It is in fact the butt end of a gun...a .410/.22 Long rifle to be exact. My dad purchased it when he was traveling through Indiana a few months ago. I think he had one when he was a boy and just wanted to own one again. Unfortunately, we haven't had the chance to get out and fire it because we just don't have access to a good firing range that's close and convenient.


I did in fact do as much as I could to flesh out the details in this photo. When I did my first test shots, I was wearing a t-shirt and flip-flops. When I saw how cool the shots looked on the LCD, I went all out and put on my boots and flannel shirt (with the sleeves rolled up). It was quite hot inside the apartment as it was one of the warmest days we've had this spring, but I suffered through about 30 shots before I had the look I wanted. I tried to be very careful in how I held the gun (to make its silhouette recognizable while still looking natural) and to convey a certain disconnected presence with my body posture.


As I mentioned, I didn't intend to make the heart-shaped light. I didn't notice it until after posting the picture to flickr, in fact. However, after I noticed it, it's all I can see when I look at the picture. It looks like one of those small (yet obvious) details that make a good movie poster.