Highly commended birds : Crested guan by Tim Hunt (UK). ‘This photo shows a crested guan in the cloud forests of Costa Rica as it pauses while foraging on a lone branch. Due to the clouds that are so typical for this habitat, I could often only photograph the bird’s silhouette against a grey sky. But then, for a short moment only, the sun broke through the clouds, and I overexposed the image by over two stops in order to blow out the background and allow this beautifully marked bird to stand out’. (Photo by Tim Hunt/GDT European Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2015)

A photographer has shot this series of scenic selfies – scaling freezing mountain tops to snap himself in front of stunning scenery. Paul Zizkas breath-taking work features himself in front of beautiful backdrops such as shimmering lakes, snowy mountains and vibrant auroras. He has travelled to a number of different locations worldwide including Canada, New Zealand, Niue the South Pacific and French Polynesia. Explorer Paul, from Banff, Alberta, Canada, saw his selfies go viral early in 2014 – and has now unveiled his latest work. He said: I find that sometimes including a person in a landscape scene adds to the photograph – that it conveys a different story. Here: lake Minnewanka, Banff National Park, Alberta, Canada. (Photo by Paul Zizkas/Caters News)

“As is probably stated somewhere in the theory of infinity, if you give an infinite amount of monkeys an infinite number of old-timey Polaroid cameras, one will eventually take “artistic” blurry photos of historical sites in Moscow which will then be auctioned at Sotheby's for an estimated $75,000 – $100,000. Fortunately for every simian art fan with a spare $100k, we are currently living in the very universe in which that concept is reality. Eighteen photographs by – and of – Mikki The Chimpanzee are going to auction on June 5, 2013”. – Callie Beusman via Jezebel.com. (Photo by Guzelian)

The amazing images, which show the balls of water reflecting an array of colours and even other insects, were snapped by photographer Uda Dennie in his garden. One of the massive droplets even stayed in shape for about a minute before the spider scurried off. Dennie, 33, from Batam Island, Indonesia, said: “I was really surprised to get such amazing pictures – it was really wonderful. I have a real passion for macro photography and after lots of trial and error I'm now able to produce good images – perseverance really paid off”. (Photo by Uda Dennie)

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)

Maudy – Kalulushi, Zambia. Maudy was born in a hut in a small village close to Kalulushi, in Zambia. She grew up playing in the street with the other children in the village, who all attend the same school, where students ages 3 to 10 years old are in the same class. The village has no shops, restaurants or hotels, and just a few children are lucky enough to have toys. Maudy and her friends found a box full of sunglasses on the street, which quickly became their favorite toys. “Toy Stories” project. (Photo and caption by Gabriele Galimberti)