US photographer credited with 'enormous skill in his craft' for shots of storm systems in Appalachian mountains
• In pictures: a selection of the winning photographs
Last night, at a lavish ceremony at the Hilton Park Lane, London, the US photographer Mitch Dobrowner won L'Iris d'Or photographer of the year at the 2012 Sony world photography awards for his extraordinary shots of storm systems in Tornado Alley in the Appalachian mountains. He was selected from a shortlist of 120 photographers, whittled down from more than 112,000 entries.
WM Hunt, the chair of the judges, said: "He is the best of what is classic and what is contemporary in photography. He brings a sense of its history and enormous skill in his craft while pushing his imagination and, even, physical strength. The work offers a visceral rush while being wonderfully well made. I think he is an exceptional choice."
Other winners included Peter Franck, from Germany, who triumphed in both the commercial and fashion categories, and Britain's Simon Norfolk, winner of the photojournalism and documentary: people category. The outstanding contribution to photography award went to William Klein, the American pioneer of street and fashion photography, whose book New York was described by Martin Parr as "perhaps the most influential photography book of the 20th century". Klein expressed his surprise that Sony had "eaten up" the world of photography, adding: "More power to Sony!"
The Sony awards also incorporated the Kraszna-Krausz book awards. The best photography book award went to Carleton Watkins: The Complete Mammoth Photographs (Getty), edited by Weston Naef and Christine Hult-Lewis. The National Media Museum first book award was won by Anne Sophie Merryman for her collection of family postcards, Mrs Merryman's Collection. The British independent publisher Dewi Lewis was the recipient of the outstanding contribution to publishing award.
The prizes were attended by the great and the good of the world of photography, alongside various Sony executives including Tatsuya Akashi, vice president of digital imaging at Sony Europe. The minister for culture, Ed Vaizey, was also in attendance and made a speech in praise of the British photography industry. The full list of winners can be viewed here.