Gary - some comments about the shots, but first about your presentation here. If you're going to show images with "near black elements" at the edge of the frame - I would definitely rethink using the black border - this doesn't work - as it makes it almost impossible to see what is at the edge of the image. As well, your name etc. on that border is too graphic/prominent and distracting.
The second image is a really great one - the first not nearly as successful. Two things about the second. First, I would pull up "the blacks" a little. Second, don't know if this is a crop, but the water/estuary (whatever) comes down to the bottom of frame and is clipped off on a hard horizontal line. It would be more successful to have some foliage etc. at the bottom to make that area "softer" - I don't know obviously what is there actually but it appears to have trees/foliage around that area. /B