - 022 bis

"Immersed into silence" are the words that spring to mind here. A cold, misty morning, no other visitors, and especially the way Cat expresses the general atmosphere in the park. A lot of editing went into this photo to recreate the almost surreal feel of the moment.

Cat 020 bis

During the selection of the glasses at home I expected that Cat would like the style of this Luxottica pair. Everything seemed right - and indeed it was. The Rx is a bit too high but Cat bridged the gap with ease. Great!

Cat 019 bis

Small wonder that these Luxottica glasses were an instant hit among models. The extravagant split extension towards the arms is great.

Cat 018 bis

Five years ago, these striking Luxottica glasses were part of a much appreciated present from a collector in the UK who sent me a box filled with a part of his own collection. I'm not sure about the age of these giant glasses. I never saw anything like them in the streets during the 1980's.

Cat 017 bis

Glasses: Luxottica, probably 1980's
[L: -2.00; c-0.25 o / R: -1.50]

Cat 016 bis

The only down side about Claudia's beautiful Givenchy glasses was that the arms were adapted to fit her short head. Anyway, Cat did not mind the inconvenience. Here she is showing that even a mild lens (-0.75) can produce a nice image of the background.

Cat 015 bis

It was an amazing experience when Cat started to produce a vast array of moods and expressions so early in her photo shoot. Good modelling calls for some acting skills. It was immediately clear that Cat has these skills in glorious plenty.

Cat 014 bis

Cat and I had an extensive correspondence before my journey to Paris. One of my questions was if she had any preference for certain frame styles. Her answer was, I love cat eye glasses! Nomen est omen.... It was no surprise to me that these Givenchy glasses were among the first pairs picked out of the box by Cat.

Cat 013 bis

These striking cat eye glasses by Givenchy were sent to me by a friendly German lady called Claudia. The glasses almost immediately became a favourite among models with (nearly) perfect eyesight.

Cat 012 bis

Haute couture.... Givenchy started in 1952 and soon reached international fame. The memory of actress Audrey Hepburn will always remain associated with Givenchy.

Cat 011 bis

Glasses: Givenchy, from Paris
[L: -0.75 / R: -0.50]

Cat 010 bis

During our email exchange about a suitable meeting point, I requested that Cat would arrive in her own glasses. It's always handy for models to use their own glasses during breaks to give their eyes a rest. Her laconic answer was that she would probably not recognize me without her glasses on.

Cat 009 bis

Jardin Villemin is only a small park but still, a quiet oasis. A little plaque in the park remembers visitors of the deportation and subsequent fate of the Jewish community in 1942 / 1943. Being from Amsterdam, I was moved by the simple inscription "We will never forget".

Cat 008 bis

It's a pity that this beautiful frame has gone out of stock so fast.

Cat 007 bis

Glasses: Zenni 291417
[L=R: -8.00]

Cat 006 bis

It was great to see how fast Cat managed a natural, credible look in these strong glasses. I remember this moment well. All I thought was, this is good, really good....

Cat 005 bis

Whern Cat was about to put the glasses on, I told her that they were strong and asked her, are you sure? All Cat said was, sure, no problem. And she was right. It took only ten seconds or so before she started posing.

Cat 004 bis

Cat has a prescription of only -1.00 but she loves her own glasses and she even wears two Chanel pairs. depending on her outfit of the day. To my surprise, these Zenni glasses were the second pair she picked out of the box. No need for a gentle start.... It worked!