Stop and Go

I had just returned from a long walk on Christmas Eve, when Specsavers in Atherstone, rang to say that my prescription glasses were ready. They gave me the choice to get to the shop an hour before closing or collect them after the holidays. I was keen to receive these new glasses because my eyes have deteriorated and I've been struggling to read and focus. So I quickly dug for the receipt as proof of payment and called an Uber taxi, which got me there in 25 minutes.

The best news from the optometrist is that there's no sign of glaucoma, and looking closely at the shape of my eyes from my OCT scan, she said it's likely that I got my mom's genes and not my dad (whose side of the family is all going blind).

She told me not to be complacent though, but I never am. So I'll continue to protect and care for my eyes.

There's a downside to stronger prescription glasses, though. Now, I can see my fine lines and greys as they are magnified.

It's no stress though because I'm getting wiser every day, so I'm comfortable with my older version. However, to bring out the best of these jazzy glasses, I put on some lipstick—the best facelift—and before I knew it, I got out my tripod for a mini photoshoot, knowing that today is the youngest that I'll ever be.

Yes, you read that right.
Regardless, as a consolation, I remembered an ad that said, "The skin is not ageing prematurely; it's dehydrated."
True or false, I know that I am, and I'll try to increase my fluid intake.

I do love a headcrop, and I have a 50mm lens that's perfect for it. However, it's stop and go check to see if I'm actually in the frame, whenever I'm taking self-portraits. So I find it easier to use my 14-42mm zoom lens and crop them in my postproduction.

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Glasses selection can be dismal, especially when I struggle to see clearly. I also felt a little dizzy from the glaring bright light during the scanning of my eyes, but that settled after a few minutes. However, to help me to narrow down my choices, I always reflect on many years ago, when I lived in the Netherlands.
I admired that mature ladies went for supercool glasses, unlike what I saw my mom and her peers wear, and so each year I go for a different trendy look that's my style.

Red has become a staple colour for my eyeglass. The fiery colour suits my personality, and it's a great way to brighten my face on days when I'm feeling a little tired. The look and fit of this red pair were ideal, one would have thought they were bespoke; simply perfect.

I had not yet reached the display where this green pair of glasses was, but the optician selected it. We both loved the fit, and it's a bold colour that she recommended as the contrasting colour popped.

I didn't change my sunshades this time since I have a few pairs that work well for my eyes, so although I had planned on just some close-up shots inside the boat, the weather was as mild as spring, so I placed my tripod on the boardwalk, and captured these full shots.

The colours are not bad for December, eh?

Christmas Day proved to be a great day for this photo shoot because there was minimal foot traffic along the towpaths and no passing boats.

Happy Holidays, peeps.🚥❤️💚💛🚦

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Self-Portrait Photography using an Olympus OMD 10 M III
December 25, 2024
Tamworth, UK