What do superheroes do when they’re not busy fighting bad guys and saving the world from destruction? Perhaps they’re drawing strength alone in the peace and quiet of the great outdoors. That’s the premise of French photographer Benoit Lapray‘s photo-manipulation series “The Quest for the Absolute.”

Classic antique cars are seen at an auto dealer in West Branch, Iowa, March 6, 2015. Iowa, the American heartland. Endless farm fields and quiet towns. 56,273 square miles that are soon to become the focus of the nation as the long process of electing the next U.S. president begins. (Photo by Jim Young/Reuters)

A visitor interacts with deer at Nara Park in Nara on January 27, 2025. As peckish deer chase delighted tourists in Japan's temple-dotted Nara Park, a quiet but dedicated team of litter-pickers patrols the stone paths, collecting plastic waste that threatens the animals' health. (Photo by Philip Fong/AFP Photo)

Here Goes River captures Japanese photographer Aya Fujioka’s home town of Hiroshima in 2017. The award-winning series documents the quiet, everyday spaces of the city – mundane, almost incidental scenes that are suffused with the invisible weight of the past. (Photo by Aya Fujioka)

A Venezuelan Bolivarian National Police officer fires tear gas towards demonstrators during a protest in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, April 10, 2017. Thousands of people in Venezuela's capital are protesting against the government of President Nicolas Maduro, demanding new elections and vowing to stay in the streets during the usually quiet Easter Week. (Photo by Fernando Llano/AP Photo)

“Great White Shark of Guadalupe Island”. A great white shark very quiet under the boat and a lot of fish. The sun ray lighting the head of the shark. Location: Guadalupe Island, Mexico. (Photo and caption by Marc Henauer/National Geographic Traveler Photo Contest)

ATTENTION! All pictures are presented in high resolution. To see Hi-Res images – just TWICE click on any picture. In other words, click small picture – opens the BIG picture. Click BIG picture – opens VERY BIG picture.

These romantic sepia shots show lovers enjoying quiet, unguarded moments together – but the subjects are not besotted couples; they are fearsome big cats. Freelance snapper Goran Anastasovski has devoted more than 10 years of his life to photographing big cats and other animals. The 46-year-old from Macedonia aims to emphasize their human qualities in his photographs. (Photo by Goran Anastasovski/Caters News)

A woman dancer prepare a performance during Nyepi celebration, the annual day of silence marking Balinese Hindu new year in Bali, Indonesia on Wednesday, March 2, 2022. Most Balinese practice self-reflection and stay at home to observe the quiet holiday, and tourists visiting the island are asked not to leave their hotels and the airport will be closed. (Photo by Firdia Lisnawati/AP Photo)