I'm going to go against the grain and say a few things...first...not bad.
Granted, its not the most currently accepted design but hey...sometimes when people fall into a rhythm their numbers drop.
By this I mean the surfer hasn't seen that design right off the bat he can be a bit confused, which is good and bad.
I personally like to keep my surfers a bit off balance...keep them guessing a bit as to what's what...people talk about 20 pics and a banner above and below being so "90's" but some of my best galleries are only slight alterations of that theme. Look at all the galleries you se out there...I'd say everyone fell into another rut...
The counter however, if you don't have access to actual log stats, should be placed at the top of the page for the most accuracy. But it can also slow the page down...spend some time finding a decent counter.
Your text is good and I like the fact that its the only form of sending traffic to your sponsor. I ALMOST always pull better with text than banners...but there are major exceptions.
However, the text that you make a different color should be the text you link to the sponsor. It stands out and will be more likely to draw the click.
You set the scene well with your text, but I think it would be beneficial to use some nice calls to action, get the surfer answering questions with "yes" and a click.
And as far as the recip in that spot...You never know...that spot would get more clicks, or at least attention, to the tgp...so the owners may like it. It may lose you a few clicks but gain you a few listings...
