Eagle trainer Makanau Tumanbek and his eagle "Red Eye" in Aheqi, southern Xinjiang's Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture.[Photo by Niu Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Little does the eagle trainer Makanau Tumanbek living deep in the mountains of the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region know, the picture of him gently touching the beak of his eagle "red eye" with his nose has gone viral on the internet after it won the grand prize of this year's iPhone Photography Award- the Oscar of iPhone photography.

The moment was captured by Niu Siyuan with his iPhone 5s in southern Xinjiang's Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture. "Makanau's move was to calm the startled eagle. I noticed the tough 61-year-old Kirgiz man who rarely smiles suddenly became so soft with his eagle. Immediately, I took my phone out and took the picture. There was no time for me to think," said Niu, 29, from Urumqi, the regional capital of Xinjiang.

A Uygur girl on the grassland.[Photo by Niu Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Makanau is among only a few people in China who still know how to train eagles to hunt for rabbits and foxes. It is mainly a tradition to people from Kirgiz and Kazak ethnic groups. The number of eagles allowed to be trained has also been strictly controlled because they are protected animals in China.

Niu, a professional documentary cameraman and producer, is quite familiar with sophisticated digital cameras but he said the very moment showing the connection between human and nature that deeply touched him and many others around the world can only be taken with his phone because it is always in his pockets and taking picture with mobile phones is more like a gut reaction.

A Tajik boy. [Photo by Niu Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

"The thing with iPhone photography is that what see is what you get. People can forget about techniques such as adjusting aperture and exposure. Most importantly, it is so accessible and easy to use so people can feel free to record the most authentic moments," he said after the photo titled "Man and eagle winning the Grand Prize Winner Photographer of the Year Award of IIPAwards on July 7. It was selected from thousands of entries submitted by iPhone photographers from 139 countries around the world.

Founded the same year the iPhone was born, in 2007, the IPPAwards pay tribute to the stunning imagery that can be captured with even the smallest and most unprofessional of cameras, reminding people that the person behind the lens plays a significant part in a good picture but the camera. Niu is the first the Chinese to win the top award.

Road from Urumqi to southern Xinjiang.[Photo by Niu Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Niu started to receive training in digital cameras in 2010 when he returned home after graduating from a university in Jiangxi province. He formed the habit of taking pictures of Xinjiang with iPhone in 2012 and joined the ever-growing global professional iphotographers.

He believed it was Xinjiang's unique beauty and charming people that won the judges' hearts. "I was born in Xinjiang and am deeply in love with it so I want to show people what's the massive land is really like and how diverse it is," he said. "Mobile phone is like a pen that I can write poem with."

Eagle trainer Makanau Tumanbek and his eagle "Red Eye" in Aheqi, southern Xinjiang's Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture.[Photo by Niu Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

IPPAwards allows photographers to adjust the pictures with photo applications for iPhone. Niu used Snapseed and Vsco for the final touches. He hoped iPhone can have a longer battery life in the future as the photography hardware and applications improve.

Niu will soon visit Makanau and tell him the good news in person. Unfortunately, "red eye" won't be there to hear it because Makanau had already set him free to have his own family. Maybe the son of "red eye" will team up with Makanau's youngest son who has been learning to become a Kirgiz eagle trainer in the future, Niu said.

Eagle trainer Makanau Tumanbek and his eagle "Red Eye" in Aheqi, southern Xinjiang's Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture.[Photo by Niu Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Eagle trainer Makanau Tumanbek and his eagle "Red Eye" in Aheqi, southern Xinjiang's Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture.[Photo by Niu Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Eagle trainer Makanau Tumanbek and his eagle "Red Eye" in Aheqi, southern Xinjiang's Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture.[Photo by Niu Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]

Double rainbow in Aheqi, Kizilsu Kirgiz autonomous prefecture.[Photo by Niu Siyuan/chinadaily.com.cn]