Asiilbek, a nomadic Kazakh hunter, prepares his royal eagle, Burged, for a horseback hunt in the prairies outside Bayan-Ölgii, the westernmost province of Mongolia. Eagle training begins when the young are caught from their cliffside nests and taught how to hunt hares, foxes and even deer; a tradition dating back 3,000 years. “To make this image I lied down on my belly and pointed my electronic scope at the edge of the stream”, says photographer Eric Esterle. “When Asiilbek’s horse passed a few centimeters away splashing me with freezing water, the ground shook. I remember protecting the camera with my body and lowering my head”.