Thanks jdtx

I agree... you may not want to do a lot in photoshop and that is everyone's preference. The picture is still your picture whatever you choose to do with it. However, RAW & JPEG pictures do not add contrast so if you are shooting in JPEG or RAW you will need to at least add some contrast to add depth and some definition to the photos.

These are really vibrant and cool looking. As my sons would say, " they are sick!"

As a parent of a senior who had his pictures done last fall, my suggestion is to do more head shots then full body. I think parents like to see close ups of their kids and they don't all have to be smiling. I'd let them sit naturally then do some fine adjustments to that pose so they are not slouching, chin in ,etc.. let them hold their hands the way they normally do. I think it will make the picture more uniquely theirs and more endearing to the parents.

I think there are great photos with the shadows but I think they all need to be overall lightened some to bring out the flowers more. They seem a little dark. If you lighten the overall photo the shadows will remain but the main part of the flower will stand out more. Add some contrast and vibrancy/ saturation in the colors to help the pop too.
Here I adjusted the white balance some, brightened the exposure, added contrast and increased the vibrancy and saturation. Then increased the yellow center a bit in color and I think you can see that you keep the shadows making it more dramatic but at the same time the flower part is more pronounced.

I think they are great photos...
#1 looks like it could be darken a bit, maybe add a bit of contrast and up the green color of the grass a bit

#2 probably just add some more contrast and up the lavender color make it pop, its a beautiful picture

#3 definitely would increase the vibrance and saturation of the colors of the houses and add some contrast.

These might help or not. I would definitely play with them in photoshop or lightroom to try different things and see what you like.
Good job

ok, stupid question but what is the Photomatrix? .... and do I have to follow the white rabbit? LOL

You also might try a local Community College or adult learning classes. I took one online from our local Community College and it was very good. It taught you all about each tool etc... gave you simple assignments to complete using the tool you learned about. I have PsE 9.0 and I took the class for PSE 6.0 I think (a long time ago) but most of the tools and such are the same for each version.

Hey Shad,
I take mostly soccer action shots but I had a Canon XTI to start with. I had some same issues with blurry focus too. I would make sure to have a High Speed Card in the camera. Also, shooting in the sports mode is fine on bright sunny days but I would shoot mostly in the M mode so you have control over the shutter speed. I have had more luck with M mode then either Tv or Av modes. I like shutter speeds of 1/1000 and up. I like to stop the action in its tracks. Also, set your AF points to just the center one that way you are not getting the Auto AF points firing on the bleachers instead of the player or the player behind them. Make sure you are set on Al Servo as well. The XTI is a good camera and I had lots of luck with it just not when dusk started. Sometimes with that camera you have to put up with the noise with the higher ISO's.