Red Sky Over Sydney

Firefighters battle 100 wildfires across Australian state: Flames so intense it is unknown how many homes have been destroyed

• New South Wales bushfires thought to be worst in a decade after more than 100 blazes break out across the state
• Firefighters are still battling to control the flames which currently surround Sydney on three flanks
• Dozens of families forced to leave their homes, and it is thought hundreds might have been destroyed

By TARA BRADY

Nearly 100 wildfires have been burning out of control across Australia's most populous state today. 

Several homes are believed to have been destroyed in the fires across New South Wales. 

Exact numbers are not known because conditions are too intense for firefighters to reach the hardest-hit areas, said Rural Fire Service spokesman Matt Sun. 

Red dawn: Sydney Harbour Bridge and North Sydney CBD shrouded in smoke haze as bushfires rage in the western Sydney suburbs of Springwood, Winmalee and Lithgow

Rural Fire Service volunteers retreat after unsuccessfully trying to save a house from a bushfire at Dragan, north of Lithgow

Swallowing of a city: The smoke from the bushfires west of Sydney rolls in over the harbour ready to cover it in darkness

Reflected Glory

Reflected glory: Spectacular mirror images of North America's wilderness which are guaranteed to make you feel calm

• Photographer Mark Brodkin, 45, spent hours at the locations in his quest for the perfectly symmetrical shot
• He took the mirrored shots in a bid to show some of the world's most picturesque settings in autumn colours
• The breathtaking scenes were taken at beauty spots across Canada and America, including Sparks Lake in Oregon

By MATT BLAKE

It is said the beauty of nature is best reflected in art, but as these pictures show, sometimes nature needs no help in reflecting itself. 

The stunning symmetrical images capture the serene elegance of the natural world as if a giant mirror has been placed across the wilderness.

Photographer Mark Brodkin, 45, racked up months of research and spent hours at the locations in his quest for the perfectly symmetrical shot.

The intrepid snapper, from Toronto, Canada, said: 'I travel all over the world to photograph the most beautiful landscapes I can find.

Sparks Lake in Oregon: Photographer Mark Brodkin, 45, racked up months of research and spent hours at the locations in his quest for the perfectly symmetrical shot

Merced River in Yosemite Park: The breathtaking scenes were taken at beauty spots across Canada and America, including Merced River in Yosemite Park, California

'In my pursuit of incredible scenery I ventured to these locations. I spend months researching a location before I arrive using the internet extensively and other photo books to gain inspiration and information.

'Once I arrive in a location I typically scout the shooting area when the light is not great and then return for sunrise or sunset to shoot.

'Most of the time it takes several trips to the same location to get the image that I am seeking.'

The breathtaking scenes were taken at beauty spots across Canada and America, including Sparks Lake in Oregon, America.

Mr Brodkin uses trial and error to find the right composition and the perfect moment for each photograph he takes.

He added: 'It takes a great deal of patience, persistence and determination.

Maroon Bells near Aspen, Colorado: His favourite photograph, Pristine Bells, was captured at Maroon Bells in Aspen, Colorado, US, last month (above). But his plan to get there was almost scuppered by the recent US shutdown

Wildlife In Black & White

On global safari to find the perfect shot: Wildlife photographer comes face to face with deadly animals to capture stunning images

• Scots wildlife photographer David Yarrow even escaped an up close meeting with a lioness on the prairie
• Self-taught 47-year-old has produced almost 90 black and white pictures of wildlife in harsh landscapes
• Among the images are two baby penguins helping each other climb an icy slope in Snow Hill, Antarctica
• Also included in new book Encounter is a pair of polar bears confronting each other in Manitoba, Canada

By Robert Dex

He has travelled to some of the world's remotest destinations and come face to face with deadly animals to capture these stunning images.

And Scots wildlife photographer David Yarrow even escaped an up close and personal meeting with a lioness on the prairie during his global travels.

Mr Yarrow, from Glasgow, has produced almost 90 black and white pictures of wildlife in some of the harshest landscapes on Earth.

Scary: Scots wildlife photographer David Yarrow even escaped an up close and personal meeting with a lioness on the prairie during his global travels

Impressive: Mr Yarrow, from Glasgow, has produced almost 90 black and white pictures of wildlife in some of the harshest landscapes on Earth

Beautiful moment: Among the images are two baby penguins helping each other climb an icy slope in Snow Hill, Antarctica

These Smart Glasses Could Help the Blind to See

These smart glasses could help bring sight to thousands of blind people, by converting visual information into images that can actually be seen by the visually impaired.

When people use the word blind, they don't always quite mean that someone can't see anything at all; often times, people with visual impairment can perceive some light and motion, just not enough to appreciate the world around them particularly well. So, these glasses—developed at the University of Oxford—try and leverage that fact to offer blind people a chance to see more clearly, reports New Scientist.

They use a camera and infrared projector to detect distance, and combine that data with information gathered from an on-board gyroscope, compass, and GPS system. The images themselves are projected on transparent OLEDs, overlaying high contrast color—in shades that work best for wearer—on top of real life.

That means that specific parts of the images can be made more or less clear, highlighting images against the background, say, or picking out distant objects. The project has just won the Royal Society's Brian Mercer Award for Innovation, and the £50,000 prize money looks set to help make them a real product someday soon. [New Scientist]

Water Babies

Real life waterbabies! Adorable pictures of toddlers exploring an underwater world

• Lucy Ray, 33, from Greenwich was a news photographer for 10 years
• Left to start own underwater photography business

By DENI KIRKOVA

When we get to adulthood we have a tendency to hold our noses, cover our eyes with goggles and plug our ears when we go underwater. 

But it's a different story for babies. They have a gag reflex, and being submerged reminds them of being in the womb, meaning when they go under water they look utterly at peace.

'Up to around six months they have a gag reflex which means they hold their breath automatically,' says underwater photographer Lucy Ray.

Underwater photographer Lucy Ray, 33, from Greenwich, was a Fleet Street news photographer before embarking on her new career taking photos of children swimming

The baby is submerged, let go for a second while Lucy takes the photos then brought straight back up

Lucy first started to dabble with underwater photography at University when she learned to scuba dive

Saint Petersburg Aerial Shots

Autumn in the amber city: Photographs capture Russia's imperial capital Saint Petersburg bathed in orange, gold and red

By TED THORNHILL

When photographer Amos Chapple sent a small drone helicopter up into the skies above Saint Petersburg to take pictures, he had no idea how they would turn out.

But as you'll see from the results, New Zealand-born Mr Chapple needn't have worried.

His airborne cameras have captured stunning images of the Russian city, bathed in an orange, gold and red autumnal glow.

Awesome autumn: A picture of the Smolny Convent at sunset, taken by a camera mounted on a small drone helicopter

The Church on Spilled blood lit by morning sunlight on a squally day

Mesmerising: Hermitage Pavilion, in the grounds of the Catherine Palace, at sunrise