FROM ICE bubbles to boiling lava, these photographs highlight the stunning shapes and patterns found in nature. The series of extraordinary images were taken by German software engineer Thorsten Scheuermann after he decided to examine his surroundings. A trip to the city of Kalapana in Hawaii, home to the Kilauea Volcano, provided Thorsten with the setting for his lava picture, while a visit to the Columbia River Gorge in Oregon offered him the opportunity to photograph ice bubbles up-close. The 37-year-old, now of Washington, USA, said: 'These are sights that can gain greater significance and have their beauty exposed when excluding everything else around them.'
SKIPPING on the spot, an adorable little owl embraces the 'running man' challenge .
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 .
THE THOUGHT OF BECOMING shipwrecked on a remote destination would fill most holidaymakers with dread .
With a dust covered coat hung from a wardrobe door and a pair of glasses left on a shelf, a remote farmhouse lies abandoned in the Welsh countryside .
TOWERING 65 metres into the sky, this terrifying accent is a dream for climbers .
A terrified moose, trapped in a frozen lake, bobs her head above the icey water and awaits her rescue .
Swimming side by side with divers, these manatees will do anything they can to stay warm .
CAUSING a splash, this determined kingfisher goes hunting for dinner .
Staring death in the face, a little field mouse bravely confronts a hungry cat .
STARING eagerly into the camera, this little toad is full of curiosity .
DIPPING his head into the vase of water, this little squirrel takes a refreshing break from an afternoon of eating .
SURROUNDED by a snowstorm, these young polar bears battle the elements - as well as each other .