hey all, been doin the photography thing for a few years now, just this past two years ive been a little more serious. i do work as time permits, im taking a shitload of hours. enjoy, i love criticism and constructive criticism.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5673256143/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5673256143/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/jared_vallow/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5673158657/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5673158657/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/jared_vallow/, on Flickr

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What program was used for the hdr pics? They look awesome!

 

Photomatix. Not too shabby

 

The HDR pics dont really do it for me; I like the normal version of the sub much better than the HDR one. The first alligator pic is awesome

 

today is actually the first time i have ever made an hdr or played with any kind of editing... and yes the alligator is hilarious... my fam is from louisiana, so im quite comfortable around them

 

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5676190675/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5676190675/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/jared_vallow/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5676136177/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5676136177/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/jared_vallow/, on Flickr

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5676899687/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5676899687/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/jared_vallow/, on Flickr

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5676886556/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5676886556/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/jared_vallow/, on Flickr

 

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5677070303/http://www.flickr.com/photos/jared_vallow/5677070303/ by http://www.flickr.com/people/jared_vallow/, on Flickr

 

I think this is your problem with the HDR shots right here. HDR is a pretty advanced thing to jump into before having a real knowledge of post production in general. If you've never edited before, I suggest trying to get your hands on a copy of Lightroom 3. It's much better suited to photography than Photoshop, and has a much quicker learning curve (I still edit with PS though, since that's what I learned on, and am most comfortable with, even though it's more difficult to keep things organized).

As far as the shots go, I like the first two 'gator ones.

The rest though, don't seem like a whole lot of thought was put into the composition. Things like the cropped bottom bracket on the bike, ear and tail of the cat, roof of the model car, etc. all end up being distracting to the viewer, since they lead the eye out of the frame. Composition is by FAR the most difficult aspect of photography, and I often get extremely lazy with it myself.

Before you click the shutter button, stop, look at the entire scene, and ask yourself, "Can I do anything to improve this shot? Is there something distracting in the background that can be eliminated by moving slightly (left, right, up, down), and is this the most flattering angle of the subject?"

You appear to have a pretty good grasp of exposure so the first of these links might be some of what you already know, but it's still extremely good. The second though, is an excellent write up that I should honestly review myself.

http://forums.mycanikon.com/showthre...ography-Basics

http://forums.mycanikon.com/showthre...y-Basics-Pt.-2

I added you as a contact on Flickr, by the way.