Balancing sharp and soft

I now have a definate choice to make when I start work each day - to dive into the sharper intense images like Poppit or London - or work through the softer more subtle images from Windows into Winter for example. I know pretty soon if I have made the right choice as it either flows or it doesn't. I still find it interesting that you can look at an image all day and not see its possibilities - then the next day you get it right away and it is done. Take the image below for example. It took me a long time before I saw what it could be.