NASA space shuttle Atlantis in Earth orbit is seen during a Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver, or back flip to enable space station crew members to take high resolution digital pictures of the shuttle's heat shield before docking for the last time with the International Space Station July 10, 2011 in space. Atlantis has embarked on a 12-day mission to the International Space Station where it will deliver the Raffaello multi-purpose logistics module packed with supplies and spare parts. This will be the final launch of the space shuttle program, which began on April 12, 1981 with the launch of Colombia. (Photo by NASA via Getty Images)

The stern of the stranded cargo vessel Rena grounded on the Astrolabe Reef is seen on October 20, 2011 in Tauranga, New Zealand. Salvage crews continue to pump oil off the ship in an effort to remove as much as possible before bad weather predicted for the evening threatens to break the vessel and release more oil into the sea. Over 300 tonnes of oil has leaked from Rena since it hit the reef on October 5. (Photo by New Zealand Defence Force via Getty Images)

“Photographer Seth Casteel has definitely taken animal photography to new heights – or depths – with his hilarious photos of dogs chasing balls underwater. Casteel, who, naturally, has two dogs of his own (a mini Labradoodle and a Norwich terrier), said that he's drawn to underwater dog photography because the photos show a side of dogs that people may have never seen before”.

Photo: Seth Casteel Underwater Dog Pictures (Photo by Seth Casteel)

An elephant dressed in a Santa Claus costume gives out gifts to students to mark the Christmas season at a school in Ayutthaya province on December 24, 2010. The event was held as part of a campaign to promote Christmas in Thailand. (Photo by Pornchai Kittiwongsakul/AFP Photo)

Residents cross a swelling dam, due to rising waters brought about by Typhoon Koppu, in Las Pinas city, metro Manila October 19, 2015. Powerful typhoon Koppu ploughed into the northeastern Philippines before dawn on Sunday destroying homes and displacing 10,000 people and whipping up coastal surges four meters (12 feet) high, disaster agency officials said. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Reuters)

A volunteer puts a banknote on remains for luck during a mass exhumation at Poh Teck Tung Foundation Cemetery in Samut Sakhon province, Thailand November 3, 2015. Human remains from 3,890 unclaimed bodies have been dug out of graves to be cleaned and put into storage in a warehouse before being cremated, in order to make room for further unidentified corpses. (Photo by Athit Perawongmetha/Reuters)

Light is the sole reason why life exists. It provides us with warmth; it allows us to see; it nourishes all the living things on this planet. Many painters, especially the masters of Old Renaissance Period, have recognized the importance of light and its intimate connection with nature and life itself. In their paintings they gave tribute to light, giving the impression that their paintings had a light source hidden within them. Al Hogue, the artist who created the paintings that you see before you, has studied their techniques for many years. As time went by, light permeated not only his paintings by also his life, becoming his sole philosophy.

Amateur Iranian photographer Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganji, 23 likes to learn as much as he can about a site before he photographs it. Then he utilizes a variety of wide-angle and fisheye lenses, as well as occasional panoramic techniques to create beautiful new, often mind-bending images. He usually shoots the architectural wonders of Iran, and hopes that the Iranian government will allow him to travel further from home in pursuit of other iconic architectural treasures. Photo: The Nasir al-mulk or “Pink” mosque in Shiraz, Iran. (Photo by Mohammad Reza Domiri Ganj)