This is a composite of six images to produce the final result you see here. The model isn't holding anything -- he's just pretending to, knowing I will put the crystal ball in later. The mermaid is
Linden Wolbert, who "mermaids" professionally. The diver is
Jonathan Goodwin, an escapologist and member of
the Illusionists broadway act.
See the Behind Scenes gallery for some shots of the setup. The final image was used for
this magazine cover.