A talented portrait photographer has moved on from capturing traditional human subjects – instead photographing a stunning variety of wild animals. Brad Wilson, 51, stands just feet away from the likes of tigers, rhinos, elephants and primates. Each animal is given the same respect and dignity as any human subject, with Brad setting up a full photographic studio, either at or near sanctuaries and zoos across the U.S. The works are the second part of Brad's Affinity series, which the photographer – based in Los Angeles, California, first started working on in 2010. Here: Orangutan. (Photo by Brad Wilson/Caters News)

These portraits reveal the incredibly humanlike expressions of a variety of apes.Through piercing eyes and finite facial details, the intimate photographs show the animals looking angry, sad, delighted and pensive. They are the works of Manuela Kulpa – an IT consultant and keen photographer from near Cologne, Germany – who shot the apes predominantly at zoos across Austria, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany and the Netherlands. Here: Bonobo, Azibo. (Photo by Manuela Kulpa/Caters News)

Artist Victor Nunes combines every-day objects with simple illustrations to turn them into pictures of faces, animals and other playful scenes. His images invite us to look at the world differently and find creative images in our surroundings. Nunes’ art is a great example of pareidolia, which is our propensity to give meaning to random objects (like in this post about seeing faces in random objects). It’s the reason why we associate a smiley face with a human face and why some of Nunes’ pieces of popcorn or bread resemble faces to us.

Normally, pictures can be worth a thousand words but these images of some horrifyingly brilliant face paint art will give you the shivers. The fascinating photographs will make your head spin and your stomach churn as the life-like illustrations leave you shocked. Nikki Shelley, 34, from Rugby in Warwickshire, has built a career out of face painting after she started practicing on her children. Here: The Devil inside by Nikki Shelley. (Photo by Nikki Shelley/Caters News)

These adorable rat portraits were taken by a committed photographer who’s made it her mission to remove the stigma attached to the creatures. Diane Ozdamar’s vibrant images feature rodents cutely cuddling flowers, eating fruit, playing with bubbles, and lovingly interacting with each other. The 32-year-old photographer, who lives in Montreal, Canada, shot her «Fancy Rats» series over a number of years. (Photo by Diane Ozdamar/Caters News)

Ice covered leafs are pictured on a tree near Amstall in northern Austria, December 2, 2014. Freezing fog and rain covered parts of the region with ice, causing blocked roads due to fallen trees and closed schools for security reasons, local media report. (Photo by Heinz-Peter Bader/Reuters)

Women wearing face-kini masks lie on a beach to rest in Qingdao, Shandong province, China, June 3, 2015. A pale complexion is highly prized as delicate and feminine in China while dark skin suggests tanning caused by farming the fields or other lowly, outdoor work. (Photo by Reuters/Stringer)