critique please

[Cstar427]

Hi, I'm a beginning photographer, using an Olympus C-770 digital camera. I enjoy taking pictures of mainly nature shots. I would appreciate any feedback on my photos, I would really like to improve my shots. Thanks!
PS- I hope I'm uploading these correctly, this is my first time posting.

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7.

8.

 

[Cstar427]

oh i am so sorry, I thought i resized the pics before i posted it

 

[DrRock]

Four is awesome. How did you get that one?

 

[Cstar427]

standing really still next to a pond for forever, lol.

 

[realitycheck3907]

I really like number four. Seven is pretty cool too.

 

[Cstar427]

no more opinions? darn

 

[ArtPhotography]

I really like the first two. The first one feels like somewhere I've been (even though it's probably not) and takes me back to my childhood. The second one is by far my favorite though. I really like the way you captured the swirling water. It looks almost like a Van Gogh painting, and you somehow captured it with a camera. Fantastic.

My only concern is that you're overusing the black and white effect. While it's a neat effect, it's really best used (in my opinion) in darker photos, where you're capturing the interplay between light and shadows.