The winning photo – a huge, dark tempest cloud churning above the Colorado plains – presents an otherworldly image, which reminded Korošec of the space ship from the film spectacle Independence Day, and therefore he chose that title. He had sent the photo to the contest with no big expectations, and in the end it brought him victory, and a trip to Alaska.

By visiting the exhibition of Korošec's photographies, which is now displayed in the Prežihov Voranc library in Ljubljana, you can make sure that Independence Day was not just a lucky shot.

He has been at the USA Tornado Alley seven times, and has seen more than 100 tornados. Has he ever felt in danger or afraid, or has adrenaline made him forget his fear? "An extreme weather phenomenon can be very dangerous by itself, but thanks to more than 15 years of experiences I have learned the limit, and how close I can get to such phenomena to make pictures, yet remain safe. I am not afraid, but I am in awe of tornados, as you must always keep in mind the fact that even the smallest mistake can be fatal. Adrenaline mostly gives me motivation to do it, and to stand the physical strain at tornado chasing due to stressful situations, long rides through strong hurricane wind, heavy downpours ... The most important is to keep sober head which allows you to make right decisions in every moment, as safety must come first when observing such phenomena."

"When we first saw the picture we guessed that the photographer probably had dedicated quite a bit of time to capture such an amazing sight. But what makes the picture particularly strong is that except for the cloud, the rest of the scene is quite ordinary. The crazy UFO-looking shape gives the impression that it's going to suck up the landscape like a tablecloth into a vacuum cleaner. The unresolved tension in the image makes me want to look at it over and over," is how the head of photography of National Geographic Dana Westergren, explained their choice of the winning photo.

Kaja Sajovic
Translated by G. K.