Pacific Loon & Repost

Very nice look at the loon-good color and detail.  I wonder how it would look with the hightlights reduced in the background.

Paula: this is a different and pleasing look at the bird in choppy water. Have you considered toning down the very bright background? Richard

Sounds cold, Paula.  A very nice image of the loon.  The ice is interesting as an environmental image, but it does draw the eye from the main subject.

Thanks for your suggestions!  

Thanks for addressing the background issues in this image Paula.  It definitely improves the composition and the overall impact.  Despite that and there's probably nothing you could do about it my initial take on this image was that the loon looks a little unusual in its placement in the water due to some contrast variations between the water and the bird itself.  I'm not sure that something you did in processing the image or if it was actually there.  I guess what I am trying to explain is that there appears to be more contrast on the bird then the surrounding water.

I really like the habitat image of the loon, Paula. I think the water droplets on the loon add a lot to this image. I like the light in the scene,  the progressive brightening from bottom to top and the presence of ice, but like others think the top part can benefit from a slight decrease in exposure.

David, I looked back in Lightroom to see how I had processed this Loon pic. I only used the radial filter to slightly increase exposure in the eye to brighten it a bit, other than that just the usual processing.  Again, thank you for taking to time to offer your expertise.