Recently in Photoblog Category

Wait, how do you spell crap again?

Forgot the big camera guns, so I had to make due with the iPhone for Coney Island's Mermaid Parade snaps. Here are my two best pictures from the day. And there are, of course, a ton more on Flickr.

See it in person! Photoblogger Fiveoftoast/The food of the future/Sam Horine has a show at a gallery.

Taken over Labor Day weekend.

I just love taking closeups. I think I'm better at it because there are less variables. (Click for bigger, more detailed version.)

Unfortunately, I took all my Red Hook photos on Saturday, before the What's the Hook photo project was supposed to start. If you're interested and a photographer, the peeps behind the group describe their mission thusly:

Open to locals and visitors alike, "What's The Hook" encourages photographers of all backgrounds to submit digital images captured during the week of August 12th – 18th. This week has been selected as it begins with Red Hook Old Timer's Day, an annual event at Red Hook Housing that has been going on for more than 30 years.

Again, these don't count, but I still like 'em :)

Check out my set on Flickr.

So, I have had several photo shoots in my back yard where I attempt to take flattering photos of it. Greenery, it seems, is not my photo forte. All my shots feel jumbled and messy, with no clear point of focus and all the green blurs together. Auto focus seems no better or worse than manual focus.  Anybody out there got tips on taking shots of plantings (backyard, parks, nature walks, etc.) with a Canon EOS Rebel? Mine only seem to come out well when I'm doing a sharp focus on one plant with a blurred background. The moment I try to take an all-backyard shot, I can't seem to get the camera to focus on everything at once. Exposure on sunny days is also a problem. Grass looks fine, but white flowers have no definition... help! (Click on the photos for bigger versions.)

This is probably the best non-closeup I got, but even here, plants on right side seem out of focus:

Non-greenery shot I like:

Honeysuckle with birdbath in the background:

Closeup of plant cluster:

Closeup of one of my favorite plants: