Sonia 110

All the contemporary glasses in my collection are fitted with standard 1.57 lenses and there are two reasons for this. One motive is my limited budget. But it also has to do with aesthetic considerations. Generally speaking, high index lenses tend to have a less striking effect than standard lenses. This makes sense. Many ladies go for the expensive high index lenses because they are thinner and as a result, more discrete. At minus eight, lenses look a bit stronger in real life situations than in portraits. My photography project is not only about frames but also about the effect of the lenses.
The lenses in the glasses shown here by Sonia are kind of special. Zenni beveled the lenses at the far sides to make sure that the glasses could be folded up properly for their journey to Europe. The effect is not unlike that of a myodisc but the light effects in the lenses are slightly different. Zenni does the beveling under an angle of 45 degrees so there is no real carrier lens.
Readers may be interested to hear that one of my models in the Netherlands (nicknamed the "Mona Lisa in glasses") is now wearing glasses with this lens type in daily life. Her name is Farishta and her prescription is almost identical with Sonia's prescription. The glasses shown here by Sonia were used again in the final photo shoot when there was more time to focus on the myodisc effect.
This portrait of lovely Sonia took quite a bit of editing but the trial and error eventually paid off and I'm pleased with the result. The touch of of nostalgia was initially inspired by the pearls and then by their association with images seen in the streets of Amsterdam during my childhood, fádo. Thank you, Sonia!