In a simpler time all a child or an adult needed to enjoy the outdoors was a ball and a stick. Or maybe an old tire tied to a high branch to fashion a swing. And the only instruction given to children was to “be home before dark”. Now there are iPads and computers and television screens and shrinking safe public spaces. But despite the distractions and limitations of space, these images show the charm of kicking a ball or skipping rope endures. Sometimes with modifications as a nod to changing times. Here: in this Saturday, June 20, 2015 photo, a boy runs while playing with a motorcycle wheel in Samugari, Ayacucho, Peru. (Photo by Rodrigo Abd/AP Photo)

In this August 24, 2018 photo, Changlair Aristide pauses for a portrait, wearing his protective clothing, including an old U.N. peacekeeper's jacket he found in the trash, before scavenging the Truitier landfill in the Cite Soleil slum of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Before 2004, Aristide recalled having enough money to splurge on shoes, T-shirts and pants, but this year he could not buy his kids anything new for the school year. “Life is like that, up and down”, Aristide said. “They'll go to school anyway, even if I have to sell my pig. I love them”. (Photo by Dieu Nalio Chery/AP Photo)

Lovely is the correct work to describe this beautiful paintings series by David Renshaw from “Ted n’ Doris – A Northern Romance”. “Deep down I always knew what I wanted to do for a living and in my school years I remember my father teaching me some basic elements of drawing and I dreamed of one day becoming an artist. Being only really interested in art I left school and studied Graphic Design, after which I started work at a local art gallery as a picture framer. I continued to paint alongside my job, mainly developing techniques and ideas and in 2005 decided it was time to follow my dreams and dedicate myself to painting full time. I always try to make my work feel atmospheric, and I like to pay particular attention to sky and cloud formations as I consider this element of my work to be extremely important to the mood of the finished painting, whether it be a dramatic sunset or a misty moonlit night.”

There is something frightening and at the same time appealing in the living sculptures of 27-year-old British artist Emma Fay. Body art in conjunction with the flexibility of acrobats and fantasy of the artist using water-based paints, a brush and sponge, is transformed into a beautiful work of art. It is not immediately possible to make out the human body in the picture. First you look at the landscape and suddenly begin to distinguish someone’s arm, or neck. Or you look into the eyes of an amazing bull, and it turns out that it is perfectly folded back. Lovely people, temples are and wonderful people-insects are.

“The knight and his steed”. This picture was taken in a natural but controlled environment. There are pictures that can not be done in nature or that would imply a very high cost of both time and money, thats why photography workshops are run conducted at strategic locations and bringing EVERYONE who is interested, the basic notions (lighting, camera handling, composition, etc...) or the specimens, and afford them the opportunity to take pictures like this. Although controlled, this shot was not prepared at all, I was performing a workshop with the agalychnis callidryas treefrog from Costa Rica when the frog managed to jump to the branch where this huge titan was sleeping... I had my gear ready so I only had to change a few settings and shoot... the rest is history. (Photo and caption by Nicolas Reusens Boden (Sweden)/2014 Sony World Photography Awards)

“I'm Josh Fancher, a 21 year old with an avid interest in photography, including macro, nature and wildlife, night photography, landscapes, cityscapes and architectural photography. Inspired by the beautiful and amazing water drop photography of Martin Waugh, I started doing water drop collisions in December of 2007. I use a 105mm Micro Nikkor lens for water drops, along with a pair of Nikon SB 600 flashes. I recently got a StopShot system (Nov 2009), which makes timing a lot easier. Before then, timing was manual, with an eye dropper, eye-hand coordination, and a lot of patience” – Josh Fancher. (Photo by Josh Fancher)

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)

A British photographer has captured the hilarious expressions pulled by dogs as they go for a run. From popping eyes to lolling tongues, Nick Ridley from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire has managed to perfectly pause the pooches in time as they pull a host of funny faces in the great outdoors. The 56-year-old uses a fast shutter speed and lies on the ground snapping away as the dogs run towards him in order to get the perfect shot. Here: A Dogue de Bordeaux. (Photo by Nick Ridley Photography/Caters News Agency)