Hi Hrcfan, These are definitely a work in progress. The first thing you have to do when you want more than a snapshot is to decide what you want after you are done. (The rest is just reverse engineering.)
The second thing is to look around to see what has been done before. This is Not a bad thing because if you hadn't done that you would have never learned to talk, much less anything else. Even if you come up with a new language you still have to be able to explain it so others can understand it for it to have any worth.
After that you make an effort and then see what people think to gauge whether or not you are communicating what you want.
For instance in the first shot, I cant tell if you are trying to represent Life's long, lonely climb to the last door, or if you are just trying to figure out how to use the white balance adjustment.
[if it's the first then you need more separation -wider lens- to distance the subject from the viewer for the lonely part]
In the second you either have someone with an Alien Parrot coming out of his stomach or are trying to do a high key shot.
[if the first then run, if the second then you should study high key to see how best to do it- for instance in high key the face and other visible skin should be the darkest thing in the shot.]
Good luck, and study hard (you really didn't think that school was going to be the end of it did you??
mike