Oreo, Duck, and Foot ball.

I've only had my D90 for a month, and have only been trying anything as far as photography during this time span... Anyway, here is the yield.
Please note, the persons in the background of both of these asked to be removed if I were to post online, so, sorry for the flat and boring backgrounds.

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...1&d=1252761765

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...1&d=1252761765

And this one is a cropped and slightly adjusted football picture. If exif doesn't appear, it was shot at I believe f 4.8, 1/125 s, 200 mm and with ISO 1250...

https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/fo...1&d=1252761765

Anyway, I just wanted to stop lurking, and see what advice you guys can give me.
(I know I ought not have people standing around in the back of my pictures, but animals are so darned picky when they want to be photogenic.)

Be careful with the filters. You are probably better off just softening the background (selective gaussian blur in gimp, think its called smart blur in photoshop, or just use a mask), especially with the duck where it gets a little lost, too many other things to draw the eye, and no feathering. The 'football' one looks like it wouldnt suffer from playing around with levels.

I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

I kind of liked the vibrant colours in the football shot though. Thats how it pretty much looked anyway, but I'll toy with it a little, maybe ring it to black and white, spare the red on the team jerzies.

not sure if theres enough red for that to work as a selective desat, i was thinking maybe take up the virance and/or sat to bring out the colours, and try to soften the players/crowd on the edge of the pitch. Additionall football players might be a good subject for this (http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3402/...5bc520e85d.jpg) effect, its probably got a proper name.