An Indian man stands dressed like Hindu god Shiva to attract alms from devotees during the Ambubasi festival at the Kamakhya Hindu temple in Gauhati, India, Sunday, June 22, 2014. The annual festival where hundreds of holy men from an esoteric form of Hinduism, gather to perform rituals at the temple begins on June 22. (Photo by Anupam Nath/AP Photo)

With the United Nations and Tudor City in the foreground, lightning strikes in the sky over the East River as a major storm approaches New York City July 2, 2014. Tropical Storm Arthur, the first of the Atlantic hurricane season, gathered strength July 20, 2014 and would likely reach hurricane strength over the next couple of days. (Photo by Timothy A. Clary/AFP Photo)

Photographer Lucy Ray says she has been scratched by the pooches who are diving underwater to try and catch a tennis ball. Their wide-eyed desperation has been captured by a specialist underwater photographer who admits she has been bitten and scratched by the pooches who only had eyes for the ball. Lucy Ray, 34, said: “A dog could have the cutest face on land but as soon as they get in the water they can be terrifying. Their eyes bulge and teeth shoot out of their mouth just like an alien as they try to catch the ball”. (Photo by Lucy Ray)

A girl walks down the runway during a class at a modelling academy in Caracas, Venezuela, on September 20, 2014. Venezuela's famed models and aspiring beauty queens are struggling to doll themselves up. In a country that glorifies voluptuous women and opulent beauty pageants, even basics like deodorant are now at times tricky to find as strict currency controls have led to a scarcity of dollars for imported goods. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

These incredible pictures look like a bird's-eye view of a faraway alien planet – but they're actually hot springs. The amazing snaps are up-close shots of Iceland's hot springs, and the point-blank pictures produce a breathtaking array of colors and effects. Here: The amazing snaps are up-close shots of Icelandic hot springs. (Photo by Johann Vilhjalmsson/Caters News)

The eighth annual Nipponbashi Street Festa stamped Osaka March 20, 2012 (Nipponbashi is Osaka’s geek district – much like Akihabara is for Tokyo). Cosplayers turned up in colourful outfits, dressing as characters from their favourite manga, anime, and video games. The street was closed to cars, and otaku flooded the streets, snapping pics, cosplaying, and hanging out.

“Sometimes i feel like photographers have uncovered a special secret. A crazy, amazing, and beautiful secret. The key to truly living. All i want is to be alive”. – Karrah Kobus

Photo: “All my life i lived in a bubble”. (Photo by Karrah Kobus)

Justin Rowe creates these magical sculptures from hand cut books and found images with the help of just a touch of gum arabic and 24 carat gold or palladium leaf. Some are very much in the realms of fairy stories like the one above, but my favourites are the stories below where Justin’s skill brings the book’s own illustrations to life.