These spectacular landscapes may look like something from another planet – but they are in fact colorful salt ponds which stretch for miles. Despite being better known for tech companies and expensive property – San Francisco, California is also home to this vibrant quilt of color spanning the South Bay Area. From eerie green pools to gothic shades of red the surreal landscapes are caused by the organisms or micro-algae living within them. Photo: Aerial view of the salt ponds in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Cris Benton/Caters News)

“Today, we take photography for granted. Anyone can take a photograph simply by pressing a button. Yet, it was not always so simple. The invention of photography was announced in 1839, but during its first fifty years taking a photograph was a complicated and expensive business. In 1888, all this was to change following the appearance of a camera that was to revolutionize photography. Popular photography can properly be said to have started 120 years ago with the introduction of the Kodak”. – The UK National Media Museum. Photo: Two men on the deck of a ship, about 1890. (Photo by Collection of National Media Museum/Kodak Museum)

“These are the stunning images of some of Americas most breathtaking churches – all of which are abandoned. Matthew Christopher travels around the United States taking shots of its most beautiful decaying wonders. He shot those in his churches series in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he works as a photographer and lecturer. Matthew’s fascination with such abandoned spaces started when he was a child when he enjoyed looking at artwork set in buildings that have since decayed”. – Caters News. Photo: St. Boniface Church, Philadelphia Pa. (Photo by Matthew Christopher/Caters News)

Completion is near on Monaco's tallest skyscraper ever, and its first new one since the 1980s. Fueled by a luxury-housing boom in the tax-haven nation, the Odeon Tower's so-called Sky Penthouse is expected to sell for more than any other apartment in the world has ever sold before. Photo: The five-story Sky Penthouse is expected to be complete in September 2015. The water slide extends from a dance floor in the residence down to a private infinity pool. (Photo by Tour Odeon)

These pictures show a five-year-old boy who is already extremely comfortable around alligators. Blaise's dad T-Mike runs the Kliebert Gator Farm, the biggest and oldest in the world and which was started by his grandfather Harvey in 1957. Photo: T-Mike Kliebert and his son Blaise tackle Chinaman a 12 foot alligator in Hammond, Louisiana. (Photo by Barcroft Media)

After the success of their Superman series in 2013, the Canadian Mint debuted a new set of coins honouring the Man of Steel at this year's Fan Expo in Toronto. The collection is made up of three silver coins worth $10, $15 and $20, and a gold coin worth $100. Photo: Close-up of the $10 silver coin in the new Superman series from the Royal Canadian Mint. (Photo by The Canadian Press)

High-flying photographer Jeffrey Milstein, renowned for his aerial photos of US cities, snaps landmarks through the open door of a helicopter. This month he hired a chopper in London and amazingly he had just an hour to cover all the buildings he wanted to capture including Buckingham Palace, the London Eye, the glass roof of the British Museum and the Gherkin and Walkie Talkie towers in the City. Here: Jeffrey Milstein captured these stunning images through the door of a helicopter hovering over central London. (Photo by Jeffrey Milstein/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

With the humpback calving season drawing to a close, here’s a look at some of Rita Kluge’s distinctive marine photos from the south Pacific. The Sydney-based photographer fell in love with whales after witnessing southern rights from the New South Wales coastline as they travelled to and from their feeding grounds in the Antarctic. She has since been to Tonga, where humpbacks breed and calf in winter months, to photograph them in the water. (Photo by Rita Kluge/The Guardian)