Military policemen take part in an operation at Cidade de Deus favela in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on February 01, 2018. (Photo by Mauro Pimentel/AFP Photo)

The Belgian rider Wout van Aert crashes during an ascent on the 11th stage of the Tour de France in Col de Néronne, France on July 10, 2024. (Photo by Anne-Christine Poujoulat/AFP Photo)

“Eye of a toad”. Animal Portraits, Łukasz Bożycki, Poland. Early spring sees a pond near Łukasz’s home city of Warsaw, Poland, full of mating frogs and a few toads. On this March day, Łukasz shared the pond with them for an evening, sitting in the icy water in his chest-high waders, keeping as still as possible, despite the numbing cold, so that the amphibians could get used to him. “I wanted to find a fresh way of portraying the amphibians”, he says, “at water level”. Using a telephoto lens, he focused on one lone toad and waited for the sun to dip almost below the horizon before pressing the shutter, using flash to bring out the details in the shadow. His prize was “the glorious pool of sunset colour” and fiery glow of the toad’s eye. Nikon D80 + 70-300mm f4.5-5.6 lens + extension tube; 1/125 sec at f9 (-2.3 e/v); ISO 100; built-in flash. (Photo by Łukasz Bożycki)

A model waits to present a creation by Chinese designer Hu Sheguang for his collection show during China Fashion Week S/S 2016 in Beijing October 26, 2015. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)

Through handmade craftmanship, multimedia artist Faig Ahmed creatively explores the ornate patterns and traditional designs of Azerbaijan carpets. He draws upon the culture and artistic traditions of the country in order to produce his unique and contemporary sculptures. By directly manipulating the wool, Ahmed transforms iconic carpet designs into modern creations.

Israeli designer HIlla Shamia has found a way to mix “oil and water” or aluminum and wood – two materials I’ve never seen fused together. The product designer has created a novel way to meld both poured aluminum with irregular wood chunks to create modern tables and benches with a warm industrial feel. Old world and new world in one.

A model presents a creation by Chinese designer Hu Sheguang from Sheguang Hu collection at China Fashion Week in Beijing, March 31, 2016. (Photo by Jason Lee/Reuters)