Earlier this year, Belgian film-maker and artist Vincent Bal stumbled upon an uncanny resemblance to an elephant in the shadow of his tea cup. This gave him the idea for Shadowology, a series of doodles that interact with the shadows of simple, everyday objects: a banknote, some ice cubes and a flower, for example, can turn into a church, a woman and a hippy. “I draw a few lines and I get my image. It’s really the shadows that inspire me”, Bal says. Here: “Stonedog”. (Photo by Vincent Bal/The Guardian)

Steve Shirts, aka “Strike Pony”, left, gets a hug from Amber Snyder, aka “Ditsy Dots” in Baltimore, MD on July 8, 2016. Both are from Suburban Chicago. BronyCon is the world's largest My Pretty Pony convention. Featuring cosplay and fan events, the annual convention was held at the Baltimore Convention Center. (Photo by Andre Chung/The Washington Post)

Photographer Frank Relle takes long-exposure images of houses in New Orleans. Says Relle, “The city at night comes alive for me. I imagine stories about the people’s lives inside the homes based on the evidence on the outside. My photographs become a portrait without the person. The night obscures details and the lack of information gives possibility”. Photo: “Telemachus”. Farragut Street, New Orleans, La. Nov. 2006. (Photo by Frank Relle)

The International Space Station (ISS) moving in front of the sun in November 2020 by astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy. These incredible photos capture the clearest images ever taken of the International Space Station (ISS) moving in front of both the moon and the sun. The photos, taken within days of one another, were captured in the space of less than a second, as the space station could be clearly seen zooming across against the bright backdrops of both moon and sun. Photographer Andrew McCarthy, from California, USA, said the photo of the ISS in front of the sun, in broad daylight, was “one of my trickiest shots ever”. (Photo by Andrew McCarthy/South West News Service)

Anton Jankovoy is professional travel-photographer, shooting in such genres as travel, landscape and portrait photography. Anton has obtained a bronze award at the “FEP (Federation of European Photographers) Professional Photographer of the Year 2011” and bronze award in the russian speaking countries at “Best Photographer 2011”. Anton Jankovoy: «My only aspiration in a photography is to wake up in everybody the realization of life. That is the only one way to feel this world the way it is and how it was created for us, the way the children see it». (Photo by Anton Jankovoy)

“Hi! I'm Joel, I live in a valley in British Columbia's Rocky Mountains, as close to the forest as I could possibly be! I love to run, bike, jump, eat and create and I hope that you enjoy my work as much as I enjoy creating it!” – Joel Robison. (Photo by: Joel Robison; Source: Flickr)

“In spring of 2010 I wanted to try something new and stopped being an architect. That 'something new' turned out to be photography. Wedding photography – to be exact. Today I travel around the world with my personal projects and commissions knowing that there is a lot more exiting stuff to be tried out. Don't be afraid to change something in your life, because for me that was one of the best decisions”. – Tadao Cern (Photo by Tadao Cern)

When you think of the People's Liberation Army, you probably don't think of line dancing. But the Chinese military's latest online recruiting video makes a soldier's life look more fun than the macarena. The brief spot, posted last week on the website of the Ministry of National Defense and going viral, features tanks and fighter jets, as well as soldiers dancing in rows to a quirky hit tune by the Chopsticks Brothers called “Little Apple”. Its lyrics include, “You are my little dear little apple/I can never stop loving you”.