It has taken 3,000 hours and 34 years to make – but the results are incredible. Artist Scott Weaver has created a huge but incredibly detailed model of San Francisco using 100,000 toothpicks. The work entitled Rolling Through the Bay also doubles as a marble run. Ping pong balls dropped on several ramps at the top of the model follow several “tours” through the city. They pass matchstick replicas of sights such as Alcatraz, Fisherman's Wharf, the Golden Gate Bridge and the city's trademark terraced houses on steep hills.

“Julien Mauve is a Paris based professional web designer, front-end developer and content manager who loves innovation, experimentation and creation. Julien has taken up photography as a hobby. His collection Back to Childhood is all about bringing the long lost memories of early days into the adult life. How he came about that idea? Julien stumbled upon some of his old toys in his grandpa’s attic and felt a connection to every single one of them. Each toy brought back a fond memory”.

A mushroom cloud dwarfs a row of skyscrapers in what looks like a devastating nuclear bomb detonation. But thankfully this is just a spectacular weather-front blasting in from the tempestuous Rocky Mountains near Denver, Colorado, USA. The unbelievable shot is just one of many of the city's skyline taken by photographer Greg Thow. The 49-year-old has also captured equally stunning shots of lightning blasts and arching rainbows – all from the comfort of his balcony. (Photo by Greg Thow/Barcroft Media)

“Photographer Seth Casteel has definitely taken animal photography to new heights – or depths – with his hilarious photos of dogs chasing balls underwater. Casteel, who, naturally, has two dogs of his own (a mini Labradoodle and a Norwich terrier), said that he's drawn to underwater dog photography because the photos show a side of dogs that people may have never seen before”.

Photo: Seth Casteel Underwater Dog Pictures (Photo by Seth Casteel)

Each year Nikon Small World recognizes the excellence of photography taken under the microscope. The contest showcases the beauty and complexity of life. Anyone interested in microscopy and photography can enter the contest and in its 42nd year, Nikon Small World received 2,000 entries from 70 countries. Here: 11th Place; Scales of a butterfly wing underside (Vanessa atalanta). (Photo by Francis Sneyers/Nikon's Small World 2016)

Feast your eyes on Europe’s most spectacular car graveyards as discovered by one auto-obsessed explorer who has dedicated over ten years to finding the best cars left to rot in the European wilderness. The beautiful set of images were taken in Germany, Sweden and Belgium by German Civil Servant Robert Kahl (30) using a Nikon D7100. He describes his photographs as showcasing “the beauty of transience and decayed charm”. Here: 1941 Chevrolet 1.5 tonnes are left to rot in a field. (Photo by Robert Kahl/Mediadrumworld)

These snaps show a pair of daredevil bikers performing gravity-defying stunts as they get covered from head to toe in brightly colored powder. The stunning action shots show the fearless duo perform nail-biting tricks on their BMX bikes as they get showered with the brilliantly colored powder. The amazing images were taken by Christoph Jorda, from Bavaria, Germany, with bikers Thomas Kaiser and Konstantin Ottner. Here: The biker with the holi powder behind whilst performing stunts. (Photo by Christoph Jorda/Caters News)