The 'Dulux' cloud: Amazing formation rolls into view looking just like an old English sheepdog

This Old English sheepdog was spotted floating in the sky by quick-thinking photographer Peter Van Allen above Portland Harbour, in Dorset.

The dramatic image, looking uncannily like the 'Dulux dog' was snapped on a cold autumn afternoon while the 55-year-old was walking along the nearby Chesil Beach.

Graphic designer Mr Van Allen said the cloud formed for just seconds because of high winds but he was able to quickly get the shot.
The incredible cloud which rolled into view looking just like the 'Dulux dog'.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's a dog: The incredible cloud which rolled into view looking just like the 'Dulux dog'. Peter Van Allen captured the shot on a cold autumn afternoon above Portland Bay

Distinctly sheepish: The dog used in the most recent Dulux advertisements looks the spitting image of the fluffly cloud (above)

The married dad-of-one said: 'I was out walking on Chesil Beach, looking up at the sky when I suddenly saw this animal shape appearing and evolving.

'Luckily I had my point and shoot camera with me and quickly grabbed this one shot before it disappeared completely.'

The cloud appeared over Portland Harbour, where the 2010 Olympic sailing events are to be staged.

'Being wintertime, the clouds were moving very fast in a strong westerly wind constantly making cloud shapes and patterns,' said Mr Van Allen.

'It was all over in about five seconds. Being a graphic designer I am always looking for shapes, composition, something a little different.

'I guess it's all part of the work that I do, and living here in this very picturesque part of the world it's not that difficult to find subject matter.'(dailymail.co.uk)

A bug's eye view: The close-up images of insects that show every incredible detail

Up close they look like the terrifying products of a fevered imagination.

And with their lurid colours, bulging eyes and other-worldly faces these insects can certainly look rather alarming.

But for amateur bug photographer John Hallmin there is a hidden beauty in seeing these creatures up close and personal.

A male Anthomyiid fly on dry grass covered in frost, which look like tiny crystal balls as they balance on his body

Close-up images, taken in the Mr Hallmin's studio, of a black ant, left, and a horsefly with its vivid green eyes

Mr Hallmin has been fascinated by insects since he was a boy. In the last three years he's made a name for himself by photographing the tiny animals he finds in the Nackareservatet nature reserve near his home in Stockholm, Sweden.

Using a mixture of studio and alfresco shots John magnifies his images up to 23 times to show the beautiful colour and detail in his subjects' bug-eyed faces.

John Hallmin has been fascinated by insects his whole life

'It's a pleasure to show people who are not interested in bugs something they haven't seen before and watch how they react,' said 31-year-old John.

'Looking at a fly portrait some people will find them even more disgusting than they'd ever imagined while others will be surprised to find them quite beautiful.'

For field shots John rises before sunrise to hunt for slumbering critters concealed in the foliage.

'Sometimes you'll find them covered in dew that forms in small, spherical droplets,' he said.

'This can turn a tiny, gray, inconspicuous fly into a shimmering jewel!' For studio shots John uses dead bugs that he collects from nature or harvests when they happen to come near him.

'I've found that a completely random approach often pays off,' said John who works as a Freelance Graphic Designer.

'For example the Nomada bee landed in my coffee cup when I was having a family picnic.'

Sometimes it takes hours to achieve the desired lighting for his pictures.

A male Blue Damselfly straddles the gap between two dry grass reeds

'With the sleeping Megachilid bee I anxiously watched it for an hour,' he said.

Enlarge A puss moth caterpillar

A puss moth caterpillar inches along a twig

Enlarge A 5mm long jumping spider.

A horse fly shows off its patterned eyes, left, while a tiny jumping spider, just 5mm across, prepares to make a leap

He added: 'I was hoping it would stay asleep until the sun hit the patch of dry grass in the background, turning it from a drab, dark gray into a nice gradient.

'When it did I had only a couple of minutes before the sun hit the bee and woke it up.' For John it doesn't matter if his subject is a rare breed or a common housefly.

'Almost any subject can look interesting if you only look close enough,' he said.

A feeding hoverfly's eyes perfectly mirror the stamens it has alighted on

souce:dailymail.co.uk

Training a tiger like this takes a lot of bottle!

These pictures of tiger man John Wagenaar might give you paws for thought - as he smiles to the camera while a giant 300kg Siberian tiger licks his head.

More astounding photos show how the big cat whisperer is able to stand and support two tigers with a combined weight of over 500kg with his arms - as he bottle feeds them.

Through his unique 'love training' fearless John is even able to let a huge Bengal tiger female take a cat nap laying on top of him - using his head as a rest for her massive chin.

John

John "Tigerman" Wagenaar frolics with one of his hand-reared tigers at the SA Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve

Working at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve near Johannesburg, South Africa, big cat lover John is a firm believer in reward-based training of animals.

Most handlers of predators live in fear of the day when they trip over in an enclosure and end up beneath the animals in a submissive position - and vulnerable to an attack.

But John, 35, seems fearless as he rolls around on the ground with some of the biggest cats in the world.

He said: 'Through my love training I am able to do things with these animals that others simply cannot.'

'There are many keepers out there who use sticks and punishment to make the animals submit to them.'

'Because of this the keepers don’t trust the animals and the animals don’t trust the keepers. That’s a very dangerous way to manage a relationship between yourself and a cat weighing 300kg.'

John bottle-feeds one of his 'pets', creating the bond that makes the tigers see him as a parent.

John bottle-feeds one of his 'pets', creating the bond that makes the tigers see him as a parent.

Using chunks of meat and bottled milk, John continually rewards good behaviour exhibited by the 20 tigers at the reserve.

But John says his relationship with the potentially lethal animals is key to getting close.

Apollo, the massive five-year-old male licking John’s head was hand-reared by him and thinks John is a parent.

'He thinks I’m his dad' said John. 'He’s grooming me just like he would another cat and this behaviour displays the level of trust we have for each other.'

'I’m not afraid when I go into situations like this but I am cautious.'

'You have to have total respect for the fact that the Siberian tiger is the biggest cat in the world and he’s designed to kill. I’ve got the scars to prove it.'

'But it’s all about your approach and judgement of when and when not to interact with them.'

'Just as cats in the wild do not continually interact with each other, you must bear in mind the same principle.'

'We are strong believers in observing the energy around the cats. Through experience we know when they are in a happy mood and would enjoy to play or some mental stimulation.'

John wrestles with Alice the tiger

Alice, a five-year-old Bengal tiger weighs 200kg and was also hand-reared by John. She is so comfortable with him she happily snoozes laying on top of him.

'She sees me as a potential mate,' said John. “She tried to shepherd me away from other cats so she can have me all to herself.”

Thor, 250kg and Helen, weighing 180kg, are sibling Siberians both aged three years.

John said: 'I am the only person in the world who can stand supporting two adult tigers on each arm. I believe this is a huge testament to the work that we are doing and the state of mind of our cats.'

'I hate punishment training and much prefer to reward the animals for safe behaviour. I dislike circus where animals are conditioned to perform on command or face the consequences.'

'The way I work is more about going in and interacting with the cats.'

John’s love affair with cats began when he was just nine years old when his mum bought him a tabby domestic cat.

Since then he has progressively devoted his life to the animals working with cats like cervals and cheetahs through volunteer programmes around South Africa.

Five years ago he joined Ed Hurm, owner of Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve.

John said: 'All of the tigers were rejected at birth and we have taken them in to go give them a safe and healthy life.'

'You can see that they are in tip top condition and that fills me with pride because its down to the way we look after them.'

'Cats in captivity often end up overweight, bored and die of heart attacks.'

'What I am doing with these animals is not about performing tricks. It’s about keeping them stimulated and active as part of our animal enrichment programme.'

'If one of our tigers climbs for a reward, it is using its claws and muscles just as it should do in the wild. All credit should go to the cats for allowing me to interact with them like this.'

'None of the tigers can ever return to the wild as they have no fear of man and could not fend for themselves. But I hope that we are giving them the best life possible given their circumstances.'

'All of our cats are part of an international breeding programme. They are not being looked after in their native countries where they are killed for their fur or for aphrodisiacs.'

'We are building up an international number which we can exchange with other reserves to keep a healthy gene pool in the cats away from their native territories.'

Tourists and big cat lovers can visit the South African reserve where they can enjoy talks by John.

It is, as John says 'the only place in the world where you can safely take an hour-long walk with an adult Siberian tiger'.(dailymail.co.uk)