The Rusty Shutter

Remnants of Christmas Past

2010-03-07T15:02:00.003-06:00

Yesterday was a beautiful day reminding me that Spring is really coming! So, I went to the park with camera in hand. I was drawn to the trees that had been a delightful Christmas display with colorful tinsel and shiny ornaments. I remembered the day when several people from the town bravely worked out in the frigid cold to decorate those trees. But, today, the ornaments lay crushed at the foot of those fir trees and tinsel was tangled around broken branches. What was once an exciting project was now just a dilapidated memory of a holiday that so many of us dream of and look forward to.

It reminded me of the many times I have excitedly started a new project only to abandon it when the passion waned. I probably didn't even clean up the mess I left behind. Perhaps I need to back up and tend to some of those abandoned orphans. I need to not only start projects but I need to finish them! How freeing that would be to not have a string of half-done projects hanging over my head making me feel slightly guilty by their presence. It would allow me to look forward to the future instead of constantly glancing behind me to see what ghosts are lingering there. So, I encourage you to join me, and put those ghosts to rest by fixing, cleaning and finishing those undone projects!

(Note: Amazingly, though, when I looked close enough, there was still some beauty in the crushed and mangled decorations. The sun glinted off of silvery balls and the tinsel bravely twinkled in the sun. Perhaps there is still some good to be accomplished by resurrecting old dreams....)

2010-02-10T18:20:00.002-06:00

The other day as I was rushing to church I spotted an elderly couple walking down the sidewalk towards me. They were all bundled up against the cold but the winter's wind did not seem to phase them. What struck me, as I watched them, was that they looked alike! Their clothes were the same colors, they had the same expressions, they walked in step and even their arms swayed in unison! I realized then what True Love was. It is becoming so intertwined, in an emotional and spiritual sense,that you become like one!

The Bible told us long ago in Genesis 2:24: "...and they shall be one". The Hebrew word for "be" can mean "become". As a couple lives together, they want to make each other happy, so they begin to make compromises. As the years go by, and the compromises (on both sides) accumulate, they begin to act and look like each other. They become one!

Happy Valentine's Day! True Love does exist!

What is This? The Answer!

2010-02-10T18:14:00.001-06:00

Pam guessed our mystery object this month! Yes, it was the little metal toppers that go on Christmas decorations! Don't you just love the colors of Christmas?

What is This?

2009-12-28T15:10:00.003-06:00

Can you guess what these objects are? You only see them a few weeks out of the year. In fact, you may have just spotted a few flying by recently!

Wasn't Christmas wonderful this year? I thank God for another chance to enjoy my family and the Season! I hope you all have a FANTASTIC and BLESSED New Year!

What is This? The Answer!

2009-12-28T15:02:00.004-06:00

It can't be!! I haven't posted since Halloween? What is happening to time? At any rate here is the long awaited answer to our last mystery photo!

I know you have all seen these big "guns" in a city park somewhere. Notice the two dark circles on the right side? A close up of this section was our mystery photo for October. The green eye effect came from shooting straight through to the grass on the other side.

What is This?

2009-10-24T12:13:00.004-05:00

It's that time of year when common, everyday things can take on a distinctly spooky look. Check out the above pic. Can you guess what it is? Admittedly, it may be easier for men to identify this object, but I'm guessing most women have seen something like this, too! Doesn't this look like something from your worst nightmares?!!

What is This? The Answer!

2009-10-24T12:05:00.004-05:00

My how time flies!!! It's time to post a new picture and I haven't given you the answer to the last one yet! Just to jog your memory...

Everyone guessed this common household item correctly! I think the following pic will make things totally clear!

Yes! They are clothes hangers! Most of us see these everyday! Now, check out our new picture for Halloween!

The "Other Side"...

2009-09-23T09:56:00.006-05:00

OK! I admit it! I have been lured over to the "other side"! When I started The Rusty Shutter website and subsequently this blog I was adamant about using only Point and Shoot cameras. My blog was to be for ALL photographers regardless of their cameras. AND, I hope it still is, but after having a DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) in my hands for a couple of months I have been converted. Yes, way back in time I had a film SLR and loved it but I was not convinced of the same fact about DSLR's. But, I will now unequivocally say, without a doubt, that if you want to take your photography to the "next step" you will want to invest in one of these cameras. I will warn you that even though you will feel like you have a "tiger by the tail" the first (and second, and third) time you use one of these, it will be well worth the effort.

The first thing I noticed was the beauty of being able to control depth of field! (how much of the picture is in focus) This is an option you don't have with most Point and Shoot cameras. Manufacturers know that most people, just taking snapshots, want everything in focus. (Or, they "think" they want everything in focus.) Because of this they program the camera to "make it so!" Not so the DSLR! Oh, no! It will gladly blur any part of the picture that you desire and sometimes parts that you don't desire. But, oh, the beauty when you learn to use this seemingly undesirable trait!

Notice the picture above of this ordinary little ball of fluff. Now take a look at the background. Did you notice that it is out of focus but still it does not detract from the picture but rather, enhances it. The sharp foreground draws your eye to the subject of your photograph while the background does just what it is supposed to do...be a background. That is actually the way we see things in real life. Think about it - when you focus on an object, only that one thing is in focus. The rest is a blur until you move your eyes!

Here is another little "jewel" with a small depth of field.

Don't take my word for it! Beg, borrow, (don't) steal a DSLR and try it for yourself. You will never look back!

The Last Laugh...

2009-09-03T14:51:00.002-05:00

Do you ever feel like you are being laughed at? It's bad enough when friends do it...but, what about when complete strangers do it.....or strange horses?
We visited Hannibal, Mo. yesterday for a photowalk of the city. We took plenty of great pictures which will be on the site in a few days.....but this one is my favorite! This horse expresses it all! Maybe we should all take time to laugh a little more and complain less?

What is This?

2009-08-28T00:46:00.003-05:00

Can you guess what this is? I imagine that most of you see this everyday of your life....well, maybe! It's not as pretty as our last picture but just as useful!

Lori, thank you for your comment! I will try to keep these pics coming!

What is This? The Answer!

2009-08-21T18:07:00.004-05:00

The answer that was the closest was from Kerri Shotts. But, it is probably plastic and not glass. Here is a bigger photo.

Actually, it is a broken reflector from either a car, bike or motorcyle. Don't know which as I only saw it AFTER it was broken and left lonely and in pieces in a parking lot. Doesn't it have a pretty design though? It proves that something that we see as broken and worthless can have a beauty all its own!

What is This?

2009-08-14T16:12:00.003-05:00

Can you guess what this is? It is amazing to me how beautiful something can be and I have never noticed it before. Hint: I saw this out walking one day...

What is This? The Answer!

2009-08-01T14:47:00.005-05:00

Several of you had great guesses as to what this could possibly be. Personally, I would have guessed a stuffed animal left out in the rain all night - but WAIT! That's not it!!! Mindy, you guessed right! Here is a pic that shows the whole object. A fuzzy, wet leaf!

Dragonfly Portraits

2009-08-01T14:16:00.004-05:00

Have you ever looked at a bee or dragonfly up close? Perhaps not. They move so fast and unfortunately, some sting - hard! Fortunately for me (or not) I feel invincible when I have a camera in front of my face. I have been able to get some fantastic closeups of bugs, bees and dragonflies. AND some not so closeups of snakes!
As I was wondering in the park the other day (looking for something to shoot - with my camera) a dragonfly landed right in front of me. He was a vain little guy and willingly posed as I snapped pictures of him. He let me get within inches! He would just turn his little head as if to say, "What about this pose?" or "How about this?" I took so many pics that I finally walked away even though he was saying "Just one more! Please?"

Just looking at the detail in these tiny, little creatures makes me aware of how God is interested in every small detail of our lives. If He can take so much time to make this seemingly insignificant creature so beautiful, what can He do for us?!

What is This?

2009-07-15T14:11:00.003-05:00

Photography gives you NEW EYES. You see ordinary, everyday objects in a different light. It fascinates me how a photo of just a small part of an item can change it into an unknown and strange object. Sometimes it is unrecognizable. The above photo was taken just a few days ago in a very ordinary place of a very ordinary item. See if you can guess what it is! I will post the answer in a few days (after several have had a chance to comment). Good Luck!