School girls hold hands while looking out at the Indian Ocean at Galle Face beach in Colombo on December 9, 2022. (Photo by Ishara S. Kodikara/AFP Photo)

A woman uses her smartphone walking past a mural depicting members of Russia's Yunarmiya (Young Army) youth patriotic movement in Moscow on May 14, 2024. (Photo by Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP Photo)

Sailors pause to take a photo with characters in Times Square during “Fleet Week 2024” in New York City on May 22, 2024. (Photo by Caitlin Ochs/Reuters)

It's often said that pets and their owners can start to look alike, but these adorable photographs take the old mantra to a new extreme. They are the work of Svetlana Valyiskaya (27), from St Petersburg, who snaps pets in everyday poses in her spare time from her job as a commercial photographer. The vibrant costumes and scenes, which Svetlana designs herself, have made the photos a hit in her native Russia – and it's not hard to see why. She said: “I really love animals, they are loyal, faithful and true and always interesting to work with – plus they never criticise the photographs afterwards”. (Photo by Svetlana Valyiskaya/Mercury)

An Arizona Diamondbacks fan catches a foul ball during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Chase Field on June 14, 2022 in Phoenix, Arizona. (Photo by Norm Hall/Getty Images)

The “Assignments” exhibition is an annual chance to see the top images by UK photojournalists, as chosen by the British Press Photographers’ Association. Here: Wales’s Cory McKenna dominates Micol DiSegni during their fight at Cage Warriors 97 in Cardiff, 29 September 2018. (Photo by Chris Fairweather/Huw Evans Agency)

This image provided by NASA shows parts of Europe and Africa very easily recognizable in this night time image shot by one of the Expedition 25 crew members aboard the International Space Station flying 220 miles above Earth on Thursday October 28, 2010. The view “looks” northward over Sicily and the “boot” of Italy, with the Mediterranean Sea representing most of the visible water in the view and the Adriatic Sea to the right of center. Tunisia is partially visible at left. Part of a docked Russian spacecraft and other components of the ISS are in the foreground. (Photo by AP Photo/NASA)

Andreas Alfaro and influencer Chelsea Yamase (Chelseakauai) perform acro-yoga poses at Summit One Vanderbilt on July 09, 2022 in New York City. (Photo by Alexi Rosenfeld/Getty Images)