French artist Julien Breton aka Kaalam started calligraphy in 2001 by copying Arabic calligraphers. Self-taught, he began to incorporate long exposure photography to create incredible light paintings around the world. All of the images in this gallery were created in-camera, meaning there is no Photoshop trickery or post-production manipulation involved in creating these works of art.

Justin Rowe creates these magical sculptures from hand cut books and found images with the help of just a touch of gum arabic and 24 carat gold or palladium leaf. Some are very much in the realms of fairy stories like the one above, but my favourites are the stories below where Justin’s skill brings the book’s own illustrations to life.

An actress performs in a puppet theater show at an UNRWA school in Burj al-Barajneh in Beirut May 14, 2015. The Arab Puppet Theatre Foundation (APTF) is touring the 68 schools of the UN refugee agency's UNRWA and performs for all 39,000 Palestinian students in Lebanon, in a project with UNICEF and UNRWA. (Photo by Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

(L-R) Dustin Poirier punches Conor McGregor of Ireland in a lightweight fight during the UFC 257 event inside Etihad Arena on UFC Fight Island on January 23, 2021 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Jeff Bottari/Zuffa LLC)

Sellers prepare the camel for “huge camel market” where hundreds of camels are sold in Nauakchott, the capital of Mauritania on May 16, 2023. Camels, being the main source of livelihood in Arab countries, are used for transportation and nutrition. (Photo by Annika Hammerschlag/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

People enjoy their time during the last day of the Dubai Expo 2020 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, March 31, 2022. The world's fair in Dubai, the pandemic-delayed Expo 2020, closed on Thursday after six months of concerts, conferences and festivities. (Photo by Ebrahim Noroozi/AP Photo)