What I really wanted to bring out was the details. I don't know if this is an appropriate focal point or if it needs to be a specific region of the picture. ......
how would you go about downplaying the rectangle so that it is not the focal point. I adjusted it a little bit what do you think?
Justin
As you are playing in Photoshop to change your picture to how you like it, you can also modify the things that are spoiling the overall image.
I have just copied your picture and very quickly worked on it in Photoshop. I have done almost nothing at all but by giving that rectangle some texture and also some toning it has made the difference so that now your eyes will flow all over the bridge and those spans (I like the way you increased the brightness on the left span) now take the eyes up to that dramatic sky.
Now to tell you how I textured that metal plate.
With the polygonal lasso tool (hidden under the regular lasso) I drew a shape down the same span the plate is bolted to that I felt would be the same size as the plate. So I created a rectangle shape on the lower part of the span. With me so far?
Then I held down Ctr while hitting the J key to copy and paste. This put the shape onto a new layer.
I dragged the shape up to cover the plate. The shape I had drawn was a bit larger than the shape it was to cover but that was OK.
In the layers palette I changed the blending mode to Multiply and reduced the opacity to about 45%
The eraser was used to remove the excess from the rectangle I had made into a layer.
Then the whole was flattened and now you see it.
AJ