A remarkable photo capturing a lightning storm crackling above a ferocious volcanic eruption has been awarded the Grand Prize in inaugural photography competition The Perfect Moment.
Taken by Francisco Negroni, this incredible image shows the Calbuco volcano, known to be among the most dangerous in Chile.
The photograph depicts a so-called ‘dirty storm’, a phenomenon whereby hundreds of lightning bolts appear connected in an dazzling ‘net-like’ structure above fiery plumes of gas and lava. The overall effect is breathtaking.
You can find out why this photo scooped the Grand Prize in the video below:
Competition judges Max Rive of the Netherlands and John Weatherby of the USA described the photo as being ‘truly spectacular’.
Max said:
This image shows a rare moment of the eruption of the Volcano Calbuco with truly spectacular forces of nature that make you stare at the image for some time.
It is the combination of the rarity of this natural phenomenon with the technical quality of the image that makes it so powerful and unique.
This image left the biggest impression on me and couldn’t fit the subject ‘Perfect Moment’ any better.
The award was presented by photo competition website Our World In Focus. This stunning picture earned talented photographer Francisco a $2,000 cash prize, a Tamron 2.8 G2 camera lens, and a $200 voucher for camera equipment store Lens Pro To Go.
Second prize went to Bence Mate, who was awarded $500 in cash and $100 in vouchers for his entry ‘Eye To Eye’, a photograph showing a stand-off between a green-crowned hummingbird and a green pit viper.
There were some truly stunning entries into the competition, and you can view all the winners on the competition website.
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Jules studied English Literature with Creative Writing at Lancaster University before earning her masters in International Relations at Leiden University in The Netherlands (Hoi!). She then trained as a journalist through News Associates in Manchester. Jules has previously worked as a mental health blogger, copywriter and freelancer for various publications.