Renowned amphibian and reptile photographer Matthijs Kuijpers has released his first book, “Cold Instinct”. Kuijpers says the aim of the work is “for the viewer to abandon the fear and negative thoughts that often surround these animals”. What’s left is the bizarre beauty of these creatures in their simplest form – no backgrounds and no distractions. Here: Mossy frog (Theloderma corticale). (Photo by Matthijs Kuijpers/The Guardian)

A recent undated handout picture released by the Guinness World Records on September 9, 2014, shows 49-year-old trick golf artist Karsten Maas, from Denmark, who secured his place in the 2015 Guinness World Records book for creating the world’s longest usable golf club. It measures 4.37, (14ft 5in) in length and has been used to drive a ball a distance of 165.46m (542ft 10.16in). The 60th anniversary edition of the Guinness World Records book will reflect on six decades of record-breaking, whilst also featuring the latest additions to the oddball hall of fame. (Photo by Ranald Mackechnie/AFP Photo/Guinness World Records)

With its huge eyes, comical name and diminutive size, Mark R. Smith’s image of a baby Hawaiian bobtail squid can’t help but raise a smile. A curiously endearing creature, the cephalopod is just 1.5cm across, its mantle cavity bearing more than a passing resemblance to a rather natty shower cap. But it is also a beautiful example of symbiosis – nature’s version of “I’ll scratch your back if you scratch mine” – for on the underside of the squid is a light organ which houses bioluminescent bacteria. The squid offers the bacteria protection and food, while the bacteria emit a glow – a handy trait that the squid uses to offset its silhouette, helping it to evade predators in the depths below. Mark R. Smith’s entry combines several images of a Hawaiian bobtail squid with different focus lengths to create a final picture with greater depth of field than normal. (Photo by Mark R. Smith/Wellcome Images/Macroscopic Solutions)

“Animals take on human characteristics in this photo series by Davide Luciano. Davide’s goal was to achieve personification of these animals’ body parts without the use of motion. Using photography’s ability to manipulate time, Davide presents a snippet of these creature “active” lives by photographing a process, thus creating the illusion of life in these lifeless animal limbs. Recreating the uncomfortable into quizzical and whimsical photos that are bold, colorful, and always comical and satirical”. (Photos and caption by Davide Luciano)

In order to capture the attention of the public some artists hone their skills, trying to create the ultimate masterpiece that will bring them fame and glory. Others, however, resort to simpler techniques. For example, a French photographer Sacha Goldberger simply combined characters out of Marvel Comics and Star Wars with the fashion of the Elizabethan era and the style of classical Flemish paintings. The results are nothing more than a joke, especially since the main accessory that was placed on each of the characters is the Elizabethan ruff, while everything else remained practically the same. (Photo by Sacha Goldberger)

The personal project of Michael Turner features a whole range of different DC and Marvel characters. Each of the posters in this project is created using only two colors, which immediately remind us of the character that is being shown. Despite the minimalistic style, the characters can be instantly recognized by their key features. These pictures might look good as posters; however, in our opinion they would look even better as T-shirt designs. Any fan of DC and Marvel comics would simply love having a T-shirt with their favorite character depicted on it. (Photo by Michael Turner)

Los Angeles native Mike Stilkey has always been attracted to painting and drawing not only on vintage paper, record covers and book pages, but on the books themselves. Using a mix of ink, colored pencil, paint and lacquer, Stilkey depicts a melancholic and at times a whimsical cast of characters inhabiting ambiguous spaces and narratives of fantasy and fairy tales. A lingering sense of loss and longing hints at emotional depth and draws the viewer into their introspective thrall with a mixture of capricious poetry, wit, and mystery. (Photo by Mike Stilkey)