Exercise: Focus with a set aperature

For this exercise, i had to take a couple of pictures of an area with depth focusing on something different in each photograph, using the same aperture.
I took a couple of photographs using the banisters on my staircase. I set the aperture on my camera at its lowest f5.3.
I took the first photograph focusing on the closest banisters and the following photograph focusing on those furthest away.

I prefer the second photograph, the one which focuses on the banisters in the background. As i like the sense of depth created in this image. With the foreground out of focus, you attention is immediately drawn to the central banister in the background. The way the light is hitting the wall in the background, almost makes it glow and stick out further from its out of focus surroundings. Having objects in the foreground at the very front of the picture out of focus and your vision drawn to a point in focus, in the background gives more of a senses of depth to the picture. As opposed to the other photograph where you attention stays across the front of the image.