Raptors of East Asia

Photographer

Iordache Ovidiu Daniel

Category

Nature Photography - Wildlife

Company

Submission Group

Amateur

Year

2026

Country / Region:

Belgium

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.

More Gold Winner Winners
Amateur
2026

Photographer / Company

Haruka Kondo

Category

People Photography - Culture

Country / Region

Japan

Professional
2026

Photographer / Company

Robert DenUyl

Category

Nature Photography - Landscapes

Country / Region

United States

Amateur
2026

Photographer / Company

Vito L Tanzi

Category

People Photography - Culture

Country / Region

United States

Amateur
2026

Photographer / Company

Alejandro Murillo

Category

Nature Photography - Wildlife

Country / Region

Costa Rica