Newbie needing advice

[stripesnspots]

I just got my first SLR camera about a month ago as a birthday/graduation present. I've taken 4 rolls of film now and I've gotten some pictures I like, but I'm not sure how "good" they are. None of my friends or family are into photography so the only feedback I get is "Oh, that looks nice." I'd love to enter a picture in the county fair next month but I have no idea what my chances are. Any advice is appreciated!
Note: the white dots in the double exposure and the black dot in the sky of the scenic picture are from my low-quality scanner, not the pictures themselves.

[Outdoorsman]

I just got my first SLR camera about a month ago as a birthday/graduation present. I've taken 4 rolls of film now and I've gotten some pictures I like, but I'm not sure how "good" they are. None of my friends or family are into photography so the only feedback I get is "Oh, that looks nice." I'd love to enter a picture in the county fair next month but I have no idea what my chances are. Any advice is appreciated!
Note: the white dots in the double exposure and the black dot in the sky of the scenic picture are from my low-quality scanner, not the pictures themselves.

As a wildlife biologist, you will undoubtedly end up shooting for documentation purposes in your job. In this regard, you have a jealousy factor in my book- you will get paid to see things like grizzlies and elk and muskrats and porcupines up close as part of your job. My biology prof got into photography in the same way- but people started to respond favorably in his lectures when he'd put on a slide show for illustration purposes. So he ran with it. You can too. You've got a good system, and you should do just fine with it.
The butterfly is very pretty- a bit underexposed and pretty soft, though. If possible, try to get closer. I recently parked myself next to a blackberry bush in the middle of a field and braved the searing sun and dangers of the wild and thorny briars to get some close-ups of butterflies. I got only one that totally filled the frame before I had to get some blood worked back into my legs! those little buggers are hard to shoot. You've done well, however, with enough pleasing surrounding scene to put it in a tangible "wild" setting.
The ME is hard to read; it's also dark, I'd like a bit more detail to really get an idea of what's being photographed.
And I've tried to get that cool mist-rising-off-the-lake shot, but with no success. It ends up looking kind of plain, with no real context to make it ooze with that intrigue and mystery we want. Looks like your attempt ended up like mine... oh well, maybe in the future we can share ideas on what works and what doesn't.
May I ask what kind of film you shoot? And I'm curious also what got you into photography? You seem to have the "eye" for it, so keep on shooting, and keep on posting!

[Iguanamom]

Congratulations! These are pretty good.
The butterfly shot is nice, but it's cluttered. The flower and the background take your eyes from what is so obviously the main subject. I know it's hard to get these guys to pose, so I'm sure it was the best you could do with what you had.

The second is interesting, but it took me a while to figure out what it is and what technique you used to get it. Maybe that's a good thing?

The third just seems bland to me. Fog and some water but no real subject. Usually with a shot like this, you need punchy colors to make up for the lack of subj.

Anyway...keep shooting and keep posting!

[stripesnspots]

I used Kodak Gold 400 for the butterfly shot and 200 for the other two. I don't know much about the different kinds of film so I've been sticking with the standard Wal-Mart fare until I look into films a bit more. I'm not quite sure what got me into photography. I remember asking to use my mom's camera when I was young and getting my own as a present one year, but I didn't start getting serious about it until a few years ago when my grandpa started giving me his National Geographics after he finished reading them. That really piqued my interest.
The water in the third picture is actually the Klamath River in northern California. I was out there last week for my college orientation. One more month and I'm free from Minnesota winters!
Thanks for both of your comments! The next time I take out my camera I'll look through my viewfinder with a more critical eye and brush up on controlling exposure.

[Outdoorsman]

I used Kodak Gold 400 for the butterfly shot and 200 for the other two. I don't know much about the different kinds of film so I've been sticking with the standard Wal-Mart fare until I look into films a bit more. I'm not quite sure what got me into photography. I remember asking to use my mom's camera when I was young and getting my own as a present one year, but I didn't start getting serious about it until a few years ago when my grandpa started giving me his National Geographics after he finished reading them. That really piqued my interest.
The water in the third picture is actually the Klamath River in northern California. I was out there last week for my college orientation. One more month and I'm free from Minnesota winters!
Thanks for both of your comments! The next time I take out my camera I'll look through my viewfinder with a more critical eye and brush up on controlling exposure.

You are going to Humboldt State? No way! I live in Crescent City! The Klamath is practically bicycle distance from me! How cool is that? I must say, congratulations, you will be attending shool in the photographic paradise of California. I can't begin to tell you all the great things to do and see. I am not terribly familiar with Humboldt County, but I'm sure in time you will know them all too well. Up here in Del Norte, we have the Smith River as well as the Klamath, and the incredible Siskiyou Wilderness. Doesn't quite compare to the Trinity Alps, I've heard, but I've been getting a bad craving to see them soon. I was just recently lamenting that I'm too far away from most of the members on this site to get together, but maybe we can do our own mini gathering in the future. I go to College of the Redwoods-Del Norte right now, but when I finish with community college, I'll be (hopefully) transferring to HSU to major in journalism.
And yes, the winters out here are just a tad milder than N. Dakota. Rain, fog, high winds, rain, high seas, rain, fog, cloudy for months, heavy rain... did I mention it rains a lot? Be sure to pack your webbed feet! I look forward to seeing more of your "local" work when you get out here. Good luck!

Oh, and in re the film... 400 is a good speed film to start out with. I'd go with Fuji, but try a few different brands. Youy may like the color of one better or the grain of another better. I hate 200 print film- it looks horrible to me. But I started with 400, went to 200, dropped again to 100, then started at ISO 50 slide film and now I shoot primarily Fuji Provia 100F. the Kodak films are very nice but they don't seem to have the fine grain I like. But it's all personal preference. Again, good luck!