Marieke 399

Location: 800 meters above Ferpècle, Val d'Hérens, Switzerland

Glasses: nameless, from China
[L=R: -20.00]

This photo was taken near the end of August 2011, on my favourite bivouac site. Marieke and I used this site as "base camp" for several mountain climbs in the Dent Blanche chain. There is no shelter, let alone accommodation so we always carried everything we needed on our backs. The attractions of this site are the splendid views and the absolute privacy. It's easy to imagine what mountaineering was like 150 years ago.
Aside from being my climbing partner for many years, Marieke did four photo shoots for me between 2011 and 2013 (see index of my second weblog). Many glasses featured in my recent photo shoot with Nicole were first shown by Marieke in 2011.  

Nel 514

This fine moment of reflection marks the end of the brief photo shoot in Fuchsal. As stated before, there are no freelance models active on Madeira but we got close to find an amateur model. A nice looking lady in her late forties invited Nel to fit a few skirts in her clothing shop and her glasses looked stronger than Nel's. We had a nice chat with the lady and they tried each other's glasses. Her command of the English language was poor but nevertheless far better than our knowledge of her own language :). However, the lady said that her prescription was -14 and she was interested to try the four Zenni glasses in front of a mirror in the shop. We agreed that she would pose for me the next day after finishing her work. But alas, when I arrived she told me that her husband had forbidden it ("He is a bit conservative"). So far for equal rights.... Anyway, thank you Nel for posing on Madeira!

Nel 513

Cheers!

Nel 512

Nel posed again in the green Zenni glasses on the day after our return from the "hellish" levada. She said that she liked her looks in this pair, so why not? In fact, Nel was already familiar with this frame long before the trip to Madeira. Her daughter Mirjam posed in a purple version during her first photo shoot (previous weblog) and I later ordered it with lenses in her own mild prescription.

Nel 510 - 511

These striking Zenni glasses were featured in my third photo shoot with Emma (present weblog). After seeing the pictures, Nel decided that they were alright in a photo shoot but a bit over the top for use in everyday life. After a couple of snapshots we decided to head down the valley as the drizzle was changing into rainfall.

Nel 509

Glasses: Zenni 183725
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

Nel 508

Flood? Landslide? Rock fall? None of that, just an example of spontaneous posing. Some background information about these green Zenni glasses will be given after our safe return from the Levada do Inferno. We continued our walk through the forest until we met a young couple. They told us that they were forced to return - a landslide had destroyed a tunnel so further access was barred. Time to go back to the waterfall for some captures in the fourth pair of glasses....

Nel 507

Always be on guard if one goes deeper into a levada from hell, especially if it is closed because of danger.... Anyway, the green glasses gave Nel perfect eyesight.

Nel 506

Just past the waterfall, the levada continued through a rather dense forest. Still no sign of any risks, so why not do a bit of posing in the third Zenni pair? Green is not regarded an easy colour for frames but here it produces a nice blend with the leaves and also with the model's hair.

Nel 505

Glasses: Zenni 249224
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

Nel 504

Nel really liked the look of these glasses and regarded them a serious candidate for use in everyday life. She sometimes wears a cat eye pair by Zenni in the same colour but deems it too extravagant nowadays. These glasses were not featured in any previous photo shoot.

Nel 503

Glasses: Zenni 106617
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

Nel 502

Glasses: Zenni 624236
[L: -11.00; c-1.25 v / R: -11.50; c-1.25 v]

In spite of the warning at the start of the "Levada from Hell", the initial part of the forest path was comfortable and we saw no obstructions or landslides. After a quarter of an hour we came across this artificial waterfall and decided to do a bit of a photo shoot. Upon first sight, this solid Zenni pair looked less attractive to Nel than the three other pairs but she did not mind posing in the drizzle. The glasses were first shown by Emma during her third photo shoot (current weblog).

A dangerous location for a photo shoot

Madeira has a lot to offer, but unfortunately no freelance models. So I only brought along four Zenni pairs ordered late November with Nel in mind. We did several "levada" walks, following the famous irrigation systems on the steep hills. One rainy day we were kind of lost during a car drive and we came across a levada with a discouraging name. "Do Inferno" means "from hell" and to make things even more interesting, the trail was closed for safety reasons. Curiosity overtook us and we decided to go and see why the levada trail was closed. The Zenni glasses and a camera were in a pocket in my anorak, just in case....

Carnival in Fuchsal, Madeira

In February, Nel and I were on a holiday week in Fuchsal and this coincided with the carnival. No human model could pose in these giant cat eye glasses so they are shown as a stand alone object.