Hi Stacie, actually I should say hi neighbor, I have a few comments that I hope will help. With respect to grain, the best way to get rid of it is not to get it in the first place. Grain usally comes with higher ISO and under exposure. In one of your shots you say that you shot it at ISO 400 and f22. You could have taken the same shot, at the same shutter speed, at ISO 100 and f8, it would have been the very same exposure, and at ISO 100 I don't think you could see any grain. I doubt that you really needed the DOF of f22. Given perfect exposure, the shot at ISO 400 would not have given you much grain. You probably needed to have shot it at f11 ( one stop more exposure ) to not be underexposed. It is so great to have a full understanding of exposure, and use the camera on manual mode so that your exposures are spot on. Of course we all make mistakes, that's for sure. Learn to use the histogram to check exposures. Learn that the camera's meter wants to expose all things to medium gray, whether in manual or some auto mode. learn how to compensate for this. Composition and framing will be a life long study, without finally ever arriving at the finish. Some of this is in the eye of the beholder. You will get better and better at chosing your framing and composition.
