A hot air balloon in the likeness of Yoda from Star Wars prepares for liftoff at the 21st Philippine International Hot Air Balloon Festival at the former Clark US Air Force base in Pampanga Province, Philippines on February 9, 2017. (Photo by Xinhua News Agency/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

People play ice hockey in front of the Olympic Tower near the National Stadium at Olympic Park on January 13, 2022 in Beijing, China. Playing host to the 2022 Winter Olympics has boosted the popularity of winter sports and outdoor activities in many parts of China, with the government pouring billions of dollars into developing programs, athletes, and fans. With more outdoor skating rinks, ski resorts, and other activities luring people outside, the ice and snow sports boom has created nearly 350 million winter sport enthusiasts since Beijing"u2019s successful Games bid in 2015, according to officials. China is seeking to become a winter sports destination as the global snow sports industry eyes growth in the world second largest economy. (Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)

Republic of Korea Air Force's (ROKAF) aerobatic unit “Black Eagles” maneuver their T-50B aircraft as they perform an air show at Clark Air Base on March 03, 2024 in Pampanga, Philippines. The Republic of Korea Air Force's (ROKAF) aerobatic unit “Black Eagles” is in the Philippines to conduct a series of air shows to mark the 75th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the Philippines and South Korea. (Photo by Ezra Acayan/Getty Images)

U.S. Air Force pilots with the Thunderbirds perform the calypso pass maneuver in F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft during a practice session prior to the Gunfighter Skies air show at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho, September 19 and released September 24, 2014. (Photo by Tech. Sgt. Manuel J. Martinez/Reuters/US Air Force)

What do superheroes do when they’re not busy fighting bad guys and saving the world from destruction? Perhaps they’re drawing strength alone in the peace and quiet of the great outdoors. That’s the premise of French photographer Benoit Lapray‘s photo-manipulation series “The Quest for the Absolute.”

Photographer Brian Finke spent nearly two years traversing the friendly skies, following the life of flight attendants in the air and on the ground, from Delta and Hawaiian Air, to Hooters Air, Southwest, Air France, British Airways, Air Asia, and dozens more. His images of flight attendants waving, applying makeup and deboarding plans while smiling appear as if they were ripped from an advertisement in a glossy magazine. Here: Tiger Airways, Singapore, 2006. (Photo by Brian Finke/The Washington Post)

NATO and U.S. flags flutter as U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter flies over the military air base in Siauliai, Lithuania, April 27, 2016. (Photo by Ints Kalnins/Reuters)

People pause at a memorial set up for victims of a mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nev., on Tuesday, October 3, 2017. A gunman opened fire on an outdoor music concert on Sunday. It was the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, with dozens of people killed and hundreds injured, some by gunfire, some during the chaotic escape. (Photo by John Locher/AP Photo)