“Eye of a toad”. Animal Portraits, Łukasz Bożycki, Poland. Early spring sees a pond near Łukasz’s home city of Warsaw, Poland, full of mating frogs and a few toads. On this March day, Łukasz shared the pond with them for an evening, sitting in the icy water in his chest-high waders, keeping as still as possible, despite the numbing cold, so that the amphibians could get used to him. “I wanted to find a fresh way of portraying the amphibians”, he says, “at water level”. Using a telephoto lens, he focused on one lone toad and waited for the sun to dip almost below the horizon before pressing the shutter, using flash to bring out the details in the shadow. His prize was “the glorious pool of sunset colour” and fiery glow of the toad’s eye. Nikon D80 + 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 lens + extension tube; 1/125 sec at f9 (-2.3 e/v); ISO 100; built-in flash. (Photo by Łukasz Bożycki)

A participant of the Castle Party festival poses for picture as a man walks past in Bolkow, southwestern Poland, July 16, 2015. The annual festival features around 50 musicians and artists playing on various stage Gothic rock and other styles of the dark music subculture. Outside Germany, it is one of the biggest festival with this genre of music, the event attracts regular international audience of up to 5000, the organizers said. (Photo by Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

Urszula Sidoruk, 19, from the paramilitary group SJS Strzelec (Shooters Association), trains her workout at a gym in Siedlce, eastern Poland March 18, 2014. Inspired by the war in Ukraine, growing numbers of Poles are joining volunteer paramilitary groups, where they receive basic army training and prepare to defend their homeland. (Photo by Kacper Pempel/Reuters)

Alpacas peek out of their box in Kielnarowa, Poland, June 11, 2014. A total of 35 female and 3 male alpacas were imported from Chile by the Rzeszow University of Information Technology and Management Center Zoo to be used for the therapy of children. Alpacas also provide one of the most expensive wools. (Photo by Darek Demanowicz/EPA)

Greece's Maria Sakkari reacts during her women's singles quarter-final tennis match against Poland's Iga Swiatekon Day 11 of The Roland Garros 2021 French Open tennis tournament in Paris on June 9, 2021. (Photo by Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)

An Asian elephant cools off at the zoo during the World Elephant Day in Lodz, central Poland, 12 August 2022. The World Elephant Day is observed every year on August 12. (Photo by Grzegorz Michalowski/EPA/EFE/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Kylian Mbappe of France celebrates his second goal during the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 Round of 16 match between France and Poland at Al Thumama Stadium on December 4, 2022 in Doha, Qatar. (Photo by Fabrizio Bensch/Reuters)

Gold medalist Mujinga Kambundji, of Switzerland, left, and silver medalist Ewa Swoboda, of Poland, celebrate after finishing the Women 60 meters final at the European Athletics Indoor Championships at Atakoy Arena in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, March 3, 2023. (Photo by AP Photo/Stringer)