Inspired by BPN members I too went duck hunting last week, Made some images of the Shovelers who are on thier way back as winter is over and the summer is setting in.
I first made a tighter crop, but decided to post one with more space around, hope it looks ok.
Thanks Jim, sure will try the tighter crop, In regard to the FG I have not done any blurring only half noise reduction, The patterns and no texture is only because the water was calm and the low angle, the lens was just about 1 inch above the water. i have just attched the raw to show.
Kiran, good to see a duck shot from you. Nice low angle. really need it for shoveller which is such a "short" duck. You have treated the whites well. That is bound to make some other parts dark. You can try recovering them but I think it might lose some contrast punch.
A little crop from below and more space on top might look better...but I like it a lot as presented too.
I have been trying to get such a shot as well...unfortunately the shovellers don't come within my 400mm reach.
Not directed at the OP but as a general comment....any time I try to sell an image like this in print because of the low angle, it gets passed over and I invariably get asked why I did so much PS work on it. People just aren't used to seeing things in a way they don't see them in real life I guess.
This is a difficult bird to expose, but you have nailed it. The blurred bottom is really competing with the bird and you need to crop it a little from the bottom, so that viewers eye, goes directly to the bird, rather than from the blurred bottom than to the bird. Leave the top space as it is(All these comments are for the first picture you have posted).