Life in the Big Cityby
StOlafPhotographerComment by surfdabbler: You requested an honest critique, so here's mine... :)
I find the scattered lights a distraction from the main subject. It's very difficult to get shadow detail, so the floating lights don't form any coherent objects - they are just visual dirt on the background. Similarly, the shadow detail is lost on the tower, making it rather disconnected and insubstantial as the main subject. Some less contrasty editing, and possibly some HDR treatment might help to connect the building back and get it to be clearer in view.
The light trails have about the right level of shutter speed, although the colours are washed out. The red trails are a washed out grey/orange colour, and the green traffic lights are blown-out cyan. Getting vivid natural colours is quite difficult in a night shot like this, particularly in wet weather, where everything is so high contrast.
Composition wise, the light trails and the building are competing subjects - both are hovering near the edges of the frame, and neither are strong enough to own the picture, and neither is supporting or adding to the other. Possibly standing in a different view point, you might get a better angle of the building, and get the light trails to lead to the building, so that they complement each other.
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