A dramatic photograph of an erupting volcano hit by a bolt of lightning has been lauded in the 2017 National Geographic Travel Photographer of the Year contest.
The image was taken by Sergio Tapiro Velasco of Mexico, who had been carefully tracking the volcano's activity for almost a month before he captured the prize-winning image.
Taken outside of Colima, Mexico, Velasco aptly titled the photograph "The Power of Nature".
While shooting on a completely clear night just 12 kilometers away from the crater, Velasco heard a booming noise and witnessed the biggest volcanic lightning he'd ever seen. Until he reviewed the photos he'd taken, Velasco had no idea if he'd actually captured the spectacular event.
"When I looked on the camera display, all I could do was stare," he said. "What I was watching was impossible to conceive, the image showed those amazing forces of nature interacting on a volcano, while the lightning brightened the whole scene. It's an impossible photograph and my once in a lifetime shot that shows the power of nature."
