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.