Iceland is known as the land of fire and ice and these images capture the essence of that perfectly. Incredible ever-changing landscapes demonstrate the contrast between the freezing ice and burning skies that dominate Iceland's beauty. The stunning pictures taken by photographer Lurie Belegurschi show the breathtaking and utterly unique ice plains formed in sub-zero temperatures. (Photo by Lurie Belegurschi/Caters News)

Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces. Luckily for us, he continued the tradition for Vanity Fair. Here are some of the best.

“These incredible pictures capture the stunning moment waves roll on to a tropical beach. Photographers Nick Selway, 28, and pal CJ Kale, 35, position themselves in the magnificent Hawaiian water – and then wait for the waves to crash into their heads. Their only equipment are standard cameras – but a waterproof case means they do not need to sacrifice their cameras for their art”. (Photo by Nick Selway/CJ Kale)

Gliding past the planet Jupiter, the Cassini spacecraft captures this awe inspiring view of active Io, Jupiter's third largest satellite, with the largest gas giant as a backdrop, offering a stunning demonstration of the ruling planet's relative size, April 20, 2001. The Cassini spacecraft itself was about 10 million kilometers from Jupiter when recording the image data. (Photo courtesy of NASA/Newsmakers)

A National Transitional Council (NTC) fighter fires an RPG during a street battle in the 700 complex area of “Emarat” against Muammar Gaddafi's troops on October 8, 2011 in Sirte, Libya. NTC fighters say this is the final assault on Muammar Gaddafi's home town as they capture the main hospital, University and the Ouagadougou conference centre in the city. (Photo by Majid Saeedi/Getty Images)

Photographer Alexander Lepeshkin spends whole nights at Clumba parties, or costume parties where the young creatives of Russia put on their most flashy and drink. His photos capture candid moments of alcohol-enhanced connections and collapses, but he says he’s not a party photographer – he’s a youth photographer. Photo: A Loshadka party in St. Petersburg, 2010. (Photo by Alexander Lepeshkin)

Physicist Arie van't Riet uses a series of duel X-ray cameras to capture flowers, plants and small animals in living dioramas. The x-rays are then finished and colorized in Photoshop. Giving way to some breathtaking nature scenes. Photo: “Chameleon and Begonia”. (Photo by Arie van't Riet)