vrijdag 24 maart 2017

Merle 153



This pencil drawing version of Merle (121) in blended myodisc glasses marks the end of an epic photo shoot. It also included one series that will be posted separately as a part of the Valentine special (previous weblog). Merle is the 80th Lady behind Crystal Veil.

My first mentor in photography used to always say "Finding a good model is half the job" and he was absolutely right. When I embarked on my portrait photography project, my first model was my life partner Nel and she was soon followed by several neighbours and friends. Most of these ladies had no posing experience so they were in the same boat as their inexperienced photographer. This made things easier from both sides the camera. There were no high expectations - just a relaxed game of trial and error. This element was already present during the selection of the glasses and it gave the ladies a gentle introduction to the actual photo shoot. I soon found out another thumb rule: "The more a lady likes her looks in a particular pair of glasses, the better the posing results". Another interesting discovery was that most ladies had a surprising ability to produce natural, credible looks in glasses way beyond their own prescription. Curiosity was always the key word. Go with the flow.
It soon turned out that the level of modeling experience did not really interfere with the key parameters just mentioned. Although "armed with a bag of tricks", many freelance models - at home and abroad - react the same way as the amateurs during the selection of the glasses. Equally important, many of them manage to deliver a mix of professional posing and spontaneous captures during the actual photo shoot. The only difference is that professional models are used to a higher level of photography and this is why all the portraits of the past four years are edited meticulously.
However, the "graduation" towards professional models does not imply a complete shift. Over the past few years, several novices at modeling took up the challenge to pose for me. It's great to spot a young lady in a shop or in the streets and see the potential in her attitude and her looks.

There was no way Merle could have escaped my view. She was performing as a singer-songwriter at the corner of a market place. I really liked what I heard and saw. So it did not take me long to step forward and give her my card, inviting her for a photo shoot in prescription glasses from my large collection. Merle was immediately interested. My request was that she would bring her guitar along to the photo shoot so that at least a part of the pictures would show her performing. She was all in for the idea and we soon set up an appointment.

Several models before Merle were musicians as well. Melissa and Sohaila spring to mind. Both were bass players but their music was not the theme of their photo shoots. A couple of models (Bianca and Doreen) posed with a musical instrument but they were unable to play it. Merle was the first model who posed for me as the musician she is in real life. It was a wonderful experience to take photos while she was singing and playing, but it got even better. Very soon it dawned me to me that there might be a story line in the material. There was no story line in my head yet, so my aim was to have Merle throwing in some variations in the photo shoot. With this in mind I took two unusually long series of her singing and playing in very strong glasses. Merle managed to perform naturally in a standing position, almost as if they were her own glasses.

Our talks during breaks and afterwards contributed greatly to the afternoon of the photo shoot and we ended up in a restaurant in town. It's always my pleasure to talk with musicians anyway, having been one of the fraternity myself for over half a century. Knowing all about performing myself made it easier to take good pictures of Merle in full vocal flight. The next morning I was delighted to see how well many of the pictures had come out. And then the ball started rolling. Not just the editing but writing a brief summary of a story line as well. In retrospect, working out a story line was a piece of cake. Merle liked the concept straightaway when she read the summary. Working it out into a real script was done step by step during the process of posting the 153 photos.

Merle was quite pleased with the results and we discussed the option of doing another photo shoot in the future. She is traveling all over the world, making a living as a street performer. Our chance meeting at the market took place during a few weeks back home in between extended periods of traveling.

Merle, it was my pleasure to work with you! I'm always looking for new challenges in my portrait photography project - not just finding another pretty face but also a visible personality that differs from anyone who participated before. You have both qualities in glorious plenty. Our collaboration yielded a fin mixture of real posing and life performing. You were like a bit of fresh air. Our talks about music added a valuable dimension. Two singer-songwriters from different generations talking about the music from the late 1960's and early 1970's. Your singing voice is still ringing in my ears. Thank you so much for taking up the challenge of doing a photo shoot and for the excellent results! I wish you a great time in Australia and wherever this journey may lead you. Till next time!  

Merle 152



A final capture of Merle on the forest path, wearing her aviator glasses.

Merle 149 - 151





"What a day, Mr. Photographer. We went deep but it was worth the effort, don't you think?"

"Some day indeed, Merle. You have a lot of homework to do. Four songs to finish"

"I'm sure that it can be done. And if not, so be it. Anyway. Great to break a barrier or two"

"It's getting dark and chilly. How about packing our stuff and head back to town?"

"Good idea, Rob. And thanks for everything"

"The pleasure was entirely on my side. Thank you for all you brought in yourself. Here is a little memento"

He handed her a copy of the "Crystal Veil" CD.

"If you don't like the music, you can always use it as a frisbee"

"I will have a good listen first"

"May I invite you for dinner in town?"

"Your kind offer is under consideration"

Merle 148



Who on earth could ever reject a publicity photo like this?

Merle 147



Glasses: Zenni 4411912
[L=R: -8.00]

Merle 145 - 146




Near exhaustion after the discovery of new horizons in songwriting. The inventor was at the end of his tether as well and they took a long break in which not a word was spoken. Afterglow, reflection. But gradually both of them surfaced and they decided to finish off with the crazy glasses suggested by the inventor during their previous break.

Merle 144



Her final effort was a gloomy song about the deprived and the handicapped in society. The inventor now feared for her well being and urged her to return from wherever she had been. After removing the glasses it took a couple of minutes before the fog cleared up. A safe return was guaranteed and she came out of her composing marathon unscathed. An epic performance indeed. High time for another drink and another cigarette....

Merle 143



Nothing could stop the young artist and she continued composing a gloomy song that looked into the future. Its theme was in the same vein as "Eve of destruction", a classic by singer Barry McGuire way back in 1967.

Merle 142



Without taking a break, the young artist went straight into another new song. The theme of it was about days long gone by. Fádo in Irish.

Merle 141



Singing and playing at the same time was too much this time, so the young artist contented herself with composing a melody by humming it.

Merle 140



Minus twenty five is an extreme prescription and it took several minutes before the adaptation process was completed. The reverse binocular effect was noticeably stronger than it was with the blended myodisc glasses. The inventor watched the young artist closely when she started playing. Determined and highly concentrated, she hit the first chords of what eventually developed into another new song....

Merle 139



Glasses: Gan Aimh, from China (traditional myodisc lenses)
[L=R: -25.00]

Merle 138



"That was fun, Mr. Photographer"

"It really was, Merle. What about a crazy pair of minus eight glasses?"

"Can we save that for the end? I would really like to compose another song first. Where are the strongest magic glasses you were talking about?"

"Alright, we will proceed as you suggest. Be prepared for an even more extreme experience than the blended myodisc glasses"

The inventor produced a pair of leopard glasses with what looked like coke bottle lenses.

"Wow, they look like serious business. Real circles in the middle of the lenses...."

"These are traditional myodisc glasses. Minus 25, if you please"

"Same procedure?"

"Yes, same procedure as the blended myodisc glasses. We'll start with you holding them some distance from your face"

"I liked that experiment. Tell me first, once I put them up.... safe return guaranteed? I would not like to end up in those babies permanently"

"Not to worry, Merle, Safe return guaranteed. Just follow me to the other location"

Merle 137



"Wow! She's got it, yeah baby she's got it...."

Time to return to some serious songwriting. Myodisc time....


Merle 136



"Thank you folks.... Love you to bits!"

Merle 134 - 135




Merle was really in her element. Such a pleasure to see an artist enjoying what she is doing!

Merle 133



Not to be outdone, her photographer blew some smoke towards the artist.

Merle 132



Merle has a great repertoire from the days of Woodstock and she is not shy to perform a Creedence Clearwater Revival classic either.

Merle 131



Opening chords of a song from the days of Woodstock....

Merle 130



"Ready to snap?"

"I'm at your feet, Merle"

Merle 129



After composing a new song in blended myodisc glasses, returning to posing in glasses of minus eight was a piece of cake for the young artist.

"That's fine posing, Merle. I like the element of nostalgia"

"Shall I keep these glasses on and treat you with a nostalgic cover?"

"Please do"

Merle 128



Posing this way was the young artist's own idea and her photographer zoomed in straightaway.

Merle 127



Glasses: Zenni 44122415
[L=R: -8.00]

Merle 126



Glasses: Zenni 206415
[L=R: -8.00]

Merle 125



The inventor went for the walk he intended to do before he heard the faint singing voice at the clearing behind the pool with the frogs. His head was still ringing with the music and his eyes were a bit tired from the concentration in his role as a photographer. So he made it a slightly longer walk to get his system settled. After all, the work was not finished yet. In fact, he was already considering how to handle the next part.

When he returned to the clearing, there was no singing or guitar playing, so he expected to find the young artist scribbling the lyrics and the music of her newly composed song. Somewhat to his surprise, he found her smoking a cigarette and without her pencil and paper in sight.

"That took you long, Mr. Photographer. Is everything OK with you?"

"Yes, I'm fine. And how about your good self? Did you make any progress?"

"Much faster than I expected. It's ready. But I have a small confession to make"

"Did you change your mind about carrying on? Have you had enough?"

"No, it's not that, I'm really motivated to carry it a few steps further. I would love to compose another song or perhaps even several songs"

"Then what's the confession about? Did you try some magic glasses on your own?"

"Only one pair of minus eight. But my eyes were unable to adapt to them. I should have known better"

"Never mind. Shall we proceed? A few publicity pictures first, and then the strongest pair of magic glasses?"

"Sounds good to me. Let's do it"


Merle 124



Obligingly, the young artist looked him straight in the eyes and the inventor took his picture.

"You can now take the glasses off. Make sure you are standing solid on your feet before you remove them"

"There is one thing I want to say first to you, Rob. Thank you so much for all your time and for this unique opportunity. It feels like a big present"

"Well, you gave me a big present as well, so I guess we're even"

The young artist took of the glasses and handed them to the inventor.

"Back in the fog.... But don't worry about me, I'm a strong girl and solid on my feet"

It all went as predicted and within a minute, her eyesight was back to normal. They walked the few yards to the first location. She put the guitar in the box and sat down to smoke her cigarette. The inventor handed her a small bottle of ginger ale.

"Thank you. Can you hand me my pencil and paper? They are in the guitar box"

"I will do that straightaway. Here you are. It's best to start scribbling everything down as fast as you can. One more thing.... You will probably feel more comfortable when I take a walk and leave you in peace for a while. It may be different for you but I never allowed anyone near me at this stage of composing"

"Same here. Thanks for being so understanding"

"Back in half an hour or so. Can you keep an eye on my suitcase?"

"No problem"

"And please don't go up in smoke"

"Promise. Besides, we are not ready yet"

Merle 123



"In a minute, Merle. Allow me just a few short questions about the glasses now you still have them on. How is the eyesight and did the blur near the corners bother you?"

The young artist nodded and turned her head towards the horizon.

"Everything is crystal clear, even in the far distance. And it's amazing how fast you get used to the ghost images near the corners. It may make no sense to you but I think the weird effects helped me to compose the song. They confined my view so I was forced to focus all the time. Do you have enough pictures?"

"Hold on, just a sec...." (snap) "Thank you. Now give me one final pose straight in the face, and then you can take the glasses off"

"What a pity to part with your magic glasses. In all honesty, I was just beginning to get attached to them"

Merle 122



Just after hitting the final chord on the guitar, the young artist looked at her photographer with a smile on her face. He could see that she was tired but satisfied.

"Not bad going, don't you think? These magic glasses are fantastic, Rob. They gave me wings"

"They certainly did. And may I add, you look great in them"

"Thank you, that's a sweet compliment. I'm dying for a fag and a drink"

Merle 121



The young artist went through her new song again and this time there were no further changes or additions. The inventor returned to his first vantage point just in time - she slowed down and he snapped just when she sang the final note. Her expression and the look in her eyes were simply priceless. Moreover, the slight elongation in the corner of her right eye - an effect caused by the transition towards the carrier lens - gave her face a touch of the Slavic look. The young artist had clearly saved the best for the last. A real beauty in blended myodisc glasses.... The inventor was a happy man.

Merle 120



Within a second, the young artist opened her eyes and looked at her photographer without any interruption in her full vocal flight. It was unlikely that she had heard him so she must have felt a change in her immediate surroundings. Fortunately, it clearly did not matter to her at this final stage of the creative process.

Merle 119



The song just got better and better. The young artist now went through the verses and chorus with wild abandon. It dawned to him that this might be the right moment to find a new vantage point. As quiet as possible, he took a few steps to the right. The new vantage point was perfect, showing the unique characteristics of blended myodisc lenses. The distortion caused by the central bowl with its extremely strong minus prescription and the surrounding positive carrier lens. The singer's left eye was visible through the central bowl while her right eye was seen through the transition towards the magnifying carrier lens. Time to snap....

Merle 116 - 118





The young artist then expanded the fragments into full phrases, adding or changing verses each new time round. The inventor stood in awe. His thoughts went back to December 2004, during the second day he was working on his signature song "Crystal Veil" at or near the same spot. Being unable to sit down in the snow covered frozen forest, he was forced to return home every hour to warm his limbs and practice the latest additions on his 12 string guitar. Recording the first rudimentary fragments of the new song was an integral part of the process on the second day. Making a documentary in stills of the way Merle was creating her new song was a fascinating task and he enjoyed the experience. Still, what a pity that his recording equipment had stopped functioning several years back. The flow and the speed of the creative process right in front of him was simply unbelievable. He was impressed by the gradual change in her facial expression now the fragments were actually molded into a real song. It was a gradual change from introvert to extrovert - even her eyes were more open than they were some minutes ago. It was as if she needed the surroundings to make the acquaintance of the world she was creating in her song. Like a try out phase. Avoiding eye contact with her fascinated photographer, she concentrated on the landscape and the horizon. It all made sense and it reminded him of many solo gigs done in his younger days. And returning to the aesthetic part of what was happening right in front of him, he noticed that the magic glasses were a fine blend with her face. All the pieces of the puzzle started to fall in place....    

Merle 113 - 115





Gradually the singer started adding words to the melody line without any interruption of the music. It was as if she was playing an endless tape, filling in new bits and pieces of melody and lyrics. The inventor was impressed by the cheerful expression on her face. Aside of the squinting, there was no sign of any struggle. She was looking confident and clearly in her element. Being an experienced singer-songwriter since the late 1960's, the inventor recognized and appreciated each new phase of the creative process he was witnessing.

Merle 110 - 112





Sooner than expected, the young artist started vocalising. What stuck the attentive inventor was that she was looking for a new melody line without losing the essential fragments he heard just before they met. The creative process was clearly faster than before and there was a lovely flow in it. Although squinting constantly, she was apparently able to see the neck of the guitar well enough for accurate fingering of the chords.

Merle 107 - 109





The inventor kept quiet like a mummy when the young artist started playing. He recognized the chord sequence straightaway. She was playing the first chords of the unfinished song he heard during his walk in the forest. The level of concentration on her face was amazing. He held his breath each time the camera snapped.

Merle 106



The young artist put the magic glasses on with great care.

"Wow, this fog is three times worse.... Did that lady have such poor eyesight?"

"It was even a bit worse for her, Merle. Remember you don't need to bridge the full gap, you are starting at -2.50"

"Poor devil. Well, even this gap will take a while for me.... Keep talking to me, Rob. It's a bit of a lonely, lost feeling in the fog"

"Don't worry, you will get there. Just tell me if there are any changes and if so, what they look like. Any sign of the tickle yet?"

"A bit. As a child, it always gave me a laugh reflex when I was tickled by adults or other children"

"One more thing. When the fog starts to clear up, you will also start to see the distortions towards the rim of the lenses. It can be a bit confusing. mention this to me when it happens"

"You seem to know exactly what can be expected. That's reassuring"

"Twenty women did the experiment with these very glasses before you, Merle"

"Did they all have 20 / 20 vision without glasses? Or were they shortsighted just like me?"

"Only five of them had 20 / 20 vision. Three of them were very shortsighted, above minus ten. The adaptation process went much faster for them"

"That makes sense. Hold on.... Yes, the fog is clearing up a bit now. And something funny is beginning to happen all around the area I'm looking through"

"Keep looking straight ahead now and concentrate on what you can see"

"It's clearing up faster and faster now.... I feel tempted to check the corners"

"It's best to do that after the fog has disappeared. One step at the time"

"Nearly there.... Yes, now I can see sharp and clear. It's amazing. Everything is much smaller than it was with the previous glasses. Can I look towards the sides now?"

"Yes, you can. But take it easy"

"Wow, this is claustrophobic.... I'm surrounded by a moving clouds. Like a psychedelic trip. At least that's how Janis called it. I need some time to get used to it"

"If it makes you uncomfortable, just remove the glasses and you will be home in a minute"

"No way. I'm determined to play my guitar and sing. Really curious about what will happen then"

"So am I, Merle"

"Am I the first musician taking part in this experiment?"

"Some of the other women sang or played instruments, but music was not their vocation. Two of them were bass players in amateur bands"

"But you never took pictures of anyone performing?"

"No, you are the first"

"Well, in that case I will try to play a bit for you now"

"Forget about the audience if you can. Pretend that you are back at the moment when I first heard you. From now on, my role is to be your photographer again"

"Alright, I will try. Off we go"

Merle 105



"This is so funny, Rob. I see two separate images of you. It's like looking through binoculars from the wrong side, or even worse. Like a tunnel with lots of fog. It must be claustrophobic to wear these glasses"

"I'm told that it takes several weeks to get used to these lenses if you need them. But don't worry, you don't have to walk. All you have to do is keep standing firm on your feet"

"Safe return guaranteed when I put them up?"

"Absolutely. The only difference with the previous glasses is that it takes a bit longer for the fog to clear up. You may feel a tickle in your eyes. That happens to most people who tried them on, but it doesn't hurt. And it does not damage your eyes in any way. When you take the glasses off, your eyesight will return to normal within a minute"

"I'm wondering how it will be to play my guitar and sing. I need to sing and play for the inspiration, or?"

"Yes, if you want to compose new songs"

"Absolutely. That's what this is all about. How do I write down the lyrics and the music if anything comes out of the inspiration?"

"It's probably best to remove these glasses and then use another magic pair of minus eight for the transcription. You will still have the inspiration, but more for the technical side. You know, the song smith phase. Molding what you have"

"Alright, that makes sense"

"One more thing. Take your time to look around before you start playing"

"I will. There we go.... Don't forget to snap"

Merle 104



Back to serious business.... High time for the real experiment. The inventor produced a most extraordinary pair of glasses and handed them to the young artist.

"Before you put these babies on, can you hold them say at a foot distance from your face? It's a nice, gentle way to get acquainted with these lenses"

"These glasses look amazing, Rob. I have never seen anything like this in my life. They must be extremely strong"

"Twice as strong as the previous magic glasses. Minus sixteen and minus seventeen"

"Are they rare?"

"Yes, they were always white ravens in the streets. I can only recall a handful of sightings"

"The lenses seem to change constantly. How come? I mean, all the crazy effects"

"That's quite a technical story. I can tell you before you put them on your nose. What you need to know right now is that only the central part of the lenses have the visual correction the first owner of the glasses needed. Very limited peripheral vision and ghostly distortions near the rim of the lenses. So she had to move her head constantly to see things properly"

"Poor lady, she must have been quite handicapped"

"Not necessarily so. The first time I saw a lady sporting glasses like these was about thirty years ago, in Austria. She was lively, attractive and there was nothing handicapped about her at all"

"Are glasses like these rare because nobody is so shortsighted?"

"I read somewhere that one or two percent of all shortsighted people have lenses above minus ten. Nowadays, they go for surgery, implants. Or they wear contact lenses. That's why you don't see these glasses in the streets anymore"

"Amazing story"

"Can I take a picture of you standing, with the guitar in readiness? I'm after a special effect. It calls for a fair bit of navigation from both of us"

"Sure. Can you hold the glasses while I will get my guitar?"

When she came back with the guitar in readiness, the inventor handed her the glasses and they started navigating to get the image he was looking for. It took them several minutes before they got the glasses at the right distance and in the proper position. Then he snapped.