This is a really great shot and incorporates a lot of the elements you’ll soon learn about in upcoming lessons. For starters you’ve managed to tightly frame the main object, which allowed you to take away distracting or irrelevant background “noise”. In fact, your first shot is a great example of a poorly composed shot. You’ll notice you’ve cut off (amputated) parts of objects around the 4 walls of your photograph (i.e. the picture frames and the calendar on the bottom wall of the photograph). That’s a very big and a very common mistake a lot of photographers make. Not only that, but your main object, the clock, is placed in the dead center giving the picture a sort of dull look. However, in your second shot, you managed to clean up a lot of those elements.
In fact, taking bad photography and analysing it for reasons why you don’t like it is one of the best ways to learn how to become a great photographer.
Notice in your second photograph, you’ve placed the main object slightly off center giving the photograph a more interesting look (Photographs are usually considered by dramatic when they abide by the rule of thirds). Similarly, you’ve managed to simplify your photograph. You’ve simplified the photograph in terms of content and colors. The clock and flowers now play a primary role and the primary color of blue creates an overall “cool” tone to your photograph.
Great job on your first assignment. I look forward to seeing what you do next.
You’re off to a great start!