Welcome! No need to be afraid :)

Even if you get criticism that you don't like, it's there to help you improve...so don't be apprehensive.

I'll be the first to critique your shots.

#1: Wow...this one has a lot going for it...I like it but there are things that I think could improve it greatly such as putting the horse and horizon on a 3rd intersection.

The horizon is very straight, and the shot is very sharp and I like the feeling of open space...nice.



#2: I like it...I think you need to jack up the contrast and black point to compensate for the contrast lost because it's backlit but...that's just me.

I might have cloned out the poles in the background too.



#3: This one isn't doing much for me....not a strong subject.

Also, we (subconsiously) LIKE things in odd numbers...1, 3, 5, etc...so having two fence posts isn't nearly as visually strong as having one or three.

Also, same goes here...in my opinion, the horizon needs to be elevated or lowered....depending on what you'd like to emphasize. We LIKE things at 3rd lines visually...they just seem more pleasing. You'll get a LOT of people here to come right behind me and say that the 50% split is better as rules are made to be broken, but the other part of that sentence that's left out is "...when you have a good reason for doing it and it improves the image...."

:)


So...welcome and good images for a first post.

Now that you have jumped the first hurdle, there be no stopping you!
I agree with rpavich about the first image. Nice strong colours and sharp. If only the horse was facing this way.
I am not such what has happened with the second shot. I like the colours and lead in lines but the sharpness seems to be lacking or in places I was not expecting. Did you shoot through a spider's web or have a finger over the lens? Your aperture and shutter speed should be adequate to get sharpness from front to back.
I do like the third image. I won't worry about having only 2 posts. In this case, they act like half frames, directing your view between them to the mid ground and then the sky. They stop your view from wandering off the sides. Maybe crop off a bit of the greengrass in the foreground - in fact crop off most of it as it is blocking you from going through. What is lacking is some object in the mid ground - like a barn on the left side of the hill.
Keep shooting and posting.

It's a beautiful scene, but I like it better with the fence. What I've learned is that you want lines that lead you into a scene rather than blocking your visual journey.

Fences can do that depending on how they are placed. If the fence is the main subject, that's one thing. With this photo, the main subject seems to be the landscape. If there had been a reasonable way to have this fence recede into the background at an angle, it would have created a more interesting composition and visual dynamic that would help a viewer's eye travel throughout the photo. Another approach would be to have an opening in the fence that allows a visual approach into the background.

This is just my opinion and what I've heard over the years. Others may have different insights. Hope this helps.

Welcome! No need to be afraid :)

Even if you get criticism that you don't like, it's there to help you improve...so don't be apprehensive.

I'll be the first to critique your shots.

#1: Wow...this one has a lot going for it...I like it but there are things that I think could improve it greatly such as putting the horse and horizon on a 3rd intersection.

The horizon is very straight, and the shot is very sharp and I like the feeling of open space...nice.



#2: I like it...I think you need to jack up the contrast and black point to compensate for the contrast lost because it's backlit but...that's just me.

I might have cloned out the poles in the background too.



#3: This one isn't doing much for me....not a strong subject.

Also, we (subconsiously) LIKE things in odd numbers...1, 3, 5, etc...so having two fence posts isn't nearly as visually strong as having one or three.

Also, same goes here...in my opinion, the horizon needs to be elevated or lowered....depending on what you'd like to emphasize. We LIKE things at 3rd lines visually...they just seem more pleasing. You'll get a LOT of people here to come right behind me and say that the 50% split is better as rules are made to be broken, but the other part of that sentence that's left out is "...when you have a good reason for doing it and it improves the image...."

:)


So...welcome and good images for a first post.