Please help me with your critiques - firework and beaches photos

I have been using my canon t1i for around a year. I don`t have any formal training. I learn from reading tips and threads on the internet and from actual experiences with my camera. I`m an university student whose major is not in art so I can`t spend most of my time with photography. So far I liked some of my photos but I`m not sure about the direction I`m heading. I`m not sure how far I can go with my photography. I know my photos are far from being professional but please help me with your critiques so that I know about where I am standing :)

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7278/7...a2376ac86d.jpg
untitled-1-70small by dha6892, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7138/7...a7137cb1a0.jpg
untitled-1-69 small by dha6892, on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7132/7...1704ff39df.jpg
IMG_02721 - Copy small by dha6892, on Flickr

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7...ce0d3c96e2.jpg
IMG_01981 small by dha6892, on Flickr

Hi DHA, you'll find offering up multiple images in one critique thread makes it less likely to get responses, especially if you want detailed critique.
My critique for what its worth, is that there are so many ways to shoot fireworks. I like both of the fireworks images, especially the 2nd one. With the other 2, you need to be careful with waterscapes that the horizon is perfectly horizontal unless you are intentionally breaking the rule, and then it should be obvious. The horizons in your images are off just enough for me to notice. I can see what you liked about the first one, but form me, it could do with a bit less of the foreground, but it looks like you've avoided placing the horizon in the middle which I like. I'm not sure about the composition of the last one. I like the line of posts, but may be get lower of off to the left to see a bit more of the canopies of the umbrellas in the background.

Overall nice images.

Welcome to the forum, DHA!!!

As for your images:

The fireworks are very nice, especially #2.

For the beach images, other than leveling the water like Ant said, you may want to adjust your white balance and/or lower the blue in the image. The sand is a little "dirty" looking and by adjusting these two elements, it should clean the image up.

Welcome DHA!
For the best critiques, please just post 1-2 images per thread....but feel free to post a few threads if you like.
Also if uploading directly to this forum - files should be less than 275 k and the widest dimension should be 1025 pixels or less.

In terms of a quick critique - Fireworks shots work for me - I like the overall comp. Next time maybe try adding some foreground for some variety.
Shot 3 - has a lovely composition but I find it a bit too soft which suggests to me the focus was missed or the shutterspeed was too slow.
Shot 4 is not doing for me composition wise - to my eye there's too much empty space at foreground right and that space is not adding interest to the image.

Hope that may help and hope to see more images.

I'm just curious. If you were to assign a grade from 1 to 10 for each of those photos. How would you grade those 4 photos?

And if I embed my photo from flickr, am I under the 275k restriction?

If you embed from flickr - no worries at all on the filesize. (stilll it makes most sense for most browsers to have the width less than 1000 pixels to avoid scrolling)

First time we've been asked to 'grade' a photo I believe.... personally I feel more comfortable giving critiques versus 'grades'. I see far more use out of the critiques because the critiques have meat to back them up which you can 'use'. Just rating 1-10 is rather arbitrary imo.
- but other members should of course feel totally free to grade this work if they wish.