Please critique some of my photos!

[Peacemaker636]

Thank you very much. Your comments are very helpful. Most of these pictures can be considered snapshots, because none of them were taken in a studio, all were pretty much on a whim. I'm also starting to feel the constraints of my Canon P&S, but I don't have money for a dSLR.

Thank you again Majik Imaje, your post was very helpful!

 

[NYBrit]

I actually like the first one. I like the bleakness of the image and you have some nice cloud detail. It's a shame the snow is slightly underexposed.
The second picture might have been better if the boy had been facing the camera more.
The third is a good one. Nice expression on the girls face and the idea of having her turn the page works for me.
The fourth is potentially the best. Great timing but you DO need to lose the legs. A tighter crop on the swimmer would be great. You don't have to get every drop of water in the shot.
5 cute dog you captured the eyes well but it is hard to bring out all the detail on a black subject. I can tell from the catchlights in the dogs eyes you used on camera flash but maybe having the man hold the dog standing near a window using natural light would perhaps give more detail.
The last one had potential you brought out his green eyes well but you need to look at your background. Too cluttered and lets the shot down. Again photograph him near a window. Natural daylight works wonders for portraits.
I also agree that if someone wants to give a critique it's helpful to say why things do or don't work. Just saying they're snapshots doesn't really teach you much.
Just my ten cents worth.

ps I just read your post again and realised that you did a self portrait. Sorry guess I should read more carefully!

 

[parsec]

I'm certainly no expert or anything, and I don't have a dSLR myself either. However, I do have some thoughts on your self-portrait. I don't understand why you say "...and I know the background's busy, so please don't comment on that." If you know the background is busy then why don't you do something about it? As someone else mentioned, fill the frame with your subject (in this case, you). Crop out as much of the background as you can. And while you're at it, crop out some of your t-shirt as well. It's just a big black spot and adds nothing to the photo. I've saved photos in the past that I thought were too busy by cropping. Give it a shot. That's another one of the wonders of digital photography, you can try something in Photoshop, and if you don't like the result just undo all your changes.

As for number 4, I'd take it a step further than what others have suggested. To me even the other swimmers are distracting. I'm at work, so I can't try it myself, but I wonder how this one would look with nobody but the one swimmer in it. And I think it would make it more interesting if you don't have every single drop in the frame. Again, try it and see what you think. Trial and error is one way to learn new things. If you don't like the result, just go back.

On number 3, I like how you captured the moment. It really gives you a feel for the scene, and I like the composition. Even in this one though, the girl in the background with the pink shirt is a bit distracting. Is this someone who you know that you might have future study sessions with?

 

[Peacemaker636]

Yeah, I know the girl in #3. That was taken during our finals day, when we all had to be in class for only 2 hours or so. None of us had cars, so we all had to stay at school. It was pretty boring so I took some pics.

NYBrit, I don't think I did use the flash in #5. I was standing near a window but it was more in front of the subject so you are just seeing the reflection of the window in his eyes.

I'll try some crops and see what I think. Thanks guys.