Photo Gallery - where you simply want to show your images without criticism....hopefully
Photo critique - where your image is open to criticism as to how to improve similar situations.
Photo analysis - How to improve the image you have. well that is my understanding!
However, all three sections have blurred edges....

image 1....yes water looks greeny yellow when back lit. Look at the gravel and try to improve the colour there in curves which should ....improve the wave colour.
Image 2...I had shots like this in Switzerland - cause I was shooting a blue dominant scene in bright clear sunshine. Not only the sky and water - but the haze is blue which stops any definition in the mountains. Try moving the blue slider in RGB BUT don't hold your breath.....NB Images like this adorned service trays and table mats in the 1960's so think of it as being 'retro'.
Image 3 has the wrong aperture to give you the depth of focus you were wanting. The close rocks needed to be sharp (why else include them) and the distant cliffs could have been soft focus for all they add.

You are photographing landscapes in strong daylight hours (when they look flat). Slanting light at Dawn or Dusk brings out the textures and shadows in land form and sea-scapes. The first wave has nothing to 'focus on' as interest. Taken edge on and allowing the curved shapes of water ebbing and flowing over the beach would have more interest. but to see that in the second image you would have to have a higher perspective. As much wet sand as wave and the sinuous repetition that this has across a long perspective.
The 'splash' in the third image .......think speed of shutter and concentrate on just the splash. Fast shutter and capture the interaction of water droplets and light or slow shutter and capture the shapes of the water flow as it hits the rocks. try a Polarizer to reduce the glare and get colour in the droplets. Look for interesting rock formations as a foreground...(with a long lens!to stay dry)

Look at other peoples images of similar situations and try to find why 'some' have more interest 'to you' than others. Dissect the image....what is the subject and points of interest... where was the photographer standing to get those angles etc and when was it taken..dawn/dusk/mist/fog/ or even bright sunlight. What sort of settings do you think were used and why...

After that' choose a similar location and try to emulate how you think the image you liked was done. Play with different settings..(You can find them later with Exif data) and see how pleased you are with the results...which combination of settings 'nailed it'.

Copying an image teaches you nothing....emulating someone else's image to create your own shot similar to what you liked in that image: teaches you the aperture/shutter/focus point and depth of field as well as improving your composition. Never be afraid of emulating your favorite photographers. It 'gets your brain' thinking situational and makes your eyes pick out 'the shot' from 'the view'.

Hope this helps you think less about the 'so so' and more about how to 'get' the image you wanted.

have fun

Ask my kids - I still use most of them

The nimbies have been warning us not to jump into the sea because of 'Cold water shock'...we're having a heatwave.... It might actually be getting into the 90'sF but the sea temp hasn't yet climbed up.

Come on Gene....The world moves on and there are a number of post processing options to choose from.
Being an amateur does not mean 'accepting' lower quality images at all. Amateurs have pushed the accepted boundaries in many if not all fields including Photography. After all, those who profess to be professionals are merely 'doing a job of work' at an acceptable (or not) level for the masses. Amateurs can and do work to their own high standards.

Digital Photography has ceased to be 'just' about Professionals earning a living and the rich affording the tools to mimic their printed images in glossy magazines. The Digital Photography market has responded by broadening the software available. That is why Adobe's ridiculously traditional high price has plummeted to a seemingly affordable subscription. However, it is no longer a 'benchmark' for many people. Where companies like Topaz 'fed' from one fountain - they now support others too.

Having many choices drives technology. The dinosaurs are struggling to keep up!

Explore the choices....you may be surprised.

Snap as in snapshot infers a 'quickly taken shot'. However, most people learn that 'thinking time' creates a better shot.

a 'slow shot' should be better composed and exposed. It should also cut down on the time to 'remove' unwanted distractions like signs and litter.

snap travels at the speed of sound....having seen some of the ISO settings used here they should be called Warp shots.

Tongue firmly in cheek!

Check what this program has that your other programe's do not. Often a small program comes with effects or filters that other's do not. Will you use them?

also with the advent of The Cloud......and Windows deciding what goes where in there....it might be to your advantage to have a small program to 'download' and 'save to'. For those who do not use/understand 'cloud' this may keep your sanity!

have fun

Ufraw is a plug in for gimp. You will realise that there are colour 'start point' differences between Darktable and Rawtherapee. However the output comes true to your PP.
In Linux there are a number of post processing options available. some have features that others do not so they are worth downloading(you can reprocess your images in different programs to take advantage of that)

Some use 'camera role' as a catalogue....however your files are stored in 'my pictures' or wherever you decided to download to...it just means that occasionally you 'lose' an image when the catalogue has not kept track of everything you have done.

have fun - there are a lot more Linux users these days....

In Europe they drive on the Right which as an Englishman I can accept easily. What I can't get used to is that 'those entering ' the highway have priority over those 'on' the highway. Equally those entering a roundabout have priority over those 'on' the roundabout - which as you also go anti-clockwise adds to the fun. Dover has a roundabout just outside the continental ferry port.....You actually see driver's brains trying to figure out which way to use it.

I understand that the reason UK had driving on the left was to do with horses and carriages. The 'whip' hand was further from the pedestrians.This allowed the less dominant left hand to hold the reins. But it probable was down to some petty bureaucrat.

Use only canon printer software to find and print your images. ie come out of PS and close it down. close down any other open programs.
Check that you are using RGB or SRGB NOT AdobeRGB in post processing and as default on printer.(you can change your camera too) Having a mix of RGB screws everything
IF you get consistent darker / brightness issues turn up/down your monitor brightness...
Never jump straight into printing from a cold start on the printer.....do a test print and check all cartridge capacities. (using software)

Find a colour profile sheet and print it...keep it pinned above the pc, check the difference between the colours from screen and print....bear that colour difference in mind when post processing (for print)

always use the same make of paper and accept that you may have to print a couple of copies of every image befor 'getting it right' by PP. Especialy if the images vary in colour /Saturation / content .

There is no 'easy' fix. your images constantly differ.

Have fun

BUT as soon as you throw anything away - you need it!
I just noticed a dead laptop and a broken motherboard on top of my wardrobe. Mmmm.

In the UK we have a couple of tidal boars - where estuaries funnel the incoming tide resulting in a wave several feet high running at 15 - 20 MPH. BUT living in a wet country means that we rarely see dry river beds flood so fast (or for no apparent reason)

interesting

As a professional printer (and probably well funded) manipulating images daily...I imagine your workflow and your kit would be far and beyond the average photographer's budget.
Your work was aimed at a single market, mass school portraits, no doubt using photographers trained - and equipped for that single function. Again hardly your average photographer taking whatever suits their whim.

Colour, is in the eye of the beholder....it isn't always 'comparable' shot to shot. We have no production line - nor a 'standard image' to produce.

Cynical....no.. realistic!

Those who use monitor calibration, check and adjust it regularly. It has never been a 'one hit' job.

Those who print regularly will insist on using the same grade of paper and inks. OR a small palette of different papers. They will also have fine tuned their workflow to meet their particular needs. They will take as much care as possible over 'the few final images' with their 'end user' in mind. Their printed image may or may not 'look anything like' their monitor portrays it. As a print, it cannot be reproduced on another monitor!

For the amateur, having the ability to print their own images, means that they need to understand 'why' what they print or post looks different to what their monitor shows. To suggest that 'even more kit' is the answer begs the questions:
'Why is it important?'.
'Is it important enough to spend the cost of a couple of sheets of paper and a bit more time and consistency in production to get better prints?'

Image quality 'on line' depends upon too many variables to suggest that spending a couple of hundred ££'s is the answer.

This has also been discussed regarding raw processors - the more you try, the greater the differences - even when your camera raw is 'apparently' on their list.

We need to reiterate that 'the process' of 'producing a final image' has many paths and cannot be done 'by rote'.

Probably, only photographers calibrate their PC so when putting your images onto the internet what is the point.
Studies have shown that the companies that produce prints for the general public - produce markedly different prints of the same image sent to them.
Unless you use the same paper and ink consistently, you will get differences in the printed image. Also if you use a different program to print you will see differences.
If you use a single image in more than one Post processing program they can look different both on screen and when printed.
Depending upon the intensity of the light in the room and the brightness of the PC screen 'what you see' is not going to be 'what you get.'

We talk about 'Individuality' in photography. We also Post process images to individual tastes. There is no 'standard'.

The advice is to print an image and reprocess the file to correct any discrepancies in the first printed image. As part of your workflow ensure consistency in paper used, ink supplied, and which program you use to 'send to printer'. Look at your printed image in soft daylight (early morning or late afternoon).

You will gain recognition from people who 'like' what your images look like - not how they got there.

have fun

I am 63 and probably the last generation to have used dip ink pens,once we had mastered chalk and slates....1960 yes truly. At secondary school in the first year we had to use a fountain pen,then the rest of the years were biro's. I also learned calligraphy at college as a 'night school' vocational class.
At University I used unruled paper to write notes....the younger students were bemused to see me write in straight lines across the blank page.....!

I still cannot type....!