New here, need some pointers!

[EMcCollam]

Hi there!
My name is Erica and I am pretty new to photography. When I had my son a year ago my husband got me the Sony DSC H9, and I have been obsessed ever since. Here are some of my pictures, I would love to get feedback! Please don't be afraid to pick them apart, I really just want to learn more and get better.
Thanks! Hope to talk to some of you soon!

 

[tirediron]

First off, welcome to the forums. You've got some nice looking photos. For future reference, it's much easier to ensure that the right image is being referred to if they are numbered. As well, five or fewer is generally considered appropriate for effective critique. That aside, here we go:

1. A nice capture, well exposed; a couple of minor points: (1) The subject is too centred, the rule of thirds is a good guideline for this type of work; (2) His shirt is just a little bright (a little bit of burning will fix it right up) and (3) Try and have the subject look toward you. Not necessarily right down the lens, but at least in the general direction of the camera.

2. This one is very nice, even though it's taken from behind, it works quite well, and since the subject is looking at something, it's not necessary that he look at/toward the camera (photographic rules have the consistency of warm Jell-O). The image does seem to have a slight blue caste however; perhaps the white balance wasn't quite spot on? There's a lot of open space in the background which serves little purpose; perhaps a closer crop?

3. This is a nice idea, however, it would have been better if it were more closely composed on just his hands. The bit of leg image left is rather distracting.

4. Fine technically, but the similarity of the tones makes for a less than riveting image in my opinion.

5. Interesting; I don't really think this one works however. Greater DoF might have helped.

6. I think this was almost a really nice image, but you either just missed the water drops, or they had not yet formed. As it sits, it's a leaf; well focused and exposed, but less than exciting. A few fat rain drops would have made this image.

7. Very nice; with this sort of close-up/macro work, you have to be especially cognizant of your background. In this case, while it's very softly focused, it is distracting because of the light and dark contrasts and the almost definable shapes. I would suggest crop this one to just 2-3 blooms and eliminate as much of the green as you can.

8. Interesting; I'm not a big fan of angles like this, and really seems to lack a main subject. That said, technically it's fine.

Overall, some nice work there. I've mentioned a few points for consideration, nothing major, but things, which IMO, might help you in future photographs. Looking forward to seeing more from you.

Just my $00.02 worth - your milage may vary.

~John