Photographer Howard Schatz had an idea: place actors in a series of roles and dramatic situations to reveal the essence of their characters. Such was the premise behind his book, In Character: Actors Acting, which captures some of Hollywood’s most emotive stars in the act of, well, making faces. Luckily for us, he continued the tradition for Vanity Fair. Here are some of the best.

The amazing art of dancing is captured by the lens of Bertil Nilsson, who draws inspiration from movement and human body, creating a final spectacular result. The London-based photographer and filmmaker has worked closely with dancers and circus artists for five years throughout Europe and North bringing out an inspiring project, all gathered in his book Undisclosed: Images of the Contemporary Circus Artist.

We’re showcasing photo-manipulation by Jan Oliehoek, a Dutch artist with a love for animals, photography and Photoshop. Oliehoek loves creating animal species that somehow never made it into our biology books, such as felines with rodent heads, lambs with the body of a squirrel, zebra rhinos and hippo-frogs! He’s currently having two of his pictures featured in Crazy Photography, an upcoming title from Vivays Publishing

US Vogue’s top fashion editor works with photographers to inject style with sci-fi and fantasy. A new book, “Stoppers: Photographs from My Life at Vogue” by Phyllis Posnick and Vogue’s chief editor, Anna Wintour, highlights the results. Here: Surburban Woman #10, Mountainville, New York, August 2006. (Photo by Steven Klein)

A deer walks across a pedestrian crossing in Nara, Japan, Thursday, March 19, 2020. More than 1,000 deer roam free in the ancient capital city of Japan. Despite the town's tourism decline, these wild animals are doing just fine without treats from tourists, according to a deer protection group. (Photo by Jae C. Hong/AP Photo)

A model presents a creation from Dior's Cruise 2021 collection during a live-streamed runway show without an audience due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, at the Piazza del Duomo, in Lecce, Italy on July 22, 2020. Christian Dior hosted a live but audience-free fashion show in the Italian city of Lecce, in a dazzling celebration of local crafts and traditions that included a dance spectacle in the middle of the baroque main square. (Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)

A dancer warms up backstage before the final of the 46th Prix de Lausanne, in Lausanne, Switzerland, 03 February 2018. Launched in 1973, the Prix de Lausanne is an international dance competition for young dancers aged 15 to 18. Closing the six-day event, prizes are awarded to the best of 21 finalists consisting of scholarships granting free tuition in a world-renowned dance school or dance company. (Photo by Valentin Flauraud/EPA/EFE)