“Willy Rizzo was an Italian photographer and designer. In late 1948, Willy began an illustrious twenty-year career with Paris Match that would have him photograph some of the greatest names of the golden age of photojournalism. Married later to actress Elsa Martinelli, Rizzo enjoyed unparalleled access to the stars; Brigitte Bardot, Sophia Loren, Marilyn Monroe, Vivien Leigh, Audrey Hepburn, Jane Fonda, Gene Kelly, Fred Astaire, Salvador Dalí and Pablo Picasso all found themselves in front of Rizzo’s lens”. – Wikipedia. Photo: Jane Fonda, Studio Willy Rizzo, Paris, 1966. (Photo by Willy Rizzo)

When he's driving, New York-based painter Gregory Thielker takes in the views that change from moment to moment: the road, the sky, other cars. “Inside the car it's easy to forget the outside temperature, humidity, the noise of the road”, he says. “But something happens when rain interrupts the view: the lens through which we are seeing is revealed. Water both obscures and highlights the landscape”. Gregory Thielker's exhibition “Between here and now” will be at Castor Gallery in lower Manhattan from early March. Here: “Complete Stop”. (Painting by Gregory Thielker)

This might quite simply be the oddest skydive youll ever see – as a pair of daredevils simulate a rodeo ride as they hurtle towards earth. In the bizarre pictures, skydiver Robyn Young managed to straddle co-jumper Oliver Miller, as they plummet through the sky – and amazingly, pal Jeff Donohue caught it all on camera. The pair managed to perform the stunt before going their separate ways and pulling their parachute cords during the skydive over recibo, Puerto Rico, last month. Here: Robyn Young surfs on the back of Oliver Miller as they descend upon Arecibo, Puerto Rico. (Photo by Jeff Donohue/Caters News)

Shooting star by Tony Wu, US/Japan. Winner, underwater. The electrifying reproductive dance of a giant sea star. As the surrounding water filled with sperm and eggs from spawning sea stars, Wu faced several challenges. Stuck in a small, enclosed bay with only a macro lens for photographing small subjects, he backed up to squeeze the undulating sea star into his field of view. The dancing posture of spawning sea stars rising and swaying may help release eggs and sperm, or may help sweep the eggs and sperm into the currents where they fertilise together in the water. Kinko Bay, Japan. (Photo by Tony Wu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

“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)

Will Burrard-Lucas takes a photo while a Meerkat perches on his lens on January 2014 in Makgadikgadi, Botswana. These adorable Meerkats used a photographer as a look out post before trying their hand at taking pictures. The beautiful images were caught by wildlife photographer Will Burrard-Lucas after he spent six days with the quirky new families in the Makgadikgadi region of Botswana. Will has photographed Meerkats in the past and was delighted when he realised he would be shooting new arrivals. (Photo by Will Burrard-Lucas/Barcroft Media)

P.S. 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 (if available; this principle works anywhere on the site AvaxNews)

A combination photo shows some of the colourful doors seen in Rabat's Medina and Kasbah of the Udayas, September 2014. UNESCO made Rabat a World Heritage Site two years ago and media and tour operators call it a “must-see destination”. But it seems the tourist hordes have yet to find out. While visitors are getting squeezed through the better-known sites of Marrakesh and Fez, the old part of Rabat - with its beautiful Medina and Kasbah of the Udayas - remains an almost unspoiled oasis of calm. Smaller and more compact, its labyrinths of streets, passages and dead ends are a treasure trove of shapes and colours, of moments begging to be caught by the photographer's lens. (Photo by Damir Sagolj/Reuters)

National Diving School director Jerome Vincent, wearing a Gandolfi space suit, executes training procedures in a swimming pool in Marseille October 22, 2014. The underwater test session develops European expertise in spacewalk simulations under partial gravity for exploring the Moon, asteroids and Mars.The training is organised by Comex, a French company specializing in engineering and deep sea diving operations, in collaboration with the European Space Agency (ESA) and with Apollo XI “Under the sea”. (Photo by Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)