French photographer and director Romain Laurent started making portrait-based GIFs as a way to produce work outside his commercial jobs, a spontaneous project that would encourage him to produce consistently for himself rather than clients.

“Just another day on the job” (he's not an idiot bystander – he's an idiot fireman). See some more bad taste selfies from around the world.

Girls hold hands as they arrive their New Year parties in Newcastle, England on December 31, 2019. (Photo by Craig Connor/North News and Pictures)

It's often said that pets and their owners can start to look alike, but these adorable photographs take the old mantra to a new extreme. They are the work of Svetlana Valyiskaya (27), from St Petersburg, who snaps pets in everyday poses in her spare time from her job as a commercial photographer. The vibrant costumes and scenes, which Svetlana designs herself, have made the photos a hit in her native Russia – and it's not hard to see why. She said: “I really love animals, they are loyal, faithful and true and always interesting to work with – plus they never criticise the photographs afterwards”. (Photo by Svetlana Valyiskaya/Mercury)

Throughout the course of the long war in Afghanistan, Coalition troops have relied on thousands of military working dogs to help keep them safe, and make their jobs easier. The dogs are trained to detect explosives, to find illegal drugs, to search for missing comrades, or target enemy combatants. Not only are they active on the front lines, but behind the lines they serve as therapy dogs, service dogs, and loyal companions. They also share the same risks as the ground troops, suffering injuries and sometimes death on the battlefields. Gathered here are images of these dogs and their handlers in Afghanistan and back home, from over the past several years, part of the ongoing series here on Afghanistan.

A Hindu devotee displays his inked hand after taking part in the religious festival of Holi in Vrindavan, in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, March 8, 2017. (Photo by Cathal McNaughton/Reuters)

A first white-handed gibbon infant born at the Skopje Zoo is seen with his mother in Skopje, North Macedonia on May 9, 2019. (Photo by Ognen Teofilovski/Reuters)

Megan Barton-Hanson attending the ITV Summer Party 2019 at Nobu Shoreditch in London, England on July 17, 2019 holding hands with Demi Sims. (Photo by SOPA Images via Getty Images)