BURSTING FIREWORKS

BURSTING colours of reds, pinks and purples give the illusion of a collection of stunning flowers. But these images are in fact amazing long-exposure shots of fireworks. These vibrant photographs were captured by Californian amateur photographer Alan Sailer, 58, when he decided to look into the shapes and colours of fireworks. 'I wanted to capture the fireworks at the precise moment they burst, to give them the look of a flower,' said Alan. 'I decided to take them with the focus varied just as the firework explodes, so I could focus on the colours and different shapes that each firework contains

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UNUSUAL FRIENDSHIP

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EMPTY LONDON UNDERGROUND

USUALLY full to bursting, these London Underground stations stand silent and completely commuter free .

SEALED WITH A BUBBLE KISSED

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ADORABLE BEAR CUBS SHARE A HUG

ROLLING around in the snow, these young brown bears take a break from their play fight to share a tender hug with one another .

GRAND PRIX-INSPIRED ESPRESSO MACHINE

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ENDANGERED GORILLA BORN AT TWYCROSS ZOO

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INTIMATE PORTRAITS OF INDIANS

An Italian photographer travelled to northern India where he visited poverty stricken suburbs and captured ordinary people in a series of intimate and expressive portraits .

BOXING DAY SQUIRRELS

BOXING DAY has come early for this pair of feisty squirrels, as their Christmas party quickly turns sour .

SPRITE LIGHTNING CAPTURED IN AURORA LIGHTS

The aurora lights captured in Blair Nebraska, America - WITH electrifying purple and illuminous green brightening up the night sky, this is the rare moment a flash of 'sprite' lightening was captured on camera .