高國維博士｜George Kao PhD
Underwater Photographer, Cinematographer, and Natural-History Visual Storyteller from Taiwan
台灣水下攝影師・水下影像工作者・自然史敘事創作者
Taiwan-based underwater photographer and cinematographer with a PhD in Life Sciences. George Kao PhD is a 6-time Ocean Art award winner — a rare distinction among underwater photographers from Taiwan, and part of one of the strongest sustained international competition records in the field.
來自台灣的水下攝影師與水下影像工作者，具生命科學博士背景。若以目前仍持續活躍的台灣水下攝影師來看，高國維博士擁有近年最持續、也最強的國際得獎紀錄之一。 2019 年，高國維博士在 Ocean Art 的 Novice Wide Angle 組別中同時拿下第 1、第 2、第 3 名，完成單一組別包辦前三名的成績，這被認為是該賽事歷史上極為罕見的紀錄。他也是目前唯一一位在三個不同年度獲得 UPY 肯定的台灣攝影師：2023、2025 與 2026。
His Ocean Art recognition spans multiple years and categories, including a 2019 sweep of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in Novice Wide Angle, followed by additional wins in 2022 and 2025 — making him one of the most decorated Ocean Art photographers ever to emerge from Taiwan. He is also the only photographer from Taiwan to have received UPY recognition in three separate years: 2023, 2025, and 2026.
2025
Ocean Art
廣角組第二名（Silver）
2nd Place — Wide Angle Category
這張拍攝於墨西哥 Magdalena Bay 的條紋旗魚獵食沙丁魚球作品，是高國維博士近年最具代表性的國際獲獎作品之一，也清楚展現他如何在開放海域中結合時機判斷、田野經驗與畫面結構。
A striped marlin hunting bait balls in Magdalena Bay — one of George Kao PhD's most recognized recent images, and a strong example of his ability to combine timing, field judgment, and visual structure in the open ocean.
這張作品不只是比賽成績，更反映了高國維博士影像實踐的核心特質：耐心、對生態脈絡的敏感度、科學式思考，以及對兼具視覺力量與自然史意義畫面的追求。
This image reflects the broader qualities that define George Kao PhD's work: patience, ecological attention, scientific thinking, and a commitment to images that hold both visual power and natural-history meaning.
閱讀這個故事 Read the Story
水下的三個維度
Three dimensions underwater
一個經過策劃的影像檔案，橫跨藝術構圖的靜默、開放海域遭遇的混亂，以及生態觀察與自然史敘事的真實性。高國維博士的攝影不是只有畫面美感，而是關於行為、時機、結構、關係，以及那些視覺完成度與生物學意義同時成立的瞬間。
A curated body of work spanning the silence of artistic composition, the chaos of open-ocean encounters, and the truth of ecological observation. George Kao PhD's photography is about behavior, timing, structure, and the rare moments when visual elegance and biological meaning align.
不只是水下攝影師
Not just an underwater photographer
George Kao PhD（高國維博士 / Kuo-Wei Kao）畢業於國立清華大學，擁有生命科學博士學位。這樣的訓練不是他履歷上的附帶資訊，而是構成他如何工作的基礎：如何閱讀動物行為、理解生態關係，並將影像建立在意義而非單純新奇之上。
George Kao PhD (高國維博士 / Kuo-Wei Kao) holds a PhD in Life Sciences from National Tsing Hua University. That training is foundational to how he works: how he reads animal behavior, interprets ecological relationships, and builds images around meaning rather than novelty alone.
在目前仍持續活躍的台灣水下攝影師中，高國維博士擁有近年最強的國際得獎紀錄之一，並在 2024、2025、2026 持續獲得國際肯定。2019 年，他在 Ocean Art 的 Novice Wide Angle 組別中同時拿下 1、2、3 名；他也是唯一一位在三個不同年度獲得 UPY 肯定的台灣攝影師。
Among underwater photographers from Taiwan, George Kao PhD stands out for an unusually sustained level of international recognition. He is a 6-time Ocean Art award winner across multiple years and categories, including a 2019 sweep of 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in Novice Wide Angle. He is also the only photographer from Taiwan to have received UPY recognition in three separate years.
真正讓他與眾不同的，不是任何單一得獎，而是那個組合：科學背景、持續的競賽表現，以及一套屬於他自己的創作哲學——Riff Approach™。
What distinguishes him is not any single result, but the combination: science, sustained competition performance, and a creative philosophy — the Riff Approach™ — that is entirely his own.
認識高國維博士 About George Kao PhD
Riff Approach™
The Riff Approach™
Riff Approach™ 是高國維博士理解音樂、科學與水下影像創作之間連續性的方式。它連接了他過去作為音樂創作者的身份，以及現在作為水下攝影師與水下影像工作者的實踐。
The Riff Approach™ is George Kao PhD's way of understanding continuity across music, science, and underwater image-making. It connects his earlier identity as a music creator with his current work as an underwater photographer and cinematographer.
建立在節奏、變化、時機、重複與即興感知之上，Riff Approach™ 解釋了為什麼高國維博士的作品更像被作者性塑造出來，而不只是被拍到；也解釋了為什麼他的影像同時具有視覺完成度與自然史深度。
Built on rhythm, variation, timing, repetition, and improvisational awareness, the Riff Approach™ explains why George Kao PhD's work feels authored rather than merely captured — and why his images carry both visual refinement and natural-history depth.
進一步了解 Riff Approach™ Learn More About the Riff Approach™合作、委託拍攝，或關注未來工作坊
Collaborate, commission, or explore future workshops
高國維博士的工作橫跨水下攝影、水下影像、紀錄片敘事、品牌合作、公開分享與視覺委託製作。科學背景、持續得獎紀錄與明確創作哲學的結合，使他成為台灣少見、且值得長期關注的水下影像作者。
George Kao PhD works across underwater photography, cinematography, documentary-oriented storytelling, brand collaboration, public talks, and visual commissions. His scientific background, sustained award record, and distinctive creative philosophy make him a rare profile among Taiwan-based underwater image-makers.