Raptors of East Asia

Photographer

Category

Nature Photography - Wildlife

Company

Iordache Ovidiu Daniel

Submission Group

Amateur

Year

2026

Country / Region:

Taiwan

Raptors of East Asia is a photographic series documenting the gaze, flight, feeding behavior, and survival instincts of wild birds of prey photographed in Japan and Taiwan. The series is arranged in two distinct visual movements. The First Movement (Japan): It begins with the piercing stare of a Steller’s Sea Eagle, then moves from stillness into takeoff, aerial confrontation, and the decisive moment of a sea eagle lifting a fish from the water. The Second Movement (Taiwan): The narrative shifts to Taiwan, where a Peregrine Falcon carries prey, a Black Kite feeds on fish remains over Keelung Harbor, and the Mountain Hawk-Eagle glides through misty forested mountains before returning the series to a powerful front-facing gaze. From the frozen seascapes of Japan to the harbor, waterways, and mountain forests of Taiwan, each image captures a different expression of power, precision, and wild presence. The series moves fluidly between action and stillness, revealing raptors not only as powerful birds of prey, but as focused, adaptive, and deeply expressive wild beings. Together, Raptors of East Asia presents a visual journey of survival, instinct, and freedom—shaped by patience, timing, light, and the fleeting moments when movement and presence come together in a single frame.

Credits

More Gold Winners
Amateur
2026

Photographer

Philipp Schmieja

Category

Architecture Photography - Interior

Country / Region

Germany

Professional
2026

Photographer

Tracey Mcintosh

Category

Fine Art Photography - Pets

Country / Region

United States

Amateur
2026

Photographer

Category

Fine Art Photography - Abstract

Country / Region

United Kingdom

Amateur
2026

Photographer

Cheng-You Wu

Category

Editorial Photography - Religious

Country / Region

Taiwan