Each year Nikon Small World recognizes the excellence of photography taken under the microscope. The contest showcases the beauty and complexity of life. Anyone interested in microscopy and photography can enter the contest and in its 42nd year, Nikon Small World received 2,000 entries from 70 countries. Here: 11th Place; Scales of a butterfly wing underside (Vanessa atalanta). (Photo by Francis Sneyers/Nikon's Small World 2016)

A woman walks past a caricature of Britain's Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson in east London, Britain November 18, 2016. (Photo by Andrew Winning/Reuters)

Miss Puerto Rico Stephanie Del Valle (C) reacts after winning in the Grand Final of the Miss World 2016 pageant at the MGM National Harbor December 18, 2016 in Oxon Hill, Maryland. (Photo by Zach Gibson/AFP Photo)

A woman walks past a stall at a market in Banjul, Gambia December 15, 2016. (Photo by Afolabi Sotunde/Reuters)

Indigenous woven backpacks called guayare are seen in front of a house in Paraitepui village, before a walking excursion to Mount Roraima, near Venezuela's border with Brazil January 13, 2015. A mysterious table-topped mountain on the Venezuela-Brazil border that perplexed 19th century explorers and inspired “The Lost World” novel is attracting ever more modern-day adventurers. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Light is the sole reason why life exists. It provides us with warmth; it allows us to see; it nourishes all the living things on this planet. Many painters, especially the masters of Old Renaissance Period, have recognized the importance of light and its intimate connection with nature and life itself. In their paintings they gave tribute to light, giving the impression that their paintings had a light source hidden within them. Al Hogue, the artist who created the paintings that you see before you, has studied their techniques for many years. As time went by, light permeated not only his paintings by also his life, becoming his sole philosophy.

Enigmatic Italian forward Mario Balotelli is always good for drama, so Fanny Neguesha is perfect for him. With her racy Instagram shots and wild ways, she might be the one to tame Super Mario’s heart. The couple was engaged to marry this week. (Photo by Splash News/Getty Images/Instagram.com)

The World Bodypainting Festival held from July 4 to 6 at Lake Worthersee in Austria's southern Carinthia province included artists from around the world, drawing visitors to the “Mecca of Bodypainting”, according to the World Bodypainting Association. Photo: World Bodypainting Festival 2014. Photographed July 4th in Poertschach am Woerthersee, Austria July 4, 2014. (Photo by Jan Hetfleisch/Getty Images)