Quote - Would learning the basics of photography help in composing and rendering my scene? 

 

Absolutely would!
I don't have any links handy, but I can give you a few google searchwords, relating to photography. Look for how to's on: portrait photography, studio photography, studio lighting and composition. 
I try to treat my scenes as a studio portraits or sets, and the final render is just the final click on my camera. 
Lighting setup in EACH scenem even the outdoors one has a lot to do with lighting setup and composition. Knowing more about those can only enhance one's talent.

As for your render, there's hardly any separation between the figure and the background, that tends to confuse the eye a little bit, and the viewer tends to wander around the scene, rather then feeling drawn into it. In this particular scene the lighting and compositiopn would work together to make the figure pop out more.

Hi, my namez: "NO, Bad Kitteh, NO!"  Whaz yurs?
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