Who’s the best? That’s a real beard scratcher - PHOTO

The group, some of whom have spent years perfecting their beards and moustaches, gathered in Leinfelden-Echterdingen, near Stuttgart, Germany, to celebrate their unconventional looks during the Beard World Cup.Sporting Dalis, Goatees and Hungarians, their aim was to take home the coveted prize of the world's best facial hair.Entrants included one man with a very convincing looking cat on his upper-lip while another styled his beard in the shape of helicopter blades.Other wacky whiskers involved a man who had grown his beards all the way to his waistline and another that looked like tusks.Photographer Christophe Gateau, 23, set-up studio at the event and recorded each person’s name, how long they’ve been growing the beard and how long it takes for them to groom it each day.The event took place last November but Mr Gateau has only just released the fascinating images and this is the first time they have been seen publically.He said: 'It was a crazy event, lots of men showing off their beards on a stage, lots of them were drunk.'Without wanting to sound mean – it was a freak show.'Mr Gateau used an analogue Medium Format camera on black and white film. The large cameras, that measure 6in by 8in, allow for amazing detail.'I developed all the pictures from negatives in my darkroom, it took one month to develop, scan, clean off the dust, post-production, layout and then print it.'People are mostly amused when they see the photos. No-one mentions the word sexy or beautiful, some were disgusted.'(dailymail.co.uk)Bakudaily.az