The works of Hu Shaoming immediately catch the eye of the onlookers with their level on intricacy and uniqueness. To provide a glimpse into the intricate workings of vintage cameras he uses a very unique method. He made it seem as if the fine leather covering of the camera was opened by zipper, showing its innards. A similar technique was used on an ancient telephone, though there it looks more like an embellishment. The idea was so marvelously put into life that it seems as if those items can actually be zipped up, though of course that is not possible.

The wreckage of a van is overgrown by plants in Simacem village in North Sumatra, Indonesia, November 16, 2015. The village was abandoned following the eruption of Mount Sinabung as it was considered too close to the still rumbling volcano. (Photo by Binsar Bakkara/AP Photo)

A child looks at window cleaners work while dressed in sheep (C) and monkey costumes, denoting animal signs of the Chinese zodiac calendar, during an event marking the upcoming end of the year at a hotel in Tokyo, Japan, December 21, 2015. According to the zodiac calendar, 2015 is the year of the sheep and 2016 is the year of the monkey. (Photo by Thomas Peter/Reuters)

Rio de Janeiro's state military policemen aim their guns during a violent protest in a favela next to Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro on April 22, 2014. Violent protests broke out in Rio's landmark beachfront district, Copacabana, following the death of a resident last weekend during clashes with the Army in a nearby favela. (Photo by Christophe Simon/AFP Photo)

An Ambassador car, licensed as taxi rolls past other vehicles through a busy road in Kolkata, india, Monday, May 26, 2014. India's oldest car factory has abruptly suspended production of the hulking Ambassador sedan that has a nearly seven-decade history as the car of the Indian elite. (Photo by Bikas Das/AP Photo)

An Indian woman wrapped in a shawl travels with others on a bullock cart on a cold day at Jhansi district, in Bundelkhand, India, Monday, December 29, 2014. Most parts of north India Monday continued to shiver under biting cold with the mercury dipping several notches. (Photo by Rajesh Kumar Singh/AP Photo)

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.

Ryan Randall plays the bagpipes outside a polling station in Edinburgh, Scotland September 18, 2014. Polling in the referendum on Scottish independence began on Thursday morning, as Scotland votes whether or not to end the 307-year-old union with the rest of the United Kingdom. (Photo by Paul Hackett/Reuters)