Ornamental chicken breeding clubs have emerged in Indonesia, Thailand, North America and even European countries such as the UK and France. Malaysia is however the epicenter of this cultural phenomenon. These chickens are prized for their build, size, behavior and showmanship by their owners and competitions or beauty contests as they are often described are held almost every week in at least one village in Malaysia. Judges sit around a square table inspecting each chicken for a few minutes trying to determine a champion specimen in its own weight class based on its stance, temperament and physical assets like wings, tails and comb. The walk or strut by an ornamental chicken in a beauty contest, much like a runway model, constitutes a large part of the scoring system. (Photo by Ernest Goh/2013 Sony World Photography Awards)

A worker holds harvested chillies at a chilli plantation in Pasir Datar Indah village near Sukabumi, Indonesia's West Java province, August 6, 2015. (Photo by Reuters/Beawiharta)

Carlos Bahia, dressed as Santa Claus, talks with boys at the Maresias beach, in the state of Sao Paulo December 9, 2014. In the Southern Hemisphere summer starts on December 1, so while countries in the north are experiencing a white Christmas with grey skies, those in the south are busy surfing and sunbathing in temperatures just shy of 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius). (Photo by Nacho Doce/Reuters)

A reveller wearing a costume dances as she holds a dring during the carnival street parade in Valletta, Malta, February 25, 2017. (Photo by Darrin Zammit Lupi/Reuters)

A dog dressed in a costume takes part in the Pet's Halloween Day parade at Abtao Park in San Isidro, Lima, October 31, 2016. (Photo by Guadalupe Pardo/Reuters)

“The Family of Man” opened at The Museum of Modern Art in January 1955 and was curated by Edward Steichen. It was groundbreaking in its scope – 503 images by 273 photographers from 68 countries – as well as in the numbers of people who experienced it on its tour through 88 venues in 37 countries. The touring exhibit drew over 9 million people and the accompanying catalog sold over 2.5 million copies. Here: “Coney Island, New York”, by American photographer Garry Winogrand, circa 1952. (Photo by Garry Winogrand)

This photo taken on October 23, 2022 shows a soap bubble reflecting the Namsan Seoul Tower at Namsan Park in Seoul, South Korea. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

“A snapshot from mountaineer's life”. Have you ever wondered how does a mountaineer's day start? I will give you a hint: you wake up at 3 am, set the stove, wake up your partner, pretend it is warm, quickly consume a high-calorie breakfast, watch your friends slowly ascending the icy slopes of your dream summit with their tiny head torches glimmering against perfectly blue ice, and hope for the good weather. One would ask: why all this trouble? The answer is easy: for the love of the adventure and the unknown. Location: Chamonix, Haute Savoye, France. (Photo and caption by Kamil Tamiola/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

ATTENTION! All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture.