“I started photography in June 2009. At the time, I was searching for a way to express both the rigorous scientist and the creative artist in me. There are few hobbies that let these two approaches work together, so I really was enthusiastic about it: I am now spending all my free time studying various techniques, contemplating others' fantastic work, and of course, making pictures”. – Christophe Kiciak. Photo: “The Hero”. (Photo by Christophe Kiciak)

Participants clear the last jump at the Soap Box Derby in Bandung, Indonesia on December 15, 2024. Over 120 entries were received to compete. Entries were voted by judges for performance, overall look and time. Fans voted for their favorite soap box team. (Photo by Algi Febri Sugita/ZUMA Press Wire/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Kevin Russ, a photographer & image moderator for iStockphoto, grew up in Arroyo Grande, California. In 2003, he made the move to Portland, planning to study at Multnomah Bible College. Finding the workload to be minimal, Kevin invested in a camera, filling his free time and finding himself instantly smitten with the craft. A year and a half later, photography had evolved into his full-time job. However, after 4 years of consistent portrait work, Kevin became burnt out and took a step back from photography altogether. Two years later, he picked up the camera again and now spends the majority of his time on the road, exploring & photographing the rustic landscapes & wildlife he encounters.

A nesting bird peeks out of the budding Japanese Yoshino cherry tree along the Tidal Basin in Washington, Sunday, April 7, 2013. Despite repeated predictions peak blossom time for the historic cherry trees is not yet here, but almost, almost. (Photo by Carolyn Kaster/AP Photo)

A tourist crosses flooded St. Mark's Square in Venice, Italy on November 11, 2012. Flooding is common this time of year and Sunday's level that reached a peak of 58.66 inches was below the 63 inches recorded four years ago in the worst flooding in decades. (Photo by Luigi Costantini/Associated Press)

In this March 18, 2015 photo, a boy rides a mechanical bull for children at the Texcoco Fair on the outskirts of Mexico City. In Mexico, these types of fairs date back to Spanish colonial times, and in some smaller communities they are organized around the feast days of Roman Catholic saints. (Photo by Eduardo Verdugo/AP Photo)

Yalena Leuliette, 7, of Greenbelt, Md., throws seeds from a cattail plant up in the air as she plays while visiting the Kenilworth Aquatic Gardens in northeast Washington, on Sunday, August 9, 2015. Leuliette visits the public garden with her parents a few times a year. (Photo by Jacquelyn Martin/AP Photo)

Abigail Doyle from St David's Holy Faith Secondary School, Greystones, modeling her Alice in Wonderland themed outfit designed for the Upcycled category of the An Taisce Green-Schools Let's Fix Fashion catwalk event in Cashel, Ireland on May 4, 2023. (Photo by Diarmuid Greene/The Irish Times)