Things are looking pretty good. I see you have one side of the log hide blocked off, that is a good thing.

A smaller water bowl is fine. Ceramic small dog dishes are used frequently as well as ceramic cooking bowls (used for some type of yogurt dish I think).

Put the probe thermometer under the substrate above the UTH. Then tell us that temperature.
What are you using to control the UTH? Most UTH's get far too hot for ball pythons and could burn them uncontrolled.

If your humidity is staying at about 60% then keeping the lamp is fine, but is removable if you can acquire proper temperatures without it.