Lovely color, and the foreground bokeh adds a nice natural frame. Shot thru some leaves at the edge of the water? Nicely seen and captured. Unique too! :) Good luck in the challenge.
excellent colors and smooth ripples in the water, there seems to be too much smoothing of the feathers in the bird's neck though i thin. you could leave more texture in the neck while still convaying a smooth feel
I would actually like this more without the bird. The water and plants have a great texture to them and great colors. The focus wasn't dead on with the bird and I think that's what is hurting the photo as a whole.
Nice job just right on my $2000.00 monitor! a few degrees to the right on angle would have made this birds breast a little more exposed but I like it for the warm light and excellent focus. Evokes warm and smooth.
good job