BY VICKY BROWN
May 6, 2015

They say a picture is worth a thousand words.

Last month I had the opportunity to put that theory to a test.

I have been on photo experiences before. I blogged about a farm photo journey I took last fall.

This time I decided to stay a little closer to home; I went on a PhotoAdventure in Coupeville with Whidbey Photo Adventures.

On a perfect morning this April, I played hooky from work and, instead, met a group toting cameras in the middle of Coupeville. Kim Tinuviel led the journey and walked us to the historic Coupeville pier.

We started by learning what the buttons on our cameras meant. A few in the group were already very familiar with their cameras. Some were like me; I had used my camera before but only in automatic mode. I not only learned what MASP means, I learned how to use the different settings. Now you really want to know what MASP means don’t you?*

We took some practice photos around Coupeville:

Coupeville – photo by Vicky Brown

Once we were getting comfortable with our cameras we changed locations and practiced some more.

Playing with different settings, I learned why this happened:

Learning techniques – Photo by Vicky Brown

And how to capture this image instead:

Local farm – Photo by Vicky Brown

And I learned a new way to use my camera:

Breathtaking Flower – Photo by Vicky Brown

On our way to our next stop we did an impromptu stop to capture one of my all-time favorite farms:

Willowood Farm – Photo by Vicky Brown

We were taught things about finding shots:

Finding the Shot – Photo by Vicky Brown

and framing pictures:

Framing the Shot – Photo by Vicky Brown

After a quick bathroom break that some rebellious students turned into a delicious coffee stop, we talked even more about perspective and setting up a photo:

Pilings to Nowhere – Photo by Vicky Brown

On our final stop for the day we picked up a few more tricks, including making cool motion shots. Fortunately, we had a great sport in our group ready to run through the frame for us.

Marsha in Motion – Photo by Vicky Brown

Even catching a bird mid-flight became an option.

Bird in Flight – Photo by Vicky Brown

After three hours I was so excited to see the photos I was able to capture, I couldn’t wait to take my camera out to play again. I’ve always enjoyed snapping shots, but it was so fun to learn so much in one morning;  I felt like the camera that had been gathering dust was a new toy.

I’m not sure a photo really is worth a thousand words specifically, but I do hope these images speak to you and maybe even inspire you to pick up a camera and capture a few images of the beauty that surrounds us every day.  A camera can bring a fun new way to see the world around us and keeps our neighborhoods from growing drab with familiarity.

Why am I trying to tell you? Let me show you what I mean, from our yard tonight:

New life in our yard – Photo by Tom Brown

*MASP are the non-auto settings on the camera. Manual, Aperture, Shutter, pre-Programmed (for saved, frequently used settings).

Vicky Brown, Chief Milkmaid at the Little Brown Farm, puts her passions on the page writing about food, agriculture and the tender web of community.

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