Index photo shoots on this weblog (bottom to top)

19/8/2013 - Bonnie* 001 - 213 (Ireland)
20/8/2013 - Beata* 001 - 117 (Ireland)
3/10/2013 - Juliette*(1) 001 - 113
23/8/2013 - Leah* 001 - 214 (Ireland)
22/8/2013 - Colleen* 001 - 196 (Ireland)
26/8/2013 - Lydia* 001 - 180 (Ireland)
26/8/2013 - Katie* 001 - 227 (Ireland)
25/8/2013 - Simona* 001 - 236 (Ireland)
16/12/2013 - mother & daughter Juliana* 001 - 186
5/5/2014 - Juliette* (2) 114 - 277
20/5/2014 - Sandra 001 - 240
28/7/2014 - Farishta (3) 601 - 777
19/9/2014 - mother Sjoukje & daughter Battice 001 - 056
17/9/2014 - Iris (1) 001 - 181
11/10/2014 - Maria* 001 - 130 (Sweden)
10/10/2014 - Jennifer* 001 - 136 (Sweden)
10/12/2014 - Iris (2) 182 - 357
late 2014 - Nel (11) 487 - 489
25/2/2015 - Nadya* 001 - 190 (Cyprus)
26/2/2015 - Nel (12) 490 - 501 (Cyprus)
19/4/2015 - Farishta (4) 778 - 1076
18/7/2015 - Mirjam (1) 001 - 080
2/9/2015 - Emma (1) 001 - 118 (Germany)
30/9/2015 - Emma (2) 119 - 266 (Germany)
13/10/2015 - Hiska (2) 214
25/10/2015 - Claudine (3) 187 - 229
1/12/2015 - Linda 001 - 055
21/1/2016 - Severine* 001 - 061 (France)
22/1/2016 - Mia* 001 - 119 (France)
23/1/2016 - Sonia 001 - 170 (France)
22/1/2016 - Anna* 001 - 120 (France)
24/1/2016 - Cat* 001 - 164 (France)
17/3/2016 - Julia 001 - 165
8/5/2016 - Nefeli* 001 - 183 (Greece)
2/5/2016 - Xenia* 001 - 136 (Greece)
25/5/2016 - Miliswa* 001 - 085 (England)
23/5/2016 - Jade* 001 - 173 (England)
27/5/2016 - Nicci* 001 - 129 (England)
24/9/2016 - Lettie (2) 203 - 245
7/10/2016 - Monique* 001 - 109 (Germany)
8/10/2016 - Clare* 001 - 167 (Germany)

Valentine special 120

Sans mots.... Thank you Merle, also on behalf of the viewers!

Valentine special 119

"That was fantastic, Merle. Absolutely convincing. I'm sure he got the message"

"Thank you, Mr. Photographer. Now will you allow me an encore?"

"Of course I will. The camera is ready"

Valentine special 114 - 118

Whoever it was Merle saw, she really threw her soul into drawing his attention. Only a man made of stone would not give his heart to this young lady straightaway.

Valentine special 112 - 113

"That was brilliant, Merle. Absolutely brilliant. Will you do me one more favour, please?"

"And what would that be, Mr. Photographer?"

"Imagine that the most handsome, fascinating young man in the world is about to appear. He will be standing on my right hand side. And it's your role to draw his attention. Just express your feelings for him and he might be your Valentine forever"

"Sounds like an interesting proposition, Mr. Photographer. You told me that these Valentine glasses are twice my own prescription. They still give me fair eyesight.... but where is your man?"

"You are looking in the right direction, Merle. He is already standing there. Just use your imagination and you will see him"

"OK, here we go. Keep snapping...."

Valentine special 103 - 111

"Alright Mr. Photographer, I'll give you one. Keep snapping"

So here is a Valentine song by Merle, captured in nine images....

Valentine special 100 - 102

Singer-songwriter Merle is the next model to pose in the Valentine special.... Are you ready to give us a Valentine song?

Valentine special 099

This sweet encore kiss for her court photographer and the viewers of his weblog marks the end of a brief but great Valentine photo shoot. Farishta, thank you so much.... and keep in touch!

Valentine special 097 - 098

Farishta had seen the pictures of the fourteen Valentine models in England, Germany, the Netherlands and Greece. Being full of praise for the quality of their posing, she needed no persuasion to do a bit of acting. So here are a couple of kisses towards the invisible man....

Valentine special 096

This characteristic Farishta pose has been one of my favourites ever since we started working together. It never comes on order, but I'm always delighted whenever it returns.

Valentine special 095

A sweet smile can do miracles for many at the celebration of Valentine....

Valentine special 094

Unfortunately, the giant red heart was too high in the air to be grasped by Farishta. But Valentine is about that as well., isn't it? Making the gesture can be just as important as the eventual result. And besides, there are other ways to express the spirit of Valentine....

Valentine special 093

Glasses: Zenni 4420218
[L=R: -8.00]

Valentine special 091 - 092

Farishta posed for me in 2009, 2010, 2013 and in 2015, so we had not seen each other in a year and a half. Lots of news to exchange before we did the photo shoot for the Valentine special. One of her qualities as a model is her captivating smile. It is our intention to do a full photo shoot later this year.  

Valentine special 086 - 090

Our location in Deventer was perfect for a Valentine special in glasses. An optician's shop on one side and a giant red heart on the other side. What more can a model and her photographer desire?

Valentine special 082 - 085

Farishta could see quite well through these new Valentine glasses as her own prescription is minus six. Not that this is a necessity for her during photo shoots. Over the years she posed for me in glasses with every prescription under the sun. No matter what circumstances, Farishta invariably manages to produce fine, natural looks. Great!

Valentine special 078 - 081

Nothing wrong with an innocent bit of voyeurism - as long as the young lady in glasses feels comfortable.

Valentine special 076 - 077

Photo shoot: March 8th, 2017
Location: Deventer, The Netherlands
Glasses: Zenni 1128019
[L=R: -5.50]

The Valentine special posted last month would not be complete without lovely Farishta, the one and only "Mona Lisa in glasses". Busy agendas delayed our appointment so up comes a fine PS to the Valentine special. It was a rainy day and we were lucky to find this location. What background could be more suitable than an optician's shop?

Valentine special 073 - 075

This Valentine special would not be complete without a new model. These three pictures were taken today, on Valentine's Day. The lovely lady is called Patricia and she obligingly took a short break from her hectic job in the best fish stall at the weekly food and flower market in Enschede. A real Dutch "Molly Malone", cheerful Patricia is the perfect host for Hanini's stall and indeed for anyone who enjoys fish. The only complication was that it was time nor place to remove her contact lenses. So Patricia bravely coped with the massive blur in the red Valentine glasses (-8.00). Much to her relief, I had another Valentine pair with me. These glasses only arrived a few days ago and as you can see, they are more discrete than the red pair. The lenses in these metallic glasses are -5.50. Still a substantial prescription but Patricia found them more comfortable. I hope to do a full photo shoot with Patricia in spring or in the summer season - but not at work. Thank you, Patricia, much appreciated!

Valentine special 064 - 072

Our final station in this Valentine special is Berlin. Clare did the second half of her epic photo shoot under the willow tree. And then out came the Valentine glasses.... Lovely Clare zoomed in on the acting bit suggested by me. Spotting an imaginary handsome man under a willow tree and then having to draw his attention.... what a crazy idea. But Clare saw the fun element in it and she decided to give it a go. This entire series was taken within twenty seconds and nothing is left out, not even the moment when she cracks up. Many photographers would have left the third photo out, but in my opinion this spontaneous "behind the scene" capture contributes greatly to the series. It only took Clare two or three seconds to get back into her stride as a model. Her instantaneous adoration of the handsome man is expressed in a fantastic manner. Simply beyond words. Only a man with a heart of stone would not answer the love in Clare's eyes.... She then puts up the hood of her coat to show him another aspect of her face. This time she is not just adoring the handsome man but also observing him at the same time. The final photo shows that true love prevails, deeper and wiser than it was during the first magic moments of bliss. What an instinct, what a power of imagination, and what a perfect yet spontaneous execution of the entire sequence. What a gem.... Thank you, Clare!

This extraordinary series marks the end of this Valentine special. My sincere thanks go to Julia, Nel, Monique, Miliswa, Lettie, Nefeli, Nicci, Xenia, Lucy, Mirjam, Emma, Carla and Clare for their highly individual contributions. Unfortunately, one model had to cancel our appointment upon the last moment as she is down with a bad flu. If it comes to a new photo shoot soon, her photos will be added as a PS to this documentary.

Wishing all viewers of my weblogs a Happy Valentine Day!

And to those who may doubt if there will ever be a new Valentine in their lives, here's an appropriate song chorus for you. Written by Johnny Duhan, the song was popularized by the late Ronnie Drew during the 40 years celebration concert tour with the Dubliners.

"Don't give up till it's over
Don't quit if you can
The weight on your shoulder
will make you a stronger man"