Experienced photographers: macro work...?

In some of the pictures, your subjects were a bit off focus. Nonetheless, for starters, not bad. Of course in macro photography, you always want to have your lens with its aperture wide open. It all comes down to choosing the right subject, getting the right focus on it, what lens you use, lighting situations, etc. You generally want your subject in the center for macro photography, since that is where most of the attention is brought whilst the rest of the photo is in blur from the lens. The wider the aperture, the more "bookeh" you will receive. Keep that in mind when shopping for a lens. Generally, the focusing distance and F-stop on a lens all factor in to how much of the "bookeh" you're going to receive. Lighting is an issue when it comes to macro photography. You always want most of the light on your subject. Ring flashes do aid in bringing more light onto the subject, but it also depends on the natural lighting conditions. Keep those in mind, hope you get what you're looking for. Keep on shooting!