Hi Ben,
The first thing to bear in mind is that 12 months is not long to be taking photographs seriously and also, editing is a key part of the process with digital images. Some of the shots here would, I think, look better with some more processing.
No.1: Its a pleasant enough scene, but perhaps would be better when there is some foliage on the trees and shrubs. There's a nice lead-in with the river.
No.2: As already said, the sky is a bit bright and there are some quite distracting blown out highlights in the clouds. Again, nice lead-in with the river and it definitely has potential.
No.3: I like the idea behind this shot, but think its too under exposed.
No.4: There's perhaps a bit too much open space on the right, maybe a crop just to the right of the boulder would help? Also, I wonder if this would look good in monotone?
No.5: Lovely reflections, but lacking a bit in contrast and could do with some more clouds in the sky. The lighting is very nice and this would be a really nice shot with some more contrast and possibly cropping out some of that sky.
No.6: Very nice.
Good composition and colourful.
No.7: Again, nice lead-in but too much bland sky.
No.8: Very cute!
No.9: My favourite.
Beautiful lighting and lovely textures in the field. The horizon is a bit too central for my taste and you could possibly do with cropping the sky a wee bit.
No.10: The white in the background is a bit distracting as is the leaf adjacent to the flower.
There are some really nice shots here, some of which could be improved with some extra processing, but I'd say you're doing well and should persevere. It will be interesting to see more of your work over the coming years and for you to compare this set with those you take with a bit more experience under your belt.
The most important thing is for you to take pleasure in what you shoot. You'll never get a photograph that everyone loves, but you will get images that have a real impact on you and that's what really counts in the end.
