2012, Olly in the Bath
Like the kitten-looking-cute image from the other day, photos of kids in the bath are cliche and common and very popular. Your response as a viewer is going to depend on what your connection is to the kid. Are you related to him? You’ll probably adore it. Are you a parent yourself? You may enjoy it as a sort of “I remember those days” recollection. Don’t have kids? You probably think to yourself, “Man I’m tired of seeing photos of kids. Why can’t this photographer make an effort to, you know, leave the house to find a subject.”
I happen to like this photo a lot. Hey, it’s my kid. So there you go. However, while I think it’s pretty obvious what is going on, I wonder to myself why I didn’t bother to include any of the water in the shot. I mean, yeah, you SHOULD be able to figure it out. But I think ideally it might have been a better idea to not require any assumptions by the viewer. On the other hand, I like how he is looking upward, the catchlight in his eyes sparkles, the water/drool drop off his chin is pretty funny, and even the towel in the background adds something.
Olympus OM-D E-M5, Olympus 12/2, 1/200 sec @ f/2, ISO 3200
Evilphotoeye 
I really love this pic. I’m quite impressed with your ability to critique yourself. Photography is a hobby for me, but I also think of it as a way to make a living. So I’m interested in improving my own skills for photographing my family. I liked the catchlight, and the water dripping from his chin. Is that bath crayons on the tub in the background? That was something I noticed right away. I also liked what the towel added in the background. I’m wondering if I would have noticed all of that if the water was in the picture?
I like the photo and love your description.