Incredible!
This is exactly what we were looking for from you with this assignment. Both images accomplish precisely what we’d hope you’d accomplish.
Let’s start by looking at your first image. The composition and low key qualities of the shot are spectacular. You’ve incorporated very strong design elements into this shot. The water fountain in the middle-ground provides great use of vertical lines. The building in the background also provides great horizontal and vertical lines which help compliment the lines found in the fountain.
In fact, I would even say that “lines” are your primary design element in this photograph (beyond the black and white tonal qualities).
My only concern with the image is that it seems to slope down slightly to the right which throws off (very slightly) the strong sense of balance the image otherwise has.
What’s unusual is that it’s balanced at the top of the frame. I’ve included an attachment to show you what I’m talking about (at the end of this post). This may be able to be corrected by repositioning yourself from an angular standpoint. Maybe you weren’t perfectly centered in the environment which is why the lines are off slightly? Maybe the water fountain slopes slightly? Obviously it could be fixed in post production if you were so inclined or you find that the slope bothers you.
An alternative would have been to angle your camera slightly to raise the slope so that you compromise the top sloping a bit, but essentially you’d distribute the slope between the top and bottom in the hopes that it would be less noticeable.
The second shot is also a fantastic high key shot. You have a very strong sense of depth and texture in this photograph. Great work. I see that you’ve intentionally blown out your whites. What’s unusual however, is that you’ve managed to keep such deep, rich blacks.
Your first image also blows out your whites (in the water). If you haven’t already I would like you to read about this issue here:
http://photographyicon.com/blog/2008/11/26/digital-cameras-latitude-dynamic-range/
Great work overall!