Sports have the ability to transform groups of strangers into a united community. In the celebratory spirit surrounding the 2014 FIFA World Cup, Sony and the World Photography Organisation present UNITED – a contest honouring the passion of football fans around the world. Seven inspirational photographers have been selected by Sony and WPO to capture the atmosphere and celebration of the World Cup across the globe. Photo: France – French fans cheering for their team. (Photo by Anthony Lepinay)

A huge colony of Pacific Walrus on Arakamchechen Island in the Northern Bering Sea. (Photo by Francois Gohier/Ardea/Caters News)

Model Yasmine Petty arrives on the Life Ball plane on May 15, 2015 in Vienna, Austria. The Life Ball, an annual charity ball raising funds for HIV & AIDS projects, will take place on May 16, 2015 at the city hall in Vienna. (Photo by Monika Fellner/Getty Images)

These images are enough to make viewers do a double-take. Although they look like vibrant works of abstract art, they are actually drone photographs taken by brothers J.P. and Mike Andrews, from near Wolverhampton, England. Here: Kickflip. (Photo by J.P. Andrews/Mike Andrews/Caters News Agency)

Record snowfall in the Sahara Desert near the town of Ain Sefra in Algeria on January 21, 2017. (Photo by Geoff Robinson/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Renowned amphibian and reptile photographer Matthijs Kuijpers has released his first book, “Cold Instinct”. Kuijpers says the aim of the work is “for the viewer to abandon the fear and negative thoughts that often surround these animals”. What’s left is the bizarre beauty of these creatures in their simplest form – no backgrounds and no distractions. Here: Mossy frog (Theloderma corticale). (Photo by Matthijs Kuijpers/The Guardian)

A women rides a motor bike on a street covered with volcanic ash from an eruption of Mount Kelud, in Solo, Indonesia, Friday, February 14, 2014. A major volcanic eruption in Indonesia blasted clouds of ash and debris 18 kilometers (12 miles) into the air on Friday, forcing authorities to close six airports, cancel flights elsewhere in Southeast Asia and evacuate more than 100,000 people from the mountain. (Photo by Hafidz Novalsyah/AP Photo)