Tall Lamp
by Heids

Comment by hopnjohn:
By now, you probably have heard enough about the date stamp so Ill hit on a few others. The lamp could have been placed to block the light switch. By moving the subject away from the backdrop you would eliminate some of the harsh shadow. There seems to be too many angles all at once which to me is distracting. Also, the doorframe doesn't add anything and should be cropped out.
Don't dispare and keep at it. There are photographers on this site that CAN and DO take the most mundane things and have the knowledge and equipment to turn them into works of art. For the rest of us mortals, we have to just keep our eyes open and our cameras ready and hope for the best while learning bits and pieces from others.
Good luck.

Tall Lamp
by Heids

Comment by SandyP:
Uh-oh. I have a feeling you may be getting killed on this one. Not that it's a bad photo for this challenge -- but most dpc'ers are phobic about anything that looks like a dreaded snapshot, and I'm afraid the date screams "snapshot" for this one. I won't kill you because at least it meets the challenge and is not a dead straight on shot like lots of them here.

But going forward, little things like cropping out the corner of the door frame on the left. . .and certainly the date will go a long way towards improving your score. I hope it's not as bad for you as I fear :(

Tall Lamp
by Heids

Comment by kollaosk:
its always a good thing to take the date off, and the lamp might be better centered.

Tall Lamp
by Heids

Comment by abranton:
Ok..there are a couple of things you notice right off. First of course is the date stamp which I am sure everyone will comment on..it is a must to remove the date stamp. There is a corner of something black on the left side of the picture which is distracting, perhaps cropping that out would help. Also the background isn't flattering with your subject. The lamp idea may have potential but you just have to give it the proper enhancements & environment.

Tall Lamp
by Heids

Comment by starrlite:
You will get some flack for this...trust me, I did it too!! It's a good choice, but try to play with lighting and composition. Nice attempt though! Oh...and don't let them discourage you, keep trying!