I would not be too embarrased to show others your work. The fact that you are out there and doing it and having fun is the main thing. From a critique aspect, the composition of this shot is good, and it shows a nice range of tones. How do you like the Kentmere VC paper?
Thanks for the encouragement. The paper is so far kind of hit or miss for me--it seems that I have been getting a better range of tones with the low-contrast end of it than the high. When I try to print high-contrast, I just get muddy yucky shadows without a good black, but it may be that I am just choosing the wrong grade for the negative (this is my first darkroom work in 20 years). This print was at 1.5.