“24.27 N, 81.44 W. These coordinates mark the spot of the final resting place of an old brave soldier, the USS General Hoyt S. Vandenberg. In 2009 it underwent a complete change when the creaky steel monster became a mystical bearer of secrets. In May of that year, the Vandenberg was lowered down into the darkness of the ocean off the coast of Florida to become an artificial reef, where it would dwell in rigor mortis at a depth of 130 feet. This lively, animate, secretive nothingness, this menacing, wild emptiness would haunt and seduce the renowned Austrian photographer and passionate diver Andreas Franke...”. – The Sinking World (Photo by Andreas Franke)

Jakob Wagner was born 1985 in Herdecke, Germany. In summer 2008, he successfully completed his three-year apprenticeship as a photographer. He has since been living in Duesseldorf, where he has mainly been working as a freelance photographer, image editor and photo assistant. His work has taken him to many different countries around the world. When Jakob Wagner is not at work by assignment, he devotes much of his time and passion to his personal photography projects, which will culminate in future books and exhibitions. His photographs are available in signed and limited editions.

“Alice in Waterland” is a beautiful series of photographs re-imagining the Lewis Carroll classic underwater. It’s a creation of photographer Elena Kalis, who lives on a small island in The Bahamas, surrounded, she says, “by pristine clear warm water. Underwater is where I spend a lot of time; snorkeling, diving, photographing. It is fascinating how the world changes down below: light, sound, gravity and proportions are different from what we are used to”. (Photo by Elena Kalis)

Brian Skerry can be called many things – explorer, journalist, conservation advocate – but he is first and foremost a photographer. His journeys to capture amazing underwater photographs have taken him across the world’s oceans. Photo: This Bahamian oceanic whitetip shark, known for the distinctive coloring on its white-tipped, rounded extremities, is part of a globally threatened species due to overfishing demands, primarily for its fins. (Photo by Brian Skerry)

Axel Erlandson (December 15, 1884 – April 28, 1964) was a Swedish American farmer who shaped trees as a hobby, and opened a horticultural attraction in 1947 advertised as "See the World's Strangest Trees Here," and named "The Tree Circus."
The trees appeared in the column of Robert Ripley's Believe It or Not! twelve times. Erlandson sold his attraction shortly before his death. The trees were moved to Gilroy Gardens in 1985.

During dull lectures 19-year-old Jody Steel, from Boston, America, likes to draw on her thigh. Using pen she creates stunning temporary masterpieces – and now her doodles have given her internet fame and job offers from around the world. Even her lecturer is a fan – instead of punishing Jody when she was spotted doodling on her leg in class, the lecturer commissioned her to illustrate a book she was editing.

“Liu Bolin is an artist born in China’s Shandong province in 1973, and he earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Shandong College of Arts in 1995 and his Master of Fine Arts from the Central Academy of Fine Arts in Beijing in 2001. His work has been exhibited in museums around the world. Also known as “The Invisible Man”, Liu Bolin's most popular works are from his “Hiding in the City” series; photographic works that began as performance art in 2005”. – Wikipedia. (Photo by Reuters/China Daily)

This picture taken on December 17, 2013 shows people taking photos of a pole dancer (R) practising after it snowed in Tianjin during a promotional event by members of China's national pole dancing team and students of the sport. China set up its first national pole dancing team in Tianjin in 2012 in order to compete in the World Pole Dancing Championships. (Photo by AFP Photo)