My 3 year old and my discovery of Lightroom! Comments please :)

New here.. And I downloaded Adobe Lightroom to try.. and I love it. I used to be one of those people who say "If the photographer takes great shots, no editing is needed!" But, now, I think that if technology offers ways to make a photography better or more artistic.. then why not. Having said that I don't want it to be OVER THE TOP artsy.. Just nice artsy.. iykwim...

Please comment on the pics and let me know how I can improve on them. Thanks so much!

My first attempt at the black/white, except for something in color effect..

I'm not a big fan of selective color. But I like #2. Those colors really pop! What'd you do to get them like that?

I do selective coloring too but I like #2 most...

Selective color works well in only a few scenarios, IMO, #1 would be best in either all color or B&W. I like #2, although maybe a tad too much vignetting added.

Hi T!
I'll take a stab at a critique.
#1: I love the composition but I'm not a fan of selective coloring. It rarely works because it makes your eye go to the color and it makes it tough to really move around the rest of the photo. Since she is so darn cute, I want to see he face before her clothing. I think this would be gorgoues just b&w or color
#2: I also am not a fan of vignetting. I know, I'm no fun. LOL. Again, it's another thing that people use to draw your eye but I don't think it enhances as much as it distracts. The composition in this one isn't as strong as #1 since I really wish she was in profile or looking towards the camera. The colors are nice but a little too strong. Tone it down just a smidge. But that is probably my personal preference.
#3: Adorable head shot. Love the blue light reflecting in her hair. You are correct that it would work better if she was looking at the camera, but your focus is good and the colors pop without being over the top. You might want to bring up the shadows in her eyes a little. You can do that with fill flash or in pp. But be careful not to do it too much or she will look like an alien. LOL

Glad you are playing around with Lightroom. That's what I use and it has made such a difference now that I know how to use it better. Keep shooting and posting. Great to see you around here =)

the 2nd one is amazing

Thank you guys, I appreciate the comments!! I've always wondered how to do the selective coloring, so I just had to try it.. And I've never used Vignetting either.. so I got carried away! hehehe..

#2 was a Lightroom Pre-set: "Creative - Direct Positive".. Then, I just tweaked it a bit.