I. Not only is the background blurred, but there is a natural vignette created by the clouds and ground which I exaggerated more in Lightroom.  Furthermore, the central location of the ball centered in the lower third also placed emphasis on the subject.

II. I like how the light on the ground around the ball creates an orange, glowing effect. The reflection in the ball is very interesting as well. I also like the contrast between the warm and cool tones in the sky because they create a natural vignette around the ball. Furthermore, the ball is aligned in the center of the photo, with the sun directly behind it, creating a flare in the ball.

III. This photo was taken at La Jolla, and I wish it was easier to tell that this was by a beach; it currently looks a field of some sort.

IV. In Lightroom, I added a vignette to further focus on the ball while also increasing the contrast and clarity as well as the luminance of the main colors prevalent in this photo: blue and yellow.

V. It was difficult to get the horizons in the background and in the ball level; I had to find a spot where the camera could be lower than the ball in order to shoot up through it so the horizons matched. 

I. In this photo, dark, blurred out background and blurred foreground emphasize the subject. Also, the light shining on the toy car also add contrast compared to the background.

II. I like the light on the car, as well as the red behind the subject, as well as the bokeh effect in the foreground created by the glitter that happened to be on the ground at the time.

III. However, the photo is grainy and the car is out of focus, most likely because of the longer exposure needed given the lack of light.

IV. In this photo, I increase the contrast, clarity, and luminance of blue and red.

V. The lack of light caused me to use a longer exposure in order to avoid using a higher ISO. However, the photo is still slightly grainy and the car is out of focus because of motion blur.

I. In this photo, the vibrance and saturation, the lighting, and placement of the subject on the lower left (Rule of 3rds) create emphasis on the subject.

II. I like the colors of my origami piece in this photo and the vibrance of them in contrast with the dark background. Also, the hard shadows created by my light look interesting.

III. However, I should have noticed the grout in the shot under the piece; I find it slightly distracting.

IV. In photoshop, I slightly desaturated the background, removing the hints of orange, while increasing the luminance of blue, green, and yellow, to give the piece more visual pop.

I. In this photo, emphasis is not only created by the blurry background, but by the contrast between the colorful, saturated subject and the dark, desaturated background.

II. I like the aesthetic of this photo, especially how his expression contrasts with the seemingly depressing surroundings, his beat-up costume, and lack of arms.

III. However, the photo seems kind of grainy, despite a low ISO, probably caused by slightly excessive post-processing. I'm not entirely sure how to avoid this.

IV. In Lightroom, I slightly desaturated the background, while increasing the luminance of the colors in the hot dog guy's suit. Overall, I bumped up the exposure, contrast, and clarity.

V. The main problem I encountered was that putting the camera as close as I wanted it was too close for the auto-focus to work, so I had to back up a little and use the zoom in order to make up for backing up.

I. The blurred background, placement of the subject on the left, and vibrance and saturation of the subject all create emphasis on the boy.

II. I like how his skin appears to glow and the warm, playful tones of the photo. Also, he has a cool hat.

III. Despite this, the street pole that appears to be coming out of his head is rather unfortunate.

IV. In Lightroom, I bumped up the contrast, adjusted some of the warmer colors, made the photo warmer, and added increased the highlights on his face.

V. I had had prior trouble getting the camera to focus. However, I realized that I can set where the focus points are, so I have gotten in the habit of setting the focus points ahead of time, composing shots in my head ahead of time.