The duck shot is superb. Great title too!

Now here's creative use of blown highlights..I came across this in the gallery, I hope Lowela does't mind me putting it here....

I love the building with the trees! I also really like the first one you posted (of the billboards), there's loads to look at. The traffic lights are nice too. The mono cityscape looks a tad bright to me, but that could be my monitor.

I am a bit surprised (and p***ed off considering some of the stuff I have seen on there recently) that this has just been rejected: I really like it. I'm not sure I can be bothered with PPG anymore.

Apologies, Mark, I wasn't having a go at your PP skills, and hadn't spotted how DOIK had achieved that result. However, I still would not class this picture as "creative use of blown highlights". It just looks wrong to my eyes, more especially as it obscures some interesting detail.

The blown highlights make it impossible to work that one out, IMO. DOIK's version seems to show that PP technique as much as exposure contributed to the blown highlights...

I would love to see this printed full size

It seems like a lot of work unless you really needed a huge file though. No denying that you've ended up with a great image though.

Ruin the picture? I don't think so, but I think perhaps the question should have been " Would this be a better photograph without the blown highlights". To which my answer would be yes. The patterns of the tattoos on his face would look far more interesting if we could see them properly. The side of his face that is not blown is a strange hue as well? Though the highlights bother me more, not from any purists point of view but because IMHO the loss of detail from the blown highlights in this particular photograph is detrimental to the image as a whole.

I agree with Pauly, though I like the colour. I am assuming (perhaps incorrectly) that as this is 5 exposures, the most under exposed frame doesn't have those blown highlights? If so, you could try blending the sun from that shot into this image.

The last three pictures, and most especially the last, are absolutely amazing IMHO. I don't do much macro, even though I have a good macro lens, and one of the reasons is I find the incredibly limited DOF frustrating and technically very challenging. The bee picture though, with just enough DOF to see it's bent leg, and that incredibly sharp antenna, makes me realise I am missing out on a whole other world.

IMHO, I think a little bit more contrast in the foreground and background would improve it, but I am in no way qualified to critique any of these (though can't help saying I find the first one a bit too green; this from the POV of someone who has no idea what this insect actually looks like).