Photographer Mihaela Noroc travelled the world from Ethiopia to the US and from Guatemala to France in search of natural and authentic beauty. She introduces some of the inspiring women she met on her journey. Here: Ecuador. “More and more tribes of Amazonia are starting to adopt modern clothes for everyday life. But they are still keeping their traditional clothes for important events. I photographed this young woman in her wedding outfit”. (Photo by Mihaela Noroc/The Guardian)

Ever wonder what a human head would look like if he or she was turned into a pastry? Well now you can, thanks to the works created by the photographer Brandon Voges. Some of the pictures are light and funny, while others are pretty gruesome and outright disgusting. For example, the comparison of an old lady with some chunky, orange-colored pastry coated with what looks like syrup, really makes you lose your appetite. It is a wonder how they decided to use such an unappealing picture to promote an annual food show of the National Restaurant Association. (Photo by Brandon Voges)

“I was born in the United States in 1985. As early as I can remember I’ve been a “doodler”. From even the early days I’ve always loved strange, offbeat, beautiful, and slightly melancholy things. Something about the mixed grabbed me. My love for sketching carried on throughout my high school days. Which is when I took a small class on watercolor. Watercolor is what birthed my passion for mixing colors and how a color can tell a story. In year 2009 I discovered digital painting and my new found passion for the medium. It’s been the favored medium for the past years since. I’ve used online tutorials and videos to help me learn along the way and then in late 2011 I took a workshop called Becoming a Better Artist. The beginning of 2013 I won a class from The Art Department which will start this spring.”

Hu Shaoming is a fantastic artist from China, who has learnt Fine Arts at Guangzhou Academy. The most complex sculpture of all his works is a mechanical seahorse, constructed from many tiny details. The whole composition consists of two complete opposites, including the top part of the seahorse`s head that looks like a golden town, and the bottom which resembles an amazing blue creature. An important problem is reflected in such an idea; it shows how a man forces the nature into submission. The contrast in the opposition of the human buildings and conquered Mother Nature suggests the thought of keeping our natural environment safe.

“Artist of the light”. While shooting sunrise in the Vermilion lakes area of Banff national park, Canada, I met a fellow photographer on the scene. Most of the time, we tried not to get in each other's way, however, just by accident, I snapped a picture with him in it working on his tripod settings, and it turned out to be a great photo compared to my sunrise shots. (Photo and caption by Victor Liu/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

ATTENTION! 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.

“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)