To produce the images that convey his fatalistic and ironic approach to life, tinged with hope, he needed the environment and knowledge of Mother Russia, oiled with a bit of bribery to certain circus trainers. Enter the Great Russian Bear, the personification of Russia for the last several centuries, onto center stage and into his studio. The bear is recognized as both brutish and cute – Misha was the mascot for the 1980 Olympic Games – and has remained a symbol of Russia since Tsarist times. In 2009 it is the symbol of the United Russia Party.

Revellers cool themselves in the Danube River during the Sziget music festival on an island in Budapest, Hungary August 12, 2015. The event is one of the biggest cultural events of Europe, offering art exhibitions, theatrical and circus performances and music concerts. Almost 200 performers from 47 countries will entertain the hundreds of thousands of visitors from 11 to 18 August. (Photo by Laszlo Balogh/Reuters)

A girl plays with colourful papers at the 23rd Sziget (Island) Festival on Shipyard Island in Budapest, Hungary, 13 August 2015. The festival is one of the biggest cultural events of Europe, offering art exhibitions, theatrical and circus performances and music concerts. Almost 200 performers from 47 countries will entertain the hundreds of thousands of visitors from 11 to 18 August. (Photo by Balazs Mohai/EPA)

Axel Erlandson (December 15, 1884 – April 28, 1964) was a Swedish American farmer who shaped trees as a hobby, and opened a horticultural attraction in 1947 advertised as "See the World's Strangest Trees Here," and named "The Tree Circus."
The trees appeared in the column of Robert Ripley's Believe It or Not! twelve times. Erlandson sold his attraction shortly before his death. The trees were moved to Gilroy Gardens in 1985.

In his book “Side Effects”, aerial photographer Kacper Kowalski took to the skies to paint a portrait of the complex relationship between humans and nature. From the sky, he captured where nature and civilization collide into aesthetic, abstract colors and shapes. Photo: A view over fields of grain in Spring chamomile, cornflower and other weeds growing amongst the grain sprouts. (Photo by Kacper Kowalski/Panos Pictures)

The Slauerhoffbrug (English: Slauerhoff Bridge) is a fully automatic bascule bridge (aka tail bridge) in the city of Leeuwarden in the Netherlands. It uses two arms to swing a section of road in and out of place within the road itself. It is also known as the “Slauerhoffbrug ‘Flying’ Drawbridge”. A tail bridge can quickly and efficiently be raised and lowered from one pylon (instead of hinges). This quickly allows water traffic to pass while only briefly stalling road traffic. The deck is 15 m by 15 m. It is painted in yellow and blue, representative of Leeuwarden's flag and seal.

A former paratrooper demonstrates his strength and skills while lifting a chair during the celebrations for the Paratroopers Day at the Central park in the Siberian city of Krasnoyarsk, Russia, August 2, 2015. Paratroopers are an elite unit of the Soviet Army, and everyone in the country recognize their blue berets. (Photo by Ilya Naymushin/Reuters)