Great first assignment. You’re starting off on a strong note and you seem to understand the object of this assignment well.
Let’s start by looking at the “beast” image. For starters it’s not a bad photograph. It’s a little disorganized and there are some compositional errors, but generally speaking it has pretty strong design elements.
One of the biggest problems with the photograph is that it “amputates” (i.e. cuts off) part of your primary object. Notice the left wall of the photograph cuts off the tips of the flowers. This is a common error and it happens when a photographer places too much focus on the center of their composition.
In fact, the same technical issue is present in your “beauty” image. I love the image and think it’s brave and unique in its composition, but again the right wall of the frame has snipped the flower petal off.
You seem to be doing a good job of organizing your color palette, focusing on texture, finding interesting shapes within nature objects and composing your images in a professional manner, but amputation seems to be something you’re overlooking.
The lesson for you to pass onto future assignments is to be VERY careful of the 4 walls of your photograph. As a general rule of thumb, try not to amputate your main object unless it looks intentional. Blurred background element can be amputated and it’s not as distracting, but with foreground objects it’s better to include the entire object. If you need to amputate, make sure you do so it looks intentional and strategic. Just cutting off a small part of a flower petal looks accidental.
Other than that, great work. You’re off to a great start! I love the saturated, complimentary colors. Very dramatic. I look forward to seeing what you submit next.