vrijdag 17 februari 2017

Carla 341



This magnificent portrait of beautiful Carla in powerful cat eye glasses by Zenni marks the end of a glorious photo shoot.

Way back in 2009, Carla was the 5th Lady behind Crystal Veil, only a couple of months after the start of the project. In other words, model photography was still largely unknown territory for me. So many things to learn.... But there is nothing like learning by doing. In retrospect, it was a blessing that a highly experienced model was willing to pose for me. Over the years, that first photo shoot with Carla always remained a reference point and a precious memory.

Carla, it was a most welcome surprise when you contacted me about a new photo shoot. When you arrived, the ritual of installing all your hats and accessories reminded me of the previous time. And when you started posing, it was just as if you had only been away for a few months. In fact, there were only two differences. Instead of exclusively concentrating on "classic" posing, you interspersed it with cheerful moments and smiles. Another difference came from my side. More self confidence. As a result, the general atmosphere of the new photo shoot was relaxed. Another contributing factor was the secure feeling that any flaws could be improved by editing. It's like climbing a mountain belayed by a rope instead of a solo climb in which a slip is fatal. It was a real pleasure to watch your posing. You looked as if you enjoyed every minute of your come back as a model after several years of retirement. It was heartening to see that you have lost none of your posing qualities. And for sure, you are as beautiful as ever. Whatever the future of the project will be, it now feels as if a circle of seven years is closed. Allow me to say that if ever you feel like doing a third photo shoot, you have a standing invitation. Thank you so much!

A word of thanks goes to Marian who first introduced us and subsequently accompanied you during the first photo shoot. Marian, it was my pleasure that you fulfilled that role again. Your invisible presence contributed to the quality of the new photo shoot, especially in the captures where you served as a beacon for Carla.

"Que sera, sera" (Doris Day).

donderdag 16 februari 2017

Carla 339 - 340




Carla is a model with many qualities. Her ability to establish a credible, natural eye contact with her photographer is second to none. She has 20 / 20 vision without visual aid and the lenses in these cat eye glasses are minus twelve. There is no way of telling that these are not her own glasses and that all she saw was a massive blur. Big compliment for Carla!

Carla 338



The sky is the limit when a lady gets the opportunity to wear splendid glasses like these....

Carla 337



These giant blue cat eye glasses were ordered three years ago and in spite of the high prescription, they were an instant hit among models (Juliette 255, Sandra 208, Iris 144, Nadya 179, Mia 065, Nefeli 170, Lettie 230).

Carla 336



Glasses: Zenni 625616
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

Carla 335



Carla always brings a large selection of hats and other accessories along to her photo shoots and she invariably makes the right choice. Some glasses simply call for a hat and vice versa. Checking her looks in a hand mirror was no option because of the strong lenses but Carla was convinced that this combination would work. This is how she reacted when I gave her tons of praise for her splendid looks.

Carla 334



Five years ago, these giant turquoise green glasses were a welcome discovery in the Zenni catalog and I ordered them straightaway. The frame is really striking and it fits in the category "Not for the fainthearted". The glasses traveled a lot, visiting no less than five foreign countries: Belgium, Ireland, Germany, Cyprus and England. It's noteworthy that they were selected by blondes, brunettes, black models and also by a flaming red haired model. When Carla picked these glasses from the table and started posing, my thoughts went strait back to a phrase written by one of Ireland's leading models. Invited well beforehand to mention her favourite styles, her answer was straight to the point: "Opticians in Dublin are hopeless. They only have dull frames in their shops. I like big and chunky frames, the chunkier the better". And for sure, that's what Sohaila got. She was especially pleased to pose in the turquoise glasses. It came as no surprise to me that Carla liked them as well. All in all, seven bold models posed in these glasses before her and it's really interesting to compare their looks (Daisy 235, Nel 441, Sohaila 079, Farishta 965, Nadya 079, Emma 184, Miliswa 078).

Carla 333



Glasses: Zenni
[L=R: -8.00]

Carla 332



Another fine portrait of lovely Carla in contemporary black glasses by Zenni.

Carla 330 - 331




Here Carla is showing to great effect why she liked these Zenni glasses: the nicely decorated arms and their contrast with the black front of the frame. An excellent choice!

Carla 329



A few dozen Zenni glasses were lying on the tables and it was interesting to see the selection Carla made for the photo shoot. She immediately liked this black pair. Suitable for blondes and brunettes alike, the glasses were featured in four previous photo shoots and they traveled as far as Cyprus (Doreen 183, Mother Juliana 146, Farishta 937, Nadya 100).

Carla 328



Glasses: Zenni 279321
[L=R: -8.00]

Carla 327



Fine pensive mood posing by Carla in Zenni glasses with a touch of the mid 1980's.

Carla 326



These Zenni glasses have a nice touch of the mid 1980's when the bold large frames gradually made way for more subtle, discrete styles. The glasses were featured in only three previous photo shoots (Farishta 941, Mirjam 175, Mia 107).

Carla 325



Glasses: Zenni 662817
[L=R: -8.00]

Carla 321 - 324






It all culminated in this fantastic moment. What a treat. Confidence, timeless beauty, marvelous posing by a top class model who really enjoys what she is doing. And the ease of it. Just like seven years ago, I sat rooted to the spot. An angel came my way in 2009, and the angel was back in 2016. Carla, you should be forbidden by law to ever quit modeling again! It would be a mortal sin and a loss to mankind....

Carla 320



All that went through my head during this series was "What a glorious come back...."

Carla 319



Carla took the floor, producing some of the best posing ever. All I had to do was keep quiet and snap.

Carla 318



These orange Neostyle glasses enjoyed great popularity nearly half a century ago. Frames were gradually becoming larger than ever before. This had in part to do with the invention of new materials but it also reflected a general wind of change in fashion. Hippies, flower power and all the rest of it. A wave of freedom for and from the younger generation. My native Amsterdam was the perfect place to watch the process of change and to participate in it. Orange frames became fashionable in 1964 for blondes and remained so for almost a decade. The Neostyle glasses have been a favourite of many models who appreciated the simple but distinctive style.

"Excuse me, Mr. Photographer.... Can I proceed with the posing now?"

"Oh, excuse me for the lecture, Carla. The floor is all yours"

Carla 317



Glasses: Neostyle (Vela), made in 1969 or 1970
[L: -1.75 / R: -2.00]

Carla 316



A moment of peer group consultation.... The feedback was positive and quite deservedly so.

Carla 315



Although Formlenti always remained white ravens in the streets, they are still made and this red pair from China is a fine contemporary example. The glasses were featured in five previous photo shoots (Sandra 213, Iris 158, Farishta 1035, Anna 097, Clare 165) but none of these models owned a nice red hat that matches with the frame. Carla has a great taste for all aspects of fashion.

Carla 314



Formlenti lenses were an invention of the late 1960's. They were an aesthetic improvement for people in need of myodisc glasses. The circular "bowl" was replaced by a segment that neatly followed the shape of the frame. Formlenti never became very popular as they arrived at the time when the first contact lenses became widely available. As a result, I only remember a handful of sightings.

Carla 313



Glasses: Bailigguizu, from China (Formlenti)
[L=R: -16.00]

Carla 312



"Cheers!". There is a bit of family history in this fine picture. My father ran a family business in the 1950's, importing spice from Indonesia. When the supplies dried up as a result of politics, he started importing glasses. No, not prescription glasses but wine glasses from the famous Iittala factory in Finland. After his cooperation with Iittala came to an end, he kept some samples of their glasses for himself. Some of these glasses came my way after his death and here you see Carla posing with a bit of family nostalgia.

Carla 311



These half rim glasses were kindly given to me by a friendly lady called Rina after visiting my place and seeing a part of my collection. Carla is the first model who poses in this stylish red pair. It did not take her long to choose a hat that matched with the glasses. Not to be outdone, I served her a glass of red wine to complete the ensemble.

Carla 310



Glasses: Eye DC, France, late 2000's
[L: 0; c+1.00 v / R: +0.50 / var add 2.50]

woensdag 15 februari 2017

Carla 308 - 309




Unfortunately, Annabel has little potential as a glasses model as her ears were not designed for that. Never mind. Beautiful Carla has that capacity in glorious plenty. The hat shown by Annabel here is one of many hats brought along by Carla for her photo shoot.

Carla 307



The second model in this series is called Annabel. Two years ago I saw her standing in the street just around the corner of Nel's place, in front of a shop. It was a cold, rainy day and I felt sorry for her as she was standing there naked, with a price card around her neck. I liked her face - quite realistic for a window dummy. So why not give her a role in the photography project? The owner of the shop did not mind to keep her reserved for me. I walked back to Nel's place, told her about my find and asked her if it would be alright to have a quiet guest in the house for a few weeks. Nel saw the potential and the fun of it straightaway, so I went back to the shop. Poor Annabel had to be dismembered for her journey to Nel's place, but she made a speedy recovery. It was Nel who came up with the name for her new guest. Next weekend, sweet Annabel was a major attraction during the annual street fair and more important, she helped Mirjam to make lots of money selling dresses. A few weeks later, Nel brought our sales assistant to my place and Annabel has been my housekeeper ever since. When Carla arrived for the new photo shoot, she was all in for a bit of posing with Annabel. Nicknamed "I won't get lost in the dark", the glasses have been a favourite among models over the past four years (e.g. Lucy 222, Grazyna 088, Emilia 025, Osi 093, Lydia 117, Sandra 187, Iris 108).

Carla 306



Glasses: Zenni 681916
[L=R: -8.00]

Carla 303 - 305





There is a popular trend among environmentalist orientated ladies to hug trees. One of the first to do so and be portrayed this way was the former princess Irene of the Netherlands. I paid her a well meant compliment during a signing session for one of her books about saving this planet - security guards watching - and it was nice to get a royal compliment in return. Here lovely Carla is showing that one can also hug a green hand to great effect. These captures were edited in black and white as this abstraction from reality adds to the focus on the essence of the acting.

Carla 302



There was nothing orchestrated from my side in what happened next. It was all Carla's own idea and I simply zoomed in on what was happening. It reminded me of the acting bit performed by Jade in the Laines, six months before. And of course I was delighted to have the opportunity to see Carla using these glasses, five years after Melissa posed in them to warm up for the glasses that would steal the show. Collecting glasses is often associated with the extremes in design but that has never been my approach. After all, glasses are bought for various reasons by their first owners. Some ladies go for glasses with a statement, others prefer glasses that just add a subtle nuance to their face in everyday life. Green is not considered an easy frame colour and it comes to no surprise that models choose this Conquistador pair for a bit of acting during a photo shoot.

Carla 301



I don't remember where these green Conquistador glasses were acquired but they have been in my collection for over a decade. The prescription lenses are quite mild, so the glasses were mainly used during photo shoots with models blessed with perfect eyesight (Rachel 022, Astrid 058, Hiska 084, Jade 129, Monique 091). A notable exception was Melissa who had a prescription not unlike Carla's at the time. Melissa was a model in the same league as Carla and she made a deliberate choice to use the Conquistador glasses at the very start of her photo shoot. Melissa mentioned the frame colour and she also said they looked like friendly glasses. When she started posing in them, my thoughts went straight back to the photo shoot with Carla, two years before. Something similar happened during the photo shoot with Jade, a professional model in Brighton. She was about to do a bit of acting in front of a glasses boutique and instinctively she picked the Conquistador glasses from the box. Friendly glasses again. Jade posed in the style of the witty girl next door and the glasses were just a minor accessory in the series. The witty girl next door just happened to wear glasses and that was it. When Carla saw the giant green arm in my living room, she picked the Conquistador glasses as they might be a perfect match with the hand. Again, this series is not primarily about glasses but they do add a nice, natural touch to it.

Carla 300



Glasses: Conquistador, early 1990's
[L: 0; c-1.00 o / R: -0.25; c-0.75 o]

vrijdag 10 februari 2017

Carla 299



It was a fantastic experience to do this new photo shoot with lovely Carla after seven years of learning the hard way. The camera loved her then, the camera loves her now. And I can't get rid of a little voice inside my head saying any camera will always love her as long as she believes it does. That's how it works.... Carla, keep them snapping!

Carla 298



Although no longer in need of glasses, Carla still has an excellent taste for frames.

Carla 297



A nice black and white capture of Silhouette glasses and their silhouette on the slide screen.

Carla 296



These bifocals by Silhouette are among their most elegant frames of the late 1980's. They have been in my collection for ages but they were only featured in one previous photo shoot (mother Juliana 116). This has to do with the scarcity of longsighted models. Carla liked the frame and did not mind playing the role of a longsighted lady in bifocals.

Carla 295



These Silhouette glasses were made in 1988 when tiny retro frames started to replace the large frames in Dutch optician's shops. Within half a year no large frames were to be found in the shops, only in the streets.

Carla 293 - 294




Glasses: Silhouette 1709, made in 1988
[L: +1.50; c+0.25 o / R: +1.75; c+0.25 o / bif add 2.00]

Carla 290 - 292





A bit of innocent voyeurism....