Oh man, that first photo. Heh. Pretty crazy how learning to edit can change everything. It's so important!
You're an excellent photographer and this is great encouragement for people that are newish to the photography game. I wonder if I have any old images... hah.
I think knowing where I came from makes me more understanding of other peoples work and what they are trying to achieve when it seems they've dialled up the clarity to 110. Or maybe some people just like that look...
I'd like to see some old gems from you!