Here’s the thing with photography: the more you study it, and the more you learn, the more apt you are to go through a phase when you are not happy with your photographs. When I first got my DSLR, I was thrilled with the instant improvement in quality from my point-and-shoot, but just like with music, cooking, or writing, the more I know, the harder I am to please. So as I was loading these pictures into my computer, after a wonderful day in the Stonington area with Johnna author of The Size of Connecticut, I was not thrilled with the picture of the Amtrak train racing by the vineyard, or the lack of clear, in-focus picture of Saltwater’s main building, which is an old airplane hanger.  ”NONE OF THESE PICTURES ARE GOOD ENOUGH!” I yelled, literally, to myself in my basement home office.

This was my first time shooting in manual mode, which is pretty much exactly like taking the training wheels off your bike. I’ll get better, but on some level, I felt like I didn’t do this gorgeous winery justice. So instead of relying on pictures, I will tell you this about Saltwater Farm: If you’re planning a wedding in “Mystic Country,” you should get married there because it’s an amazing location right on the water with a wonderful farm-and-sea feel. I really liked their rose, and, finally, they have adirondack chairs, which are my preferred summer seating vessels.