The mushroom cloud from nature: Jaw-dropping picture that scooped top photography prize


Could it be the start of a nuclear holocaust? Thankfully not, but this real-life mushroom cloud certainly looks as dramatic.

Snapped in the skies above the U.S. state of Texas, the awe-inspiring snap shows an incredible natural phenomenon called a supercell storm.

It was taken by fine art photographer Mitch Dobrowner and was a winner at the prestigious Sony World Photography Awards 2012.

Taken in Dundee, Texas, by fine art photographer Mitch Dobrowner, this snap shows an incredible mushroom-shaped supercell storm

The picture is part of a series of dramatic black-and-white photos of weather taken in the plains of the American South.

One shows a terrifying twister ripping its way across the horizon. Another shows a stunning vertical wall of cloud that is engulfing the sky.



Supercells are formed when updrafts create convective rotating movements within a cloud.

The spectacular storms are associated with severe weather such as tornadoes, which are common in Texas and other southern U.S. states and cause widespread damage.

In a competition with 12,000 entries from 171 countries, Mr Dobrowner's set, taken in Dundee, Texas, scooped the L'Iris d'Or prize for landscapes taken by professional photographers.

Terrifying twister: Mr Dobrowner was the winner of the prestigious L'Iris d'Or for his series of dramatic black-and-white photos of weather taken in the plains of the American South

The spectacular storms are associated with severe weather such as tornadoes, which are common in Texas and other southern U.S. states and cause widespread damage

The prestigious photography competition these pictures were entered in had more than 12,000 entries from 171 countries

Billed as the global photographic event of the year, the Sony World Photography Awards celebrate the very best in photography from around the world.

The awards ceremony and gala dinner was held last week at the Hilton Hotel in London’s Park Lane.

Mr Dobrowner's series of photos and the other winners and entrants of Sony World Photography Awards are on display at Somerset House in London until May 20 (entry £7.50, concessions available).