To hold on or to let go

Isn't that one of life's perennial questions! To hold on or to let go?

When I began experimenting with manual settings on my camera, this was one challenge I took on. To be able to take pictures of flowing water, showing its fluidity, and comparing it with photographs of the same frame where the movement appears frozen. Which one appeals more to the eye?

Here are four such sets of pictures, the composition of each frame is the same, but the settings are different. The shutter speed is very low in the first picture of every set.

I have not 'touched up' any of the pictures, except for cropping.

In the first picture below, I managed to keep the rocks and trees in focus and could still see the water in motion. In the second picture, the shutter speed is much faster and the movement is frozen. In this set, I find the first picture more appealing. What do you think?

The first picture below again shot at a very low shutter speed, and the second picture was taken in the Auto mode. I had some trouble with the contrast in the first picture, and I'm still learning about how I can achieve a good result. 

In this third set is a lake with very still water and then it tumbles down a rocky path. It is hard for me to choose a favorite among the two. 

The final set is a river gushing down its path. I find the frozen motion more alluring in this set. I have been unsuccessful in getting a good picture of the fluidity in the first picture. Again, the learning curve is evident here. 

Among the hits and misses, here is another miss. I like how the water is moving but I did not get the rocks in focus. I should have used a tripod stand and I will definitely keep that in mind in future.

Here are a few pictures that I consider hits. I know these will look a lot better as I learn and get the settings right. The tripod will be a valuable accessory, and waterfalls will be on my list to photograph.