NYC Street Vendor

There's something I like about this picture, but I feel like it's missing something at the same time. Don't be afraid to be harsh Thanks in advance guys

IMAGE LINK: http://www.flickr.com …s/nickrusso09/8​372684218/

you may title it "street vendor", but more appropriate is "lights in a dark street"!
The vendor is practically lost on the image, and the two OOF set of light dominate and distract.
Photo is also leaning to the right

You want 'harsh'? Let's start with composition. The lights are all loaded on the right side and there is nothing on the left except that grey building. This makes it really unbalanced and the viewer keeps being drawn back to the lights. The two closest trees are out of focus, but bright, so they are distracting. The vendor is walking away from you which isn't very interesting.

It looks like the spot from which to take the shot is to your left about 15 feet. That would frame the cart in lights, and put them all in focus. Since the vendor doesn't have much business, he would probably be willing to cooperate (offer him a print). If he were leaning against the cart on the left side, reading a newspaper, looking bored,... Then use a very soft fill flash to highlight the cart a bit, so that it becomes the focus of the shot.

Anyway, just some ideas. The key is to think about how you want the shot to appear in the final print, and then choose your location, lighting, etc. to achieve that end.