ducks in motion

The picture was taken as JPEG rather then RAW and adjusted from there. I also know the image is a little soft but not sure if it is focus, lens, user error here. the two pics are the original as shot and then the other is cropped with some PP done to it, which if you can't tell I'm new to that part.
any help, tips or other feedback would be welcome.

1/400 f/3.5 iso 200 using the stock 18-55mm lens

1)original

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Byte size: ZERO | Content warning: NOT AN IMAGE

Uummm...I'm not seeing anything...

well crap this sucks. I'm seeing them on my end. guess I need to reboot the "server"

there we go should be all fixed now.

i could see them just fine. don't have an critic since i don't know anything about technique myself.

Bill 1

Yes, now the shots are coming up.

Well, I like the color adjustments you did in the second but, but I think I'd back off the blues just a tich. Yes, the image is just a bit soft, but I don't see that as that big a problem...a little USM should clean most of that up. My biggest issue here however is that I think you over did it with the crop. It's a neat idea, but I would have left some of the background with the edge of the water and the trees in to give the shot more of a sense of depth.

Beyond that, the only other comment I really have is that I think this shot would have worked better if the geese had of been taking off on a horizontal plane with the camera instead of flying away from you. Not to be rude, but what I really get from this shot is a bunch of geese flying away from some guy with a camera.

Just my $.02 worth,
Jim

walczak no worries on the rude part. they where spazzin out all day while I was up there and so I do have soem side to sides also and I think this time it was due to one of those boaters pulling up (they have food a lot of times and we just had the camera who do you think wins that one)
thank you though