Great assignment.
What I like most about your photographs is that you’ve virtually used the same space. Many students opt to use macro photography to simplify the image which generally makes the image more organized and therefore stronger from a composition standpoint.
However, the main idea is simplification, which doesn’t always mean close up photography. In your case you’ve decided to play with object positioning and isolation.
In fact, rather than removing objects, you’ve added more objects to your “beauty” photograph, which is very rare for this assignment, but I like it.
Your enhancement comes through story telling. In your “beast” image, the composition is a bit sloppy, especially around the edges of the photograph. For example, notice the left wall of the photograph and how the door lines up with the wall. Notice the two areas of the door that are slightly indented and how they interact with the left frame of the photograph.
You’ve also shot from a slightly higher angle which forces the lines of the photograph to lead nowhere special. However, in your “beauty” photograph you’ve lowered your perspective a bit and lined yourself up with the middle of the door where the small piece of wood separating the two indents is directly in front of your camera lens. Notice the difference this makes in the composition of the lines in your photographs? In your beauty photograph the lines created by that shape in the door lead your viewer’s eyes right into the composition of the shot towards an area of interest. Then your background acts as a “stopper” and your audience’s eyes can explore those details.
This is a great example of the power of lines. Thank you for uploading this! Great first assignment.