Gu Ying: from flying high to watching the sky

Gu Ying takes shots of emperor penguins in Antarctica in 2015. [Photo provided to China Daily]

"I was thrilled because I once wanted to be a fighter pilot," says Gu. "The para-glider evoked my childhood dream."

Gu then registered for a para-gliding course, and after three weeks' training, took flight. "It felt like I was a bird and belonged to the sky."

Since then, Gu has taken many classes and later became a para-gliding athlete. She won gold medals four times in national competitions and set a national women's record for 100-kilometer para-gliding.

In 2009, Gu fell from the sky in an accident and broke her back. Luckily, her spine was not irreparably injured. After three months in bed, Gu was able to stand up again, but she had to say goodbye to her para-gliding career.

"We para-gliders call ourselves bird-men," says Gu. "When I couldn't fly like a bird, I found another hobby－taking photographs of birds."

Since 2011, Gu has taken photos of around 1,000 species of birds in dozens of countries. Some of her photos of rare birds have been included in The Handbook of the Birds of the World.

Starting with bird photography, Gu gradually became a wildlife photographer.

In 2014, Gu embarked on a journey to capture the moment polar bears bring their newborn cubs out of their caves after hibernation. It took her more than 10 days at a base within the Arctic Circle in Canada to get a good shot.