A quiet Himalayan mountain village springs to life for a colourful Buddhist festival designed to expel evil spirits and bring happiness. The annual Torgya Festival in Tawang, in north-eastern India, is full of colourful dancing, music and theatre. The three day festival is held in the courtyard of the Tawang monastery, which is nestled on top of the hill overlooking the town. The vibrant event was attended by Australian photographers Stephen Axford and Catherine Marciniak.
MAKING himself at home, this little snail perches happily on top of this frog's head .
MESMERIZING night sky photographs offer a spellbinding look at the stars .
Jostling their quills into the noses of some unlucky cubs, this is the moment two feisty porcupines ALMOST defeat a pride of seven lions .
THIS may look like a dolphin through jumping hoops, but it is in fact nothing more than a clever 3D pencil drawing .
Like a scene from a fairytale, THOUSANDS of fireflies create an enchanting glow as they dance in a forest .
HUDDLED together in the hollow of a tree, it would be easy to overlook these two sleepy owls as they blend into the trunk .
HIDDEN in the middle of the Mojave Desert, a secret oasis awaits intrepid travellers .
A middle spotted woodpecker swoops into her nest and feeds her young in a forest in Trentino, Italy .
An Italian photographer travelled to Chile where he visited several star-gazing sites, home to some of the world's most advanced telescopes, located in the spectacular setting of the Atacama desert .
SAT ON top of a Brazilian turtle’s head, this little ladybird looks content as he studies his environment from a new height .
HUDDLING under a leaf, a pair of adorable Javan scops owls take shelter from the rain .
BURSTING colours of reds, pinks and purples give the illusion of a collection of stunning flowers .