Thank you, everyone! I am blushing! Such kind words.
Diane, I shoot digital in RAW format, and do my processing in Adobe Lightroom. I rarely ever use Photoshop anymore because Lightroom does the majority of what I need about 95% of the time.
Shots typically come straight from the camera a bit flat because RAW format means that the camera does no processing to the image file -- it merely captures the maximum possible data for each frame (shooting in JPEG does allow you to apply settings for sharpness, saturation, etc., in-camera but it is a smaller, compressed file, and it doesn't allow you to capture as full a range of data as RAW). So I will almost always optimize exposure, contrast, and sharpness if needed. Sometimes all it takes is making sure the highlights and shadows are where they should be, and everything else just pops into place. The images of the seals, for example, have very little done to them -- a little clarity, perhaps a nudge on the exposure, a slight crop, and done.
Other images that involve areas of shadow and light are a little more involved. In that case, I use exposure gradients in Lightroom to bring skies and water or other foregrounds into similar exposures -- it's the digital equivalent of photographing with a graduated filter on the lens (skies usually photograph brighter than water or ground). I'll remove dust spots and do some dodging and burning to bring out detail in a darker area or darken a lighter area (a digital version of a darkroom practice). I basically want to optimize the image without significantly changing it from what I saw. I crop images when needed, and I am careful to straighten tilting horizon lines (all these years and it still seems I can't hold a camera dead level!). I don't change colors, and I avoid overly saturated colors that look like cheap postcards.
It's a delicate art, and I'm always tweaking my processing habits, especially since each version of the software makes it easier and gives more possibilities. I have fun with it. I know a lot of people use way more effects and processing than I do, but this is a level I find appropriate for my style.
I hope that answered your question without getting too wordy! Thanks for asking.