Incredible work!
You’ve done such an incredible job with this assignment. My initial reaction to this photograph was very positive. You’ve chosen gradients of three very unique and dramatic colors (blue, red and yellow).
Although I was incredibly impressed with your color choice, saturation levels and contrast, I was most impressed with your ability to incorporate the strong secondary element of “texture”. The water around the starfish as well as the bumps on the starfish itself add such a beautiful splash of texture to this photograph.
You look at this photograph and not only see it, but also feel it, and that’s such a difficult objective to achieve. Great work.
As far as your composition around the edges… it’s fine. If you were concerned about the amputation of the star fish on the top and right walls, don’t be. Amputation is an inevitable part of photography. It’s about knowing when to cut and how to cut. In your photograph it doesn’t look accidental and the framing helps create informal balance which helps add to the overall composition of the shot.
Again, great work!