REALLY nice effect --- be sure to get the guitar absolutely smudge-free and perhaps find a less-distractive background next time around. Besides that, really nice. Did you hand-hold that? I would've had to use a tripod and set the exposure for at least a 1/2 second for that.
1) yes, buff that axe with a soft cloth until it's smudge free.
2) experiment with the incandescent light bleeding under the door. If that's just light from the hallway leaking under the door then you'll need to buy a cheap (less than $5) reflector from K-Mart and take a range of photos with that light closer to and farther from the door. Consider adding a gel to that light.
3) The drop shadow you've used under your text is up and to the right, which is distractingly UN-like the light emanating from the 'book. The convention for a drop shadow is for it to fall down and to the right of the text, as if the text were lit from above and to the left. Your drop is hard, try softening it. Also consider doing some zippier stuff to the text. Perhaps in this case you have the photographic vision and a graphics person could ally with you to push the look. Right now the text isn't really connecting to the image.
Overall, were I grading you, you'd get a strong B+ or an A-....it would depend on your other coursework. Anyway, keep pushing it!
Thanks for your opinions guys... I've read all of them. This isn't a final, but does this look better? <--- 5 pxl stroke around each letter, then dodge tool. This was just an experiment.
I'm also preparing a version where the shadow direction matches the rest of the pictures - simple like on the original.
Suggestions? 
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Comments
The enhancements I'd make:
1) yes, buff that axe with a soft cloth until it's smudge free.
2) experiment with the incandescent light bleeding under the door. If that's just light from the hallway leaking under the door then you'll need to buy a cheap (less than $5) reflector from K-Mart and take a range of photos with that light closer to and farther from the door. Consider adding a gel to that light.
3) The drop shadow you've used under your text is up and to the right, which is distractingly UN-like the light emanating from the 'book. The convention for a drop shadow is for it to fall down and to the right of the text, as if the text were lit from above and to the left. Your drop is hard, try softening it. Also consider doing some zippier stuff to the text. Perhaps in this case you have the photographic vision and a graphics person could ally with you to push the look. Right now the text isn't really connecting to the image.
Overall, were I grading you, you'd get a strong B+ or an A-....it would depend on your other coursework. Anyway, keep pushing it!
I'm also preparing a version where the shadow direction matches the rest of the pictures - simple like on the original.
*yawn* Enough for tonight.