There are many types of collections. Some are formed by purposefully collecting certain objects, such as stamps or coins. However, some collections are only a byproduct of an obsession, a quirk of mind. For example, Paul Brockmann got into the habit of buying his girlfriend and later his wife a dress every time they went ballroom dancing. It might seem excessive to some, but it was his way of showing his affection. Overtime, this collection grew to be enormous, counting 55,000 dresses in total. Basic math tells us that either they went ballroom dancing three times per day for every day of their lives, or he bought them in huge bundles every time.

Todd Bretl specializes in underwater photography, and is able to capture striking photos of aquatic life big and small. His photos of sharks are particularly striking; though he rarely faces hostility from the animals, he tries not to spend too much time looking through his viewfinder and many shots are framed by educated guesses and impeccable timing. What follows are photographs taken over the past several years on trips to the Bahamas and Isla Guadalupe, an island off the coast of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. (Photo by Todd Bretl)

The carriages have decayed over time, on February 27, 2015, in Purwakarta, Indonesia. Dozens of trains are stacked on top of each other in what looks like a post-apocalyptic world. The old electric trains that travelled in and out of Jakarta, Indonesia, are weathered and decayed over time. The trains were used everyday since the 1980s and carried thousands of people to work. Now the carriages, which were once the lifeblood of public transport in the south-Asian city, have been left to rust among shrubbery. (Photo by HKV/Barcroft Media)

A man dresses as a Minion tries to convince a tourist to have her picture taken with him, in Times Square, in New York, April 7, 2016. The assortment of costumed characters, painted naked women and ticket sellers who make the streets of New York's Times Square their office, catering to tourists, may soon be restricted after a City Council vote Thursday. (Photo by Rickey Rogers/Reuters)

Palestinians kids from the West Bank Palestinian village Umm Al Rajaj cross the Meitar checkpoint into Israel on their way to the beach of Tel Aviv for the first time, Israel, 10 August 2016. A group of humanitarian Israeli women called in Arabic “Min Al Baher” (from the sea) voluntarily arranges authorizations and transportation for Palestinians families that live in the West Bank to cross into Israel in order to visit the sea for the first time. (Photo by Abir Sultan/EPA)

Ayaka Oshita, a 27-year-old diver, practices in preparation for the upcoming seasonal feeding performance as a Santa diver at Sunshine Aquarium at Ikebukuro in Tokyo, Japan, 07 December 2021. Oshita has 15-month experience for feeding fish at the aquarium after she joined the aquarium in 2019. The Santa diver performance will be held for three days around the Christmas time. The aquarium will not inform the performance time to avoid the visitors' crowd due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Photo by Kimimasa Mayama/EPA/EFE)

Revelers celebrate New Years Eve in socially distanced pods at Times Square on December 31, 2020, in New York City. On average, about one million revelers are drawn to the Crossroads of the World to watch performances and celebrate the New Year. This year a limited live audience of about 40 first responders and essential workers will be allowed to watch the New Years' ball drop from a secure area in Times Square. (Photo by David Dee Delgado/Getty Images)

A gallery assistant holds a rare 14th century time-telling device device in Bonhams auction house on December 9, 2011 in London, England. The instrument, which dates from 1396 and was discovered in a shed in Queensland, Australia, is due to be auctioned on December 13, 2011 and is expected to fetch 200,000 GBP. (Photo by Oli Scarff/Getty Images)