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)

Belgian Photographer Boris Godfroid, a former biology student who recently graduated from film school, started shooting macro photography in 2008. Photo: Bee. (Photo by Boris Godfroid)

Wouldn’t it be wonderful if all weapons were created by Sonia Rentsch rather than by gunsmiths? In the series Harm Less, Sonia had constructed a number of firearms using various plants. Of course people might say that it’s not the guns that kill people; it’s the people that kill people. However, this statement is completely false. Can you imagine some equivalent of school shooting if the guns were not available? Yes, some crazy kid would still be able to bring a weapon to class, but most likely it would be a club or a penknife, making him easily tamable. (Photo by Sonia Rentsch)

Truffle hunter Carlo Marenda pets his dog Buc as they search for white truffles through the Langhe Countryside in Roddi, near Alba, north-western Italy, on November 8, 2020. Despite new measures to stop the spread of the Covid-19, truffles hunters are allowed to search in the countryside in Italy. (Photo by Marco Bertorello/AFP Photo)

A boy kicks a football in Dudley Page Reserve as storm clouds gather over the city skyline on September 30, 2021 in Sydney, Australia. The Bureau of Meteorology has issued severe storm warnings for the city. (Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images)

In this handout photograph received from Sumukha J.N on December 15, 2016, the newly-discovered spider Eriovixia Gryffindori sits on a leaf in the Kans in India's Western Ghats. (Photo by Sumukha J.N./AFP Photo)

A couple embraces at the railway station in Kramatorsk, on May 20, 2023, amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine. (Photo by Sergey Shestak/AFP Photo)

A rainstorm moves over the Atlantic Ocean after passing through Camden, Maine, at sunset, Tuesday, August 1, 2023. (Photo by Robert F. Bukaty/AP Photo)