I like what you've done with the later pics; much better angles and use of ambient light. Try using some combinations of daylight/indoor lights for some interesting effects.
Your pics can be sharpened up using a photo editing tool like Photoshop; there are lots of freeware versions out there that will let you tweak your photos (PM sent).
Keep up the good work!
Oh, and a heart-felt +1 on getting rid of the date stamp!
