I’m Cristina and I’m an artist from Romania in search of the beauty of the Earth. I walk through life holding my camera in my hands to capture this beauty and to share it with everyone that has eyes to see it.

Ever since I was a little girl, I was very fond of the animals that live among us. I love to watch them and listen to their sounds and I could spend hours doing this. This contemplation connects me to mother nature and it gives me the strength I need to go on.

When I found out I was going on a trip to Panama, all I kept thinking about was exploring the wildlife. I was so eager to finally see animals that I only could have seen on pictures or on documentaries. The first animals that I came across were these large black vultures that were soaring above the rooftops of skyscrapers in Panama City. Then I met them closer, on the coast of Pacific Ocean, near the fish market, above Ancon Hill -the highest point of Panama City, or on islands few minutes away from the city.

I got close to them and I could see them landing, fighting, grooming, looking for food, soaring high in the sky, eating among the roads. One may say they are ugly and ferocious, but for me they are beautiful creatures. What really touched my heart is the eye contact I had with so many of them. I kept moving around them to capture their greatness the better I could and they were following me with their little but so acute eyes. They see their prey from high in the sky and I was a few meters near them, gazing into each other’s eyes!

Being so close to these wild birds and being able to photograph them was an amazing experience and now I want to tell the world a tiny part of their story. I want to encourage people to take a closer look of what surrounds them and to see the beauty of the world in every little creature they encounter in their journey of life.

More info: cristina-olteanu.ro

American Black Vultures are large birds of prey, with a wingspan of 1.5 m (4.9 ft)

One may say they are ugly and ferocious, but for me they are beautiful creatures

It’s like they are dressed in a black elegant coat, having white stars on the underside of their wingtips

They have an airly landing, a truly inspiration for ballet dancers

They soar with style and grace

They group in large flocks and they have strong social bonds with their families throught their lives

They are monogamous, choosing their mate for life

They are really jealous and aggressively prevent their rivals to get closer to their mate

They start fighting by pecking and biting…

…foot-grappling…

…wing-pummeling

They faced lots of threats throughout time: people believed they spread diseases and they shot them by thousands; they faced collisions with cars, and a lack of places to nest

But somehow Black Vultures are now rebounded

I want to encourage people to take a closer look of what surrounds them and to see the beauty of the world in every little creature they encounter in their journey of life

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