Bedtime for Bonzo

So I'm over the damage to my ego, lol. I've decided to try my hand again at professional stock photography; I can reapply in a month, and in the meantime I'll sort through my old photos and take new ones which will be better than those I submitted originally.

The tripod I received for Christmas arrived last Wednesday (long story; don't ask), so I can play around now with low light and long shutter speeds. Tonight I convinced the toddler to pretend she was asleep, and got this shot:



Opinions? Critiques? Anyone, anyone? Don't worry; I won't cry this time if you have something negative to say. My chin is up and I'm ready to learn and improve!

Is it too dark, or merely appropriately cozy? Does the lighting look natural? I messed with the manual white balance setting on my camera despite the fact that I know nothing about that and have lost the camera's manual, lol. Do you think this image would be useful, commercially? The site says they're up to their eyeballs in landscapes, sunsets, and flowers; they need more portraits and "contemporary life scenes."

Does it look as staged as it actually is?

Any input you can offer is appreciated.

Well, it's 1:45am so of course it's time to go get the baby.... Sleep eludes me again. ;-)


~RCH~