Water wonderful world

Photographer captures amazing images in a single droplet.
These incredible images are little drops of magic - capturing iconic images within a single droplet of water.

Photographer Markus Reugels spends hundreds of hours painstakingly trying to capture the impressive and beautiful images.Mr Reugels, from Schweinfurt, Germany, can spend weeks agonising over snapping the image just at the right moment - but the results are stunning.

This image of the globe from space looks uncannily true to life when pictured through a droplet of water. Photographer Markus Reugels spends hundreds of hours painstakingly composing these shots. This image has been flipped upside down due to the reversing lens-like effects of the water droplet.

In one of his images, an image of the earth from space sits neatly inside the water droplet.In another, the moon is brought into focus by a single drop of water, the flat image of the background distorted into a spherical result that appears uncannily true to life.

This image of the moon is given incredible clarity seen through the natural lens created by dripping water. Mr Reugels began taking the photos after he saw similar ones posted on an online forum. This image has also been flipped.

And in other humorous images, the Batman and Spiderman silhouettes are projected through the water.

This fleeting glimpse of a map of the world showing borders shows how the process can take flat images and make them look spherical.

Mr Reugels began his career as a family portrait photographer but began to take more artistic and adventurous images three years ago.He said: 'My pictures of the water drops are all taken with my self made setup rig - all handmade out of wood.

'I fix all my valves and flashes tot he contraption, and can put the image I want to project behind the dripping water.'Sometimes I take 500 pictures and only a couple of them are really perfect in my opinion.

The setup that Mr Reugels uses to capture the stunning images.

Artist paints on human body to make them look like canvasses

Normally when a model poses for an artist, they are expected to remain motionless.But this model may struggle to stay still – as they are the actual artwork.Artist Alexa Meade’s technique involves painting directly onto the physical subjects that she is referencing, rather than using a canvas.

Artist Alexa Meade paints model Will Claybaugh, she will then photograph him to create her final artwork.

The effect creates an optical illusion as the 3D effect of her scenes is compressed into a 2D plane.Miss Meade, 24, grew up in Washington D.C. and had previously worked on Capitol Hill as an intern, before working on Barack Obama’s Presidential campaign.

  Alexa Meade's work creates onptical illusion as the 3D effect of her scenes is compressed into a 2D plane

Alexa Meade paints her models face (right) and then takes his photograph (left) to create her pieces

Alexa Meade with her finished model.

Paper zoo sculptures by Calvin Nicholls

These amazing pictures are the sculptures of artist and animal enthusiast Calvin Nicholls, who using nothing but sheets of A4 brings to life many exotic creatures including lions, pandas and zebras as part of his paper zoo collection. Each piece takes around four weeks to produce and in some cases have taken up to two years with Nicholl demanding up to £16,000 for his art. Strikingly realistic and intricately observed, his collection in total amasses over 75 pieces and is on display at the Follett Library near Chicago, Illinois.Nicholls revealed the preparation that goes into each sculpture, insisting: 'In the case of an animal over a dozen drawings are done to get the musculoskeletal features correct.

Birds fly together: A pair of Mallard ducks captured in flight.

 

An fully grown Zebra and it's infant relax while a Panda eats through bamboo leaves.

Family affair: This group of beavers gnashing through some twigs.

 

A Frog looks set to leap whilst a Chameleon's impressive reflexes are exposed.

A paper sculpture of a Lion by artist Calvin Nicholls.

 

Hunting in packs: This pair of Wolves eyeing their next prey whilst a Chimpanzee cradles an infant.