You're welcome, and you've got some pretty dang great shots there, the second and fourth are beautiful!! I think we all have to start wearing name tags out there, it would make it easier to figure out who's who. I wasn't too hard to miss yesterday, I had my big binos set up on the tripod. I have a thread roaming around here somewhere with some stuff from yesterday.
As for monitor calibration, I've got the Huey Pro and it's okay, but always gives a pink tint to my screens. I use it to see what it does, and then manually make my own adjustments according to what it does. That way I get the proper calibration and no pink tint. Your shots aren't too dark at all, some could use a slight exposure boost, but that's the nature of the shot, not your screen. Sometimes you're gonna get shots where the eagle is black with no detail, and everything else is bright. The only way to truly combat the differences in shots is to keep going out there and learn what works and when it works. The eagles fly from clear blue sky to clouds to water in one series, and your metering can be all over the place. Shooting full manual is the best thing to do, I typically shoot on P because I just pick my ISO and let the camera do the rest. If I struggle I go full manual and do everything myself.
Normally things work out pretty good for me, but that's just me. Everyone has their own little tricks and such for shooting out there, and believe me, we all had that "first time shots suck" thing happen when we shot for the first time. It's definitely an experience, no doubt about that. But, trust me on this, there's gonna be a lot of people around here who will help you to make your shots improve, if they need to be improved that is.
That's the joy of posting images here, there's enough skill and knowledge around here to fill a whole volume of encyclopedias, and everyone is helpful.
The Chicago Photography Experience
