Toja’s photography captures the rare intersection of precision and presence. In his latest series, Guardians of the Wild, Toja welcomes viewers into moments where the natural world feels both immediate and eternal. Every frame is crisp and sharply detailed, yet layered with the kind of stillness that draws you in, holding your attention as if the subject might step forward from the print at any moment.

A few years ago, Toja began his career in photography under the mentorship of Tyler Shields, first working as his assistant before developing his own artistic voice. His early work centered on large-format waterscapes, serene, meditative compositions that explored the play of light, texture, and quiet space. While they reflected a tranquil worldview, a transformative trip to Africa shifted his focus entirely. Immersed in the raw landscapes and untamed life of the continent, he found a new subject: the unguarded majesty of wildlife.

The images in Guardians of the Wild are the result of this shift. Shot entirely in the wild, the series captures the immediacy of the moment with cinematic clarity: a cheetah locking eyes with the viewer in Cheetah Gaze, a lion striding across open plains, an elephant leading a tribe of giraffes beneath a sweeping sky, a polar bear standing alone at the edge of the world in Polar Watch. Each photograph balances realism with a mythical undertone, rendering these animals as both living beings and enduring symbols.

What sets Toja apart is his ability to bring the viewer into the scene, not as a distant observer, but as a silent witness. His compositions feel unhurried, deliberate, and deeply respectful, revealing the dignity of his subjects without spectacle. Whether capturing the rush of a horse through water or the still authority of a predator at rest, his work is rooted in patience, timing, and an unflinching commitment to detail.

Following his debut waterscape series, Guardians of the Wild marks Toja’s second release with 1905 Contemporary, where he is represented exclusively. He is now represented exclusively by the gallery. Already in the hands of collectors, his work arrives at a highly collectible entry point, offering both accessibility and long-term potential. More than a wildlife series, it is a body of work that speaks to endurance: of the species, of the landscapes they inhabit, and of the moments that, once gone, can only live on through the image.