Prestidigitation
Written by John MacphersonWe went to the beach one day. My son and I. A small boy, just three years old and full of wonder.
The fair had arrived! And was just setting up.
Dodgems, whirlers, ferris wheels, candy floss stalls. All in pieces.
And a magician’s booth too, not yet assembled, but whose tricks had already begun it seemed.
I showed my son. He loved it!
I didn’t tell him that the magic was mine.
So here it is for you too. Can you guess my trick?
Magic © John MacPherson
I’ll tell you. Perspective.
The wand? A camera.
Magic eh?
Pulled out of my hat for you, in 1/250th of a second.
Fast enough for the eye to see.
Author — John Macpherson
John MacPherson was born and lives in the Scottish Highlands. He trained as a welder in the Glasgow shipyards, before completing an apprenticeship as a carpenter, and then qualified as a Social Worker in Disability Services. Along the way he has cooked on canal barges, trained as an Alpine Ski Leader & worked as an Instructor for Skiers with disabilities, been a canoe instructor, and tutor of night classes in carpentry, stained glass design and manufacture, and archery. He has travelled extensively on various continents, undertaking solo trips by bicycle, or motorcycle. He has had narrow escapes from an ambush by terrorists, been hit by lightning, caught in an erupting volcano, trapped in a mobile home by a tornado, kidnapped by a dog's hairdresser, rammed by a basking shark and was once bitten by a wild otter. He has combined all this with professional photography, which he has practised for over 35 years. He teaches photography and acts as a photography guide & tutor in the UK and abroad. His biggest challenge is keeping his 30 year old Land Rover 110 on the road. He loves telling and hearing stories.