CREATED over 60 years ago, this weighty machine was the Photoshop of its time. The Adam’s Retouching Machine, which weighs two-and-a-half stone, was invented in 1947 and gave photographers the opportunity to perfect their pictures. Instead of uploading images to a computer, photographers would place their negative under the magnifying glass. Blemishes in the picture could then be smoothed out by using a retouching pencil, assisted by the gentle vibrations of the machine.
DASHING through the snow, this little stoat is on the lookout for a Christmas feast .
SPARKLING bright inside their box, it’s hard to believe these diamonds are made from the cremated remains of the deceased .
DIVING down at a speed of 75mph, this is the moment a hungry osprey caught his prey .
Pic By HotSpot Media - PARROT RIDES ON THE TUBE - THIS pretty boy could be forgiven for forgetting his Oyst-aaarrrgh-card .
A grey whale and her calf greet an audience of awestruck admirers on the Pacific coast of Baja California Sur, Mexico .
A small Indian monkey is seemingly gob-smacked after reading the latest stock market news .
With blue waves tumbling over them, these surfers glide underneath a tunnel of water .
FROM MRS Patmore to Lady Sybil, these barking mad illustrations show the WOOF-er side of some of our most loved Downton characters .
HUNDREDS of colour coordinated yarns lie abandoned in this once thriving textile mill .
SOME OF the sea’s most terrifying creatures show their softer side as they join a group of diners for lunch .
WITH the phosphorescent blobs and mesmerising patterns, these spectacular images may look like the hall marks of an enchanted forest but it is in fact the scene of thousands of dancing FIREFLIES .
With luminous colours and alien- like features, these magical mushrooms look like they belong on another planet .