I'd say you are crawling pretty good Jeff! Nice job! You may want to consider using some thinner pieces for your knots and inserts. When they are cut on such a steep angle you would be amazed at how much wider they will appear. You can make an 1/8" piece look like 12"!!! LOL You get the point.
Keep it up. Experimentation is the key. Don't be afraid to try something just for the sake of trying it. You and all of us just might be very surprised at the results.
Don't sweat the pics, you'll get there. I would say first thing though, work on focus. Tackle the rest next.
Great job, can't wait to see you take your first steps!