Underwater photographer of the year – winner. Dancing Octopus by Gabriel Barathieu (France). Location: Island of Mayotte, off the coast of south-east Africa. “Balletic and malevolent”, one judge said of this octopus, hunting in a lagoon. Barathieu waited until spring tides when there was just 30cm of water on the flats and plenty of light in the shallows. (Photo by Gabriel Barathieu/UPY2017)

Arachnids category 3rd place: dancing spider by Raed Ammari. Male jumping spiders (in this case a Phidippus insignarius) perform a courtship dance in which they almost form a heart shape with their legs. This one was shot in Colorado. (Photo by Raed Ammari/Luminar Bug Photographer of the Year 2020)

Tropical acrobatics by Adrià López Baucells in Manaus, Brazil. An unidentified South American marsupial, although the characteristic black markings on its face indicate it may be a mouse opossum. These small creatures are nocturnal and feed on bugs, fruit and bird eggs. (Photo by Adrià López Baucells/2019 Royal Society of Biology Photography Competition)

A golden huddle by Minqiang Lu, China. Two females and a male golden snub-nosed monkey huddle together to keep warm in the extreme cold. Threatened by forest loss and fragmentation, this endangered species is confined to central China. Restricted to living high up in the temperate forests, these monkeys – here in the Qinling mountains in Shaanxi province – feed mostly in the trees, on leaves, bark, buds and lichen. In heavy wind and snow, Minqiang walked up the mountain carrying his equipment. He stayed for half an hour in temperatures of –10C opposite the tree where the group was huddled before achieving this eye-level composition. (Photo by Minqiang Lu/Wildlife Photographer of the Year)

These are the stunningly creative photographs voted as some of the worlds best wedding snaps from the last year. The International Society of Professional Wedding Photographers (ISPWP) Awards features more than 20 categories. From the conventional Bride and Groom Portrait to the vibrant All About Light award - everything is taken into consideration. In total more than 20,000 images were submitted by the societys members. Here: The bride being thrown up buy her Groom and Ushers. 1st place – the wedding dress. Cordoba, Spain. (Photo by Valentin Gamiz/Caters News)

Getting her tongue pierced was “exciting and scary” says a teen who succumbed to pressure from her best friend in Austin, Texas, February 22, 2008. This image is featured in National Geographic's exhibition “Women of Vision: National Geographic Photographers on Assignment”, on view at the Palm Beach Photographic Centre, Jan. 22 - Mar. 22, 2015. (Photo by Kitra Cahana/National Geographic)

Cally Whitham is a photographic artist from New Zealand with romantic notions of finding value in banality. Her work identifies aesthetic value where none appears apparent and often invites viewers to reflect on our rural beginnings. via Photography Blogs.

A photographer has taken an explosive set of images by igniting gasoline in midair. Rob Prideaux, 45, photographs fire and smoke and then creates patterns from it. The San Francisco-based artist captures the fire in the split second its visible by using highly arcane methods. Rob's Smoke and Fire series is his quest “to shape one of the more uncontrollable phenomena in nature”. (Photo by Rob Prideaux)