Simona 214 - 216

Working with Simona was an experience never to be forgotten. It was fascinating to witness and capture the gradual change in the feel and atmosphere after nightfall - as if she revealed another side of her personality.

During the first part of her photo shoot, many people and their dogs passed us and some waited to see us at work from a small distance. When night had fallen, there was nobody on the beach except Simona and me - at least I thought so.

The next day, I took a short walk to the beach and when passing the spot where Simona and I did the photo shoot, I heard a voice calling me.
"Hey Mister, I saw you last night. Beautiful girl.... You must have taken at least a hundred pictures of her. I saw your flashlight non stop, all the time"
I looked up and sure enough, it was the tramp who sleeps every night in the open construction where my photo shoots with Leah and Katie took place when his bedroom was vacant. Long hair, a wild beard and incredibly clear blue eyes - the eyes of a man who leads a nomadic outdoor life. He introduced himself as John Cumming.
"Do you have a cigarette for me?"
"Sure. Be my guest"
"That girl.... beautiful bone structure, beautiful all the way"
I explained that she was a model and that I had used his bedroom at daytime to do some photo shoots with other models during the preceding days. He then told me that he had been in the music business, working in the Abbey Tavern, then moved to Canada. We shared some more cigarettes and he treated me with his synopsis of how Ireland had acquired its status as an independent nation.

This narrative would not be complete without this account by the man who witnessed the final phase of the extraordinary photo shoot with Simona.

Simona 209 - 213

Night photography on a beach was an amazing experience. What struck me afterwards was that some portraits of Simona's unique look and gorgeous posing came out best in black and white. This goes especially for these five portraits.

Simona 208

The series of Simona in these Zenni glasses was done in two phases. The first phase was in the last evening light and the second phase a quarter of an hour later in the dark.

Simona 207

This is one of my favourites, not just in this great series but in the entire photo shoot with Simona. Don't ask me why.... but yes, an absolute gem of a capture. Marvelous posing, even by the model's high standard.

Simona 205 - 206

Simona showing the relatively modest power rings in these beautiful, lady-like glasses by Zenni. The standard Rx of the Zenni glasses in my collection is minus eight - photogenic but not extreme - but somehow this pair seems less strong than its many sisters. This may have to do with the size but also with the shape of the frame.

Simona 204

Another pair of Zenni glasses with a touch of the cat eye style but mellowed by the slightly oval rounded shape of the frame. The glasses really seem to suit all models and as a result, they are often included in my photo shoots. In my opinion, Simona looks absolutely splendid in this pair so I kept this series back to post it in the final part of her photo shoot.

Simona 203

Glasses: Zenni 2740
[L=R: -8.00]