Great work with your first assignment!
You’ve essentially taken a large composition of thingS and transformed it into a composition of a thing (singular). Our main object for this assignment was seeing how you approached the process of simplification and story telling focus. You’ve done a great job of this by simply changing your composition and using less geographic space.
The result is that you’ve successfully organized the lines, shapes and colors to look harmonious and organized. There is now no doubt as to what the story of this image is about.
However, it’s also important to know (and slowly work towards) simplifying photographs without needing to shrink space by using macro photography. That being said, it’s important to know what so appealing about macro photography so when you start to feel more comfortable moving back and using larger areas you’ll know what to look for.
One of the biggest enhancements in your beauty composition is your use of colors. You’ve simplified your color palette from a mish-mash of colors to a color palette composed primarily of gradients of reds, browns, golds and silvers.
The second biggest change has to do with depth. Your “beauty” image has isolated your foreground from your background giving it a much better sense of three dimensions. However, your “beast” image is flat because everything is in one layer.
However, notice the following photograph:
http://www.karltaylorphotographycourses.co.uk/clientpics/Landscape_VXND00663a.jpg
Notice the sense of depth and color simplicity? This is what I mean by identifying what you’re drawn towards in macro photography but then taking the time to step back in an attempt to find similar visual cues in larger geographic space.
Great job overall!