Lunch of the Creek

Rick, very nice image. You have handled the light very well IMHO. If I was to make any suggestion it would be to crop off the dark band across the top. But, not sure if that is needed. Thanks for sharing.

I like the action here. You've done a nice job with a tough image that would be difficult to expose correctly for anyone. That bright back lighting was sure to blow out the upper bird if any meaningful detail in the rest was achieved. So well done overall. I think I do agree with a crop from the top.

Backlighting is fun and can yield some dramatic results. For me, it highlighted too many distractions in the water and the BG. Well handled on the backlight.

That backlight makes this image special, Rick. I'm fine with the little points of light in the water. However, I find the shoreline a bit distracting. You could try darkening the light colors in the shoreline. The comp is ok but I wonder if a closer look at the bird would provide more impact and remove some possible distractions (i.e. maybe a vertical crop of the bird and reflection). I agree that you handled the backlighting really well.

Thanks for the constructive points from all. I will work this on over a bit and post it soon.