Blue Ridge Buck

That's a nice buck and a good photo. I don't find the background distracting, it's characteristic. I like the sharpness in the leaves around the buck, I can hear them crunching underfoot. You might crop a bit off the top, which would focus more attention on the buck and darken the whites on his head a tiny bit.

You were up against some contrasty lighting. I think you did a good job with the processing you mention, but I agree that if you can dial the whites back a little it will help. Background distraction can be a matter of taste. To my eye, the busy nature of the tall grasses on the left edge are more distracting than the dark timber. The positioning of the front legs (beyond your control) gives him a little bit of an unbalanced feeling. Perhaps you have other frames or at least in the future it is one more thing to be watching!

Hi Andrew, that looks like a very close, yet relaxed encounter; it is always great if an animal allows you this close. Apart from what Lon and Mark have already brought up I have two points that could have improved this. First of all a lower angle (eye-level rather than top down) would have given this a completely different, more appealing look IMO. Secondly I am confused by your exposure techs. With a busy BG like this a wider aperture would have helped to create more BG separation. Further your ISO and consequently your SS are much higher than you needed here. The high ISO will make it more difficult to retrieve shadows and highlights as dynamic range decreases with higher ISO values.