Earlier this year, Belgian film-maker and artist Vincent Bal stumbled upon an uncanny resemblance to an elephant in the shadow of his tea cup. This gave him the idea for Shadowology, a series of doodles that interact with the shadows of simple, everyday objects: a banknote, some ice cubes and a flower, for example, can turn into a church, a woman and a hippy. “I draw a few lines and I get my image. It’s really the shadows that inspire me”, Bal says. Here: “Stonedog”. (Photo by Vincent Bal/The Guardian)

A Chinese stripper dances during a funeral in Handan city, Hebei province, China on March 2015. The Chinese Ministry of Culture has announced plans to work closely with the police to eliminate risqué performances, including strippers, at funeral. The aim of such entertainment is to draw more mourners to the ceremony. (Photo by Imaginechina/Rex Features/Shutterstock)

Pfc. Esmeralda Calderon stands and salutes the flag on the 15th green during the first round of the LPGA golf tournament at Kingsmill Resort and Golf Course in Williamsburg, Va., Thursday May 23, 2019. Pfc. Calderon, from San Antonio, Texas, is a Marine assigned to Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. (Photo by John Sudbrink/The Daily Press via AP Photo)

Nine years ago, Tom Carter traveled from San Francisco to China, responding to a job posting that turned out to be a scam. He managed to find another job as a teacher, and saved enough money to embark on a 56,000 km trip through all of China's 33 provinces that lasted two years. Carrying a camera – just a a 4-megapixel point-and-shoot – Carter captured some amazing images of the widely varying landscape, people, and architecture across the nation. Photo: Buddhist pilgrim family from Sichuan. (Photo by Tom Carter via The Atlantic)

A security personnel keeps watch before the second plenary session of the National People's Congress (NPC) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China on March 8, 2022. (Photo by Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters)

Clouds cover the sky over the Ernst-Taehlmann-Park housing estate after a thunderstorm in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, March 11, 2021. (Photo by Markus Schreiber/AP Photo)

Truffle hunter Carlo Marenda pets his dog Buc as they search for white truffles through the Langhe Countryside in Roddi, near Alba, north-western Italy, on November 8, 2020. Despite new measures to stop the spread of the Covid-19, truffles hunters are allowed to search in the countryside in Italy. (Photo by Marco Bertorello/AFP Photo)

Models present creations from the Emporio Armani Fall/Winter 2024/2025 collection during Fashion Week in Milan, Italy on February 22, 2024. (Photo by Alessandro Garofalo/Reuters)