The next step

Using the photo to create this composition was simply a matter of cropping.  My approach is completely intuitive.  I cropped, moved and shuffled this bird around until one idea simply said yes. Sometimes it's right on, sometimes I fall flat. There were many other viable options but I settled on this one. The reflection on the water is a key element.

This is the final crop and value adjusted image but it's not that simple.  I wanted it to say more, or at least be more dramatic so the next step is to adjust the values and lighting more to what my initial inspiration was from that day last summer.