Another preview of my photo shoot with Priscilla which will be posted tomorrow.
zaterdag 30 september 2017
Another preview - Priscilla
Another preview of my photo shoot with Priscilla which will be posted tomorrow.
donderdag 28 september 2017
Appeteaser - Priscilla
A photo shoot with a new model will be posted on October 1st. Her name is Priscilla and she has 20/20 vision without glasses or contacts. The location is just a stone throw from the clearing where cosmopolitan singer-songwriter Merle performed and posed for me in spring. The impromptu photo shoot with Priscilla was done on August 28th, during my preparations for the reunion in Switzerland. Life is full of pleasant surprises. Here she is checking out the surroundings through lenses of minus eight.
maandag 18 september 2017
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This fine portrait marks the end of a brief but remarkable photo shoot with excellent results. Veronik is the 83th Lady behind Crystal Veil.
The photography project went international in 2012 and it led me to a dozen countries. For years it has been my desire to do a photo shoot in Switzerland, especially in surroundings that bring back many sweet memories from the past. "Young and innocent days...." is a song written by Ray Davies from the Kinks that expresses it all.
A word of thanks goes to Dominique, Alfredina, Marcelle and Christine for their hospitality and the glorious three day reunion program. The gastronomy in les Paccots, the Schubertiade in Yverdon, a church organ recital for the reunion group, and the guided tour along the vineyards of Cully.... And above all, the cordial atmosphere and the rejuvenation of long lasting friendships.
Dear Jim, sincere thanks for the excellent way you documented the interaction between the model and her photographer.
Veronik, you were a gem when we made our first acquaintance and in my view, you always remained loyal to yourself. It was my privilege and honor to do this photo shoot with you. Hat off for the way you managed to make each pair of glasses look just as if they are your own glasses. You are a real ambassador for the project. Merci beaucoup et à la prochaine!
Viewers interested in the work of Veronik as an artist: feel free to visit
www.veronikswissartist.com
Highly recommended!
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One of my favorite portraits from this improvised twenty minute photo shoot with beautiful Veronik on the shores of Lake Geneva.
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Doing this all too brief photo shoot with Veronik was a treat. Jim documented the atmosphere in a perfect manner.
"One more, please.... Thank you, Veronik. You look gorgeous in these glasses. Another request. Can you express your feelings about beautiful Lake Geneva?"
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Adjusting her hair, Veronik is showing the nicely decorated arms of these elegant Zenni glasses.
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The more a model likes a specific pair of glasses, the better the results. This was the first pair taken from the box by Veronik during the selection phase. These beautiful glasses have been in my collection since early 2012. Veronik is only the fourth model posing in them, being preceded by Daisy in Flanders, Marike and Farishta (the "Mona Lisa in glasses").
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Another great pose by lovely Veronik in extravagant cat eye glasses. Again there is no way of telling that these are not her own. Looking natural and credible in minus eight is all a matter of using one's imagination. Time to switch to a different style....
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"Veronik, can you express what it would be like to own a luxury boat like that and being able to cruise on Lake Geneva whenever the humor strikes you?"
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Lake Geneva is a popular place for boat cruises and there are also several ferry services to the French side of the lake. The arrival of a cruise boat provided a nice change of backdrop for our photo shoot. So I suggested a moment of fantasy and Veronik zoomed in on it straightaway. The blue shirt was a present given to me by models Mirjam and Lucy (Nel's daughters) as a birthday present. Lucy used to call me "the walking Wikipedia" and Mirjam sometimes mentioned the down side of this quality: "Can anyone tell this man to shut up for a second?". Of course I am ready to shut up every now and then, but never during photo shoots. Communication is essential to keep the flow going, especially when the model is standing and facing a massive blur....
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Artists are curiosity driven observers, open to unusual experiments and Veronik was no exception. It did not take her long to zoom in on the illogical experience with the massive blur through the lenses. Glasses were invented to improve one's eyesight but my project often follows the opposite logic.
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Only a dozen glasses were brought along for my journey to the Montreux area in Switzerland. After all, the visit was about the three day reunion program with my friends. I posted a casting call for a photo shoot that could be done in Vevey on the final day of my stay. The vast majority of Swiss freelance models are living in Zurich so chances were dim. To my relief, a model from the Vevey area reacted on the casting call. She seemed motivated to do the job but alas, sending me her PD and glasses receipt was apparently too much of an effort and no more was heard from her. Another application arrived just before my journey but the model in question was located in Bergamo (Italy) and she would only arrive in Montreux two days after my stay in the area. So I only packed a dozen glasses with the vague idea of inviting some ladies in the streets of Vevey. When Veronik arrived at the reunion, it was the first time ever I saw her in glasses. So we had a chat about them. Veronik knew all about my photography project and she did not need any encouragement to see the dozen glasses. This extravagant cat eye pair by Zenni was among her favorites. Excellent choice!
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Cat eye frames were the first hype in the history of eyewear fashion. You saw them everywhere in the streets of my native Amsterdam between the mid 1950's and the early 1960's. The frames were much smaller than the pair shown here by Veronik. The arrival of Beatlemania in 1964 coincided with the end of the cat eye era. The new style was small and fairly compact. The famous love summer of 1967 brought not only the arrival of flower power and an influx of hippies but also a new trend in eyewear. Frames got larger and larger, culminating in the giant shop window glasses of the mid seventies. The only place where one could come across cat eye glasses was the "Waterlooplein" flea market where I started building up my collection in 1970. Several attempts were made to revive the cat eye style but all in vain until a few years ago. Zenni always has a keen eye for new waves in fashion and the nice thing about them is that their frames always have a twist of their own. This goes especially for their cat eye glasses. This extravagant pair appeared in their catalog seven years ago and it was chosen by many models including Marieke, my climbing partner in the Alps.
zondag 17 september 2017
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Another example of priceless posing by lovely Veronik in strong Silhouette glasses made 33 years ago. There is no way of telling that these are not her own glasses.
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"Strange things happen during your photo shoots, Rob. He seems to have stepped from my shoulder, is that right?"
"Absolutely. Shall we continue?"
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"Yes, a weird tickle. Can you check if a bird or an insect just landed on my left shoulder?"
"Ah, I see what you mean. Not to worry, it's just a man passing behind you"
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Released from his inspiring role during the Valentine special, Jim returned to taking pictures of the interaction between Veronik and me. Here is one of his "behind the scene" captures showing a very short break from the posing and snapping. Adjusting my camera for the next pose....
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One of the things that always fascinated me about ladies in minus glasses is the tiny background images that accompany them wherever they go. Note the lady seen at the back next to the model's forehead. A tiny image of the same lady can be seen through the lens in the Silhouette glasses. Women in strong minus glasses are able to make even macho men look like dwarfs!
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Silhouette from Austria was a top brand during the 1970's and 1980's, in my opinion only rivaled by the famous house of Christian Dior who brought a revolution to the world of fashion when they launched their first series of glasses in 1976. Until then, Swiss ladies tended to be rather conservative in their frame choice. But within weeks, the streets of the Montreux area were full of beautiful girls and ladies sporting the bold yet classy Christian Dior glasses. Those were the days.... By contrast, the rise to fame by Silhouette was more gradual. They started way back in 1964 on a fairly modest scale and their international breakthrough took place during the early and mid 1970's. Silhouette is still going strong and they made some remarkable choices over the years. For one, they were reluctant to switch to the tiny retro frames that put an end to the golden decades of eyewear design in 1988 / 1989. Silhouette continued to design and manufacture frames with at least an echo of the 1980's until 1998. They then decided to focus entirely on discrete rimless frames, creating yet another niche for themselves. But let's go back to the golden decades. Silhouette kindly met my request to supply the year of manufacture to the serial numbers of two dozen glasses in my collection. The pair shown here by lovely Veronik is part of a bestseller series for Silhouette in 1984. The frame 1156 came in at least five different colors and my collection hosts a dozen examples - purple, dark brown, transparent and so on. I always assumed that the large, airy frame was suitable for mild prescriptions only. However, the pale brown pair shown by Veronik proves otherwise. These glasses were recently sent to me by Mike who was my guide in Sussex last year and also fulfilled the role of second photographer during the photo shoot with international deejay and model Nicci Infinity in Brighton. Thank you, Mike! Needless to say, these glasses were used straightaway during a photo shoot in my home town some weeks ago (this shoot will be posted soon) and they also traveled with me to Switzerland last week. Veronik did not need any persuasion from my side to give them a try, so she has the scoop. If my memory serves me correctly, the large tree in the background was planted during the revolution of 1798.
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Isn't it grand that true love prevails, even through a barrier of minus eight instead of minus one?
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I should have known. Jim and Veronik have been a happy couple for many years. She brought in a new element into Valentine posing, creating another heart shape between her fingers. Great!
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Our moment of confusion was captured by Jim and it dawned to me that a stronger effect might be needed to do the trick.
"Hey Jim, would you mind to forget about your camera for a moment?"
"Sure. What's next?"
"It would really help if you stand at my right hand side for the next series"
"My pleasure"
I handed a stronger pair of Valentine glasses to Veronik.
"Please put these on and tell me what you see at my right hand side"
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Valentine glasses.... I told Veronik to concentrate on the most handsome man in the world standing at my right hand side. But somehow it did not start to happen....
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Mystery Lady Veronik posing at the shores of Lake Geneva.... The photo shoot took place just after the final part of the three day reunion program, a guided tour along the vineyards above Cully.
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More instructions in a relaxed atmosphere.... There was no need for introductions and it later turned out that Veronik did some modeling jobs in the past.
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Veronik has a very mild prescription for myopia. Of a dozen glasses brought along to Switzerland, my sunglasses came nearest to her prescription and Veronik was all go to give them a try. Her own glasses have transition lenses so she enjoyed having some shelter against the bright sunlight. A nice, comfortable way to start a photo shoot.
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Giving instructions to my latest model in a mixture of English and French....
My visit to Switzerland was the result of a cordial invitation for a reunion with a group of friends who all lived in the area just above Montreux when I made their acquaintance. It really all started on a roasting hot summer day near Lac de Lussy. My water bottle was empty and there was this rather derelict looking farmhouse at the foot of the slope. Knock knock.... Nobody answered but the sound of wild music rhapsodies came from inside. Live music, for sure. So I opened the door and landed in a living room reminiscent of famous paintings by Hieronymus Bosch (b. 1450 - d. 1516). Tapestries on the walls and a young hippie couple, totally immersed in the music they were playing. The young man was playing guitar in a style never heard before or after. The young woman accompanied him on fiddle and flute. A toddler in a nappy was walking around, apparently well used to the music. There was no end to the rhapsody. Endless improvisation. Both musicians kept their eyes closed. Finally, the man saw me and without interruption of his music, he nodded towards an empty place on a couch so I sat down. A mandolin was lying next to me on the couch so why not join them quietly? The new trio continued another five minutes and then all of a sudden, the music came to a halt. I introduced myself and was treated with a large mug of tea. The man was called Angelo Lacroix and the name of his young wife was Isabelle. Their child was called Hieronyme after the famous Dutch painter. Many visits to the farmhouse followed whenever my field work allowed it. A month later, I was admitted to the regional hospital in Chatel St. Denis - a double sinusitis and a double bronchitis. And it was there that I made the acquaintance of four young nurses. One of them knew Angelo and Isabelle and they told her about a young Dutch musician who seemed to have disappeared. She heard about a young Dutchman admitted to their hospital and that's what started it off. The four nurses soon became my "Sisters of Mercy", helping me out whenever I needed cheap accommodation in the area. In the words of Leonard Cohen, "Oh I hope you will run into them, you who have traveled so long" and "We weren't lovers like that and besides, it would still be alright". But let's go back to the photo shoot....
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James DeRose kindly took the role of second photographer, focusing on the interaction between his wife Veronik and her Dutch photographer.
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Photo shoot: September 10, 2017
Location: Cully, Switzerland
Glasses: [L: +3.00 / R: -0.50; c-1.25 h / var add 2.75] (my sunglasses)
Rx model: [L: -0.75 / R: -1.00]
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