There's a series of pictures going around the web right now showing the rising Moon in the background, and people whimsically doing things to it in the foreground. It's hard to explain, so here is a picture literally worth 28 words:

I love this series of photos, and I've seen people plug it on Twitter, Google+, and I've gotten an email or two about it as well. The thing is, the photographer who took these pictures isn't getting any attribution in the copies I've seen (like, for example, on FAILblog; I've sent them a note about it [UPDATE: they've added a link to Laurent's page. Yay!]). The cool thing is, I know who took these images: the amazingly creative French photographer Laurent Laveder. I knew it was him right away, because his photo of a man "painting" the Moon during a lunar eclipse took the ninth slot in my Top Ten Astronomy Images of 2006! I think artists who create things should get credit, so I'm letting everyone know who took those shots. I like Laurent's work quite a bit, and as it turns out he also works on The World At Night, which I just happened to write about a few days ago: it's an effort to take photos of world landmarks against the night sky, and is supported by Astronomers Without Borders. You can find more of Laurent's Moon photos at PixHeaven. Check them out; they're fantastic. He also has a book and postcard prints of them, too! And if you tweeted/G+ed or emailed someone about these Moon shots, then let everyone know who took 'em. Laurent deserves the credit for such imagination and planning, and for creating such lovely and wonderful art.

Image credit: Laurent Laveder

Bonus points to anyone who understands the very obscure reference I made in this article's title. You win nothing tangible, but the chuffed feeling of having shared knowledge of the greatest cartoonist of the modern age.