20 breathtaking images of the world around us

Beauty is always around us. Everywhere. You just have to be able to see it. If you need some convincing, here are 20 outstanding photographs taken of the world around us which have not seen any digital enhancement of any kind. Make no mistake: whether we’re talking about the natural world or the man-made one, our planet is an incredibly beautiful place.

Mother Earth’s gifts

Sunset in the office

Schönbrunn, Austria

A traffic jam in Beijing, China

Rice fields

Much better than any ’legs on the beach’ shot we’ve ever seen

Wind turbines, Denmark

The Dallol Volcano on the border between Ethiopia and Eritrea

The Eiffel Tower as seen from below

An enormous wave on the coast of Nazaré, Portugal

Natural contrast

A suspicious neighbour

Dragon-leaf

A circular rainbow as seen from a plane

Lightning over Budapest, Hungary

A tower block in Hong Kong

A frozen pond in Switzerland

Hundreds of flamingos form the shape of a larger flamingo, Yucatán Peninsula

The Namib Desert, Namibia

A bamboo forest in Kyoto, Japan