Lightning strikes near Jacobsdorf at the Oder-Spree district in eastern Germany, September 1, 2015. (Photo by Patrick Pleul/AFP Photo)

Lightning strikes the Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower) in downtown on June 12, 2013 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Cows belonging to Samburu tribesmen walk around the carcass of an elephant killed by armed cattle herders in Mugui Conservancy, Kenya February 11, 2017. Kenya has declared the ongoing drought affecting many parts of the country a national disaster, calling for aid to counter the situation which is posing a major risk to people, livestock and wildlife. (Photo by Goran Tomasevic/Reuters)

Lady officers of the Philippine National Police force show the taped muzzle of their guns at a police camp in Taguig City, south of Manila, Philippines, 22 December 2014. Law enforcement units all over the country held a ceremonial taping of firearms as a counter measure against cases of indiscriminate firing and illegal discharge of service weapons during the upcoming Christmas and New Year celebrations. (Photo by Francis R. Malasig/EPA)

A clown plays the violin during the XXI Convention of Clowns, at the Jimenez Rueda Theatre, in Mexico City, Mexico, October 19, 2016. In the wake of the creepy clown sightings in several states of North and South Americas and Europe that caused widespread panic, professional clowns from across Latin America came together at an annual convention in Mexico to give a serious message: “We are clowns, not killers!”. Around 200 clowns took part in the 21st International Clown Convention, dressed in bright coloured clothes and makeup, and chanted the word as they clicked group pictures to counter the “creepy clown” craze. (Photo by Carlos Jasso/Reuters)

Tokyo Rainbow Pride 2015, at Yoyogi park-Shibuya, on April 26, 2015. Some 3,000 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people paraded through Tokyo’s Shibuya district Sunday afternoon to demonstrate their hope that Japanese society will continue to forge ahead with recent moves to embrace equality and diversity. In a nation where prejudice against sexual minorities persists, the annual Tokyo Rainbow Pride parade has sought to counter the trend by openly spotlighting LGBT residents and spreading their voices. But this year, LGBT participants and proponents seemed particularly joyous, emboldened by what they see as a blossoming of LGBT-friendly moves by municipalities and companies. (Photo by Yoshiaki Miura)

Todd Bretl specializes in underwater photography, and is able to capture striking photos of aquatic life big and small. His photos of sharks are particularly striking; though he rarely faces hostility from the animals, he tries not to spend too much time looking through his viewfinder and many shots are framed by educated guesses and impeccable timing. What follows are photographs taken over the past several years on trips to the Bahamas and Isla Guadalupe, an island off the coast of the Baja California peninsula in Mexico. (Photo by Todd Bretl)