Non-themed set of B&W pictures

[TimNevada]

These pictures were taken with a Nikon D3100 and the 18-55 kit lens that came along with it. All were shot in RAW format and processed in Adobe Lightroom. Bumped the contrast a bit using the curves tool and the first picture has a touch of vignetting, along with the B&W switch. All three pictures were converted into the full-sized jpegs using Adobe Lightroom as well.

If I'm breaking any rules, let me know. This is my first post, since I've been meaning to join a community of photographers. Please give positive and constructive criticism on these pictures :mrgreen:

 

[SlickSalmon]

Welcome to the Forum! So long as everyone has their clothes on, there are no rules to break. Photo #2 has more universal appeal and is nicely done. Photos of one's kids are always more interesting to the parent/photographer than anyone else.

 

[LaFoto]

Welcome to the forum and this wonderful pasttime!
The first photo is cute because the kid is cute, the big helmet is cute, his sitting position is cute (who in my age could still move their limbs in the same manner as such young children can!?). Maybe some background elements are still distracting and might want to be cloned out... other than that, I like the photo. The scateboard in the foreground tells the story of why he's sitting there, why he's wearing that huge helmet.

The second may well have a more universal appeal, though I personally (but that's just me, mind) always think that these shallow DOF photos alongside something elongated (here the guitar, often it's fences or something like that) are beginners' plays with DOF (standing for depth of field) but will "cure themselves" in the course of time.

The last has the person look towards the near frame, which is a pity, as his gaze is forced to "stop" there. If he had looked into the space in front of him, to where he's next going to play the ball, it'd have been better composed. There seems to have been too little light for an entirely sharp photo. It isn't all sharp.