Initially, I liked the composition as is, but upon a second look, I began to notice some "relatively" serious distortion in the image, likely caused by a wide angle shot. I felt like there was too much curvature in the support cables and everything tended to lean toward the center point.
Doing some distortion control in CS5, and cleaning up some of the ground debris as well as a crop that I think still personifies the bridge but allows for the church and arch to take prominent statures. By the by, I love the new Mini Countryman coming through the arch.
I like it more without the houses or distortion; would it look nice with a longer focal length, Spire and part arch in vertical aspect and wide open, I don't know.
The only interesting bridge near me is falling down I think; thanks for sharing.
I originally had darkened the sky in my edit but realized quickly that the rich, red-orange-pinks in the upper left competed too much with the church as a focal point. I felt like the slightly overblown sky helped push the eye back toward the church by counterbalancing the church and arch itself.
Sorry not to have replied before now. Thanks Chris and others for your helpful coments.
Just speaking personally, Chris, I don't like this scene at all. But it's nothing to do with your photography.
From that angle there is just too much confusion and conflicting angles. I'm not sure what is wrong but I think it is something to do with the bridge cables and railings which are all going in different directions.
Somehow my eye is drawn from the bottom right corner, by way of the railings, etc, to the bridge arch, which has a confused scene behind it. Then the left side railings/supports catch my eye and return me to the foreground. The church requires a jump of concentration. And with nothing above the bridge arch the church seems out of context.
I have been considering cropping out part of the bridge or church so that there is only one main focal point, but I still can't get anything to look 'balanced' for me.
Mini Chris's version brings things together a bit better but I still find two distinct areas of interest which are competing for my attention.