This is an intense photo. Very "in your face" comp and quite effective. Love the raised foot! Having said this, I would be curious to see the wider version including the whole bird as the fine detail seems to have been compromised by the heavy crop.
I actually like the untouched original better. It is just a shame that the right wing tip is clipped. The crop in panel #1 is much too great in my opinion.
Nice shot, (repost) I would consider cropping a little from the right and adding a little canvas to the left and try to repair the wing tip if this was mine. The original is a little to big in the frame for my taste and I don't really like the clipped wings, there is also a little sharpening artefact around the edges of the wings
Scott, thanks for posting the original in-camera crop. Bummer about the clipped wing, but as an alternative you could always crop some at left, to about halfway between the edge and the wing's "bend". This way you'll end up with a "cut" rather than "clipped" wing. Not a huge consolation for not having the complete wing, but it would more look like a designed comp rather than an accidental one. Just an option to consider:cool: