Critique of Tulsa at Night.

The picture is of some "weeds" on my hill. These little flowers make me think of daintily dressed daughters sitting on papas' shoulders to see the parade more clearly. Little faces with bonnets turned away from the glare of the sun. If we can't appreciate such beauty, what can we appreciate?
A friend caused me to evaluate why I like the picture of Tulsa at Night.(See previous blog) In the beginning, let me say that the comments of this friend were positive and I appreciate the stimulation of making myself do this disciplined critique. I realize that the quality of the original is still less than what I'd like for it to have been and that the picture I posted is a reduced size file, but even in the reduced state I still have good feelings about it.
Some of those feelings may have been attached to being with my daughter and her family after a long time of separation. Yes, we laughed and joked and slipped on the ice a little to walk out to an observation deck. We kidded and braced ourselves against a brisk breeze which felt invigorating as cold as it was. But intuitively I knew it was even more than that warm fuzzy event.
So I sat down and composed the kind of critique I knew I would have expected from my art classes. Information, analysis, interpretation, evaluation. In otherwords, What is it? How does it relate to art? How does it relate to the mind? How does it make you feel? Here is my attempt to speak intelligently about this piece.

Tulsa at Night, by Donna Woodall, Feb. 16, 2007, 10:35 PM
Digital Media, Sony Alpha: ISO 400,
35mm focal length, 3.2 sec at F4,.
3872x2592 pixels.
Taken from a footbridge on the Arkansas River without flash or tripod, the picture depicts the northward view of the west side of Tulsa. Lights of bright gold contrast with dull shadows of brown and purple creating a vertical linear rhythm of buildings and reflections against the diagonal rhythm supplied by water and land. The picture is divided by a horizontal line created by a highway bridge and trees. In the middle ground right, is a park like area bordering the river bank and dotted with streetlights sporting strong highlights in hues of gold and purple. A solitary cylinder centered in the foreground, guides the eye back up into the water and skyline, keeping the eye from resting in the muted dark areas.
The vertical linear quality of buildings and reflections contrasts a horizontal format producing a tension that belies the peacefulness of the scene. I believe the active composition is what drew me to attempt such an improbable shot with only the stone railing to steady my camera.
I also feel that the above moderate success of the shot adds to its personal appeal. While the picture may not be magazine clarity, it gives to me a good deal of positive feedback. And therefore, I like it.