Mediocre Monday: Well that didn't work

Today for Mediocre Monday, a couple of pictures that didn't work out. Let's look at them with a critical eye. (Since they are photos I took I won't worry about being constructive in my criticisms.)

Neither of these exposures is really satisfying. The first one is composed better, but that doesn't really help. What's wrong with these? Here's a quick list of 5 things that make these two unsuccessful.

1. The right side of the photograph is too dark to show any features which might bring visual interest, but too bright to serve as an empty space.
2. The trees on the left side of the image sparkle a bit in the light, but don't really stand out.
3. The light pole isn't really distinct enough to stand as a feature, and due to the lighting, only half of it is visible.
4. The lens flare doesn't really work. It's a single spot that just ends up looking like a smudge on the lens.
5. The haze around the light could have made for an interesting shot, but the brightness of the light overpowers the effect.

I'd like to close here with a quick reminder why I do these. It's easy to get discouraged when looking at other people's work, because you only get to see the 'good' ones. By sharing some of my many failures, I hope that it shows that persistence is the key to capturing something worth being proud of.