Winifred and Perdita walked along the northern beach towards the southern beach

They were seeking the navy blue rocks

Perdita had brought her blue black camera

And was planning to take photographs

Of Winifred diving into the sea

So that she could enter them in a photography competition

The following month

The prize was prestigious

The opportunity to photograph Winifred diving from the rocks into the sea

As her friend changed Perdita set up her camera

Do dive when you are ready 

Winifred dived elegantly into the sea

How did I do?

I feel that I did not catch the beauty of your dive

Oh how bothersome for you

I feel that the shutter speed is all wrong

Then I shall dive again

Winifred dived as elegantly as before into the deen green sea

It is no good I have not adjusted the shutter speed properly do dive more slowly

I can only dive as slowly as gravity allows

Let us try again

Once more then before I rest as I feel I have swallowed so much sea water that the shipwrecks of ages now lie exposed

Winifred dived again but her friend did not capture the image she required

After she had basked on the rocks for a while Winifred moved towards Perdita who was looking out to sea

I had such high hopes of my camera but it has let me down

Let us swop roles then nobody will know

But you are the professional diver I will just flop into the sea

Let us try you can borrow my swimsuit and I will take the photographs required

Do you understand shutter speeds?

Not a bit but let’s go ahead with the deception

Perdita changed into her friends swimsuit and made her way to the highest of the navy blue rocks

Do dive I have the camera ready

Perdita’s dive was as inelegant as it was clumsy and she created a large disturbance as she entered the sea

I cannot dive like you

But I have captured your dive

That weekend in the darkroom Perdita developed her photographs

Each of the Winifred exposures were blurred and she cursed her camera vowing to purchase a new one with more understandable shutter speeds

In the tray next to her ruined photographs she saw Winifred’s photograph which was perfect

Her dive was that of a fish and her disguise had worked

Winifred was Perdita

The following month she won the photographic competition but did not collect her prize

She donated it to a more caring cause

As the navy blue rocks had lost their colour

 

 

 

 

With thanks to Mr Punch