I'm going to say "Nay" I'm afraid, IMHO it's nearly there but needs something more doing yet.

The first thing that strikes me is that there's too much foreground. You need enough to show the effect you are trying to achieve, but no more. Anything not needed, cut out. So that would tighten it up a bit.

The pillars are the interesting part, along with the under-arch area, and yet the brightest part of the picture is the top, causing our eyes to wander upwards and away from the subject. So I'd burn in that top area so we concentrate on the main subject.

Finally, the image looks tilted to the left, so I'd do a small clockwise rotation.

Hope that helps. You've seen a good subject and approached it well technically, leaving just the fine points to iron out.

You can edit any sort of file. GIMP is a free download that emulates most of the essentials of Photoshop quite well.

That's one type of image that always appeals to me. I think the three are fine without including any others.

The shot has something going for it though - the poses of the baby and cyclist are super and the detached figure in the background adds a sort of detachment, leaving those two on the bike in a little world of their own.

OK, the right of the image is empty, so I'd be inclined to crop it and make a square composition.

Not sure I want to vote on anything but the best image though, so I'll have a look and see what the competition is like!

At the moment SRS have an offer and you could get that 50mm f/1.8 for just £50 extra. Why not check out the details?

Your options are all very sensible and I'd say go for it!

Hmm, you don't like it then.....

It's very, very nice, but I think I'd be afraid to use it.

The flowers and vase are OK, but for me it needs a more attractive/interesting setting. I do like the stately formality of the composition.

It will depend on the lens in question and the type of construction.

The SMC Pentax-DA 40mm f/2.8 Limited is blisteringly fast for example, presumably because the focusing has such a short throw. The 55-300mm has a lot more work to do.

AF-S is single focusing, that is, focus, lock and shoot. AF-C is continuous focusing, the camera keeps focusing as it or the subject moves.