Automatic exposure 
Adjusted exposure
I chose to take a picture on the opposite side to get a shot of the sun beaming on the leaf. This gives a feel of a summer and a sunny day after I adjusted the exposure to be brighter.
Automatic exposure 
Adjusted exposure
I got the different exposures my standing on the side were it’s visible to see both the light and shadow from the natural light. I think I succeed in creating different moods of the same scene.
Your second example is more successful than the first one. The dark surrounding the bush hides a lot of distracting stuff and we just focus on the texture of the bush.