Need a lift? We completely love these beautiful colour-soaked pictures! Have a look and brighten your day

Need some inspiration in your color images or simply want a lift in dopamine? Here we share a few of our favorite images that have been entered into the ‘Celebrating Colour’ class of the International Amateur Photographer of the Year (APOY) 2025 competitors. Plus, some nice photographs from the shortlist. The ‘Celebrating Colour’ 2026 class is open for entries and closes seventeenth August 2026.

APOY the place the perfect non-professional photographers on this planet compete over ten rounds all year long to win some improbable prizes. Entry is free to photographers aged 13-21 within the Young Amateur Photographer of the Year competitors.

Courtship colors by Paul Howrihane – chosen by Nigel Atherton, editor

Sony RX10 IV, 435mm-equiv, 1/250sec at f/4, ISO 500

Nigel says: ‘I was immediately struck by the beautiful colours of this iguana, nicely captured in detailed close-up by Paul Howrihane. I have seen lots of iguanas in the wild on my travels, but never one quite as handsome as this chap. He’s a technicolour dinosaur whose ancestors as soon as dominated the Earth.

They in some way survived the good mass extinction, however human exploitation and habitat loss could also be a step too far for them, with many species now critically endangered. This fellow, who lives in a Devon zoo, reminds us of the unimaginable, intricate magnificence in all dwelling issues, and of how a lot poorer the world can be with out them. Paul took this by way of glass utilizing his Sony bridge digicam.’

Mark Rothko sundown by Dāvis Zandersons – chosen by Ailsa McWhinnie

Canon EOS R8, 24-105mm at 105mm, 1/25sec at f/4, ISO 800

Ailsa says: ‘The moment I saw this image, I instantly thought of Mark Rothko, and given the title that Davis gave his image, we’re clearly on the identical wavelength. I like {a photograph} that isn’t of a factor or a spot, however of a sense – and that’s why this shot stood out to me.

I don’t have to know the place it was made or what it’s – all I do know is I ended scrolling once I got here to it, paused, and gazed into these gorgeously graduated tones (is there any color mixture extra beautiful than orange and blue? I’m undecided there’s). It’s out of focus, there’s no robust focus, you may even argue it’s not even composed, however the photographer has a robust imaginative and prescient and confidence to experiment – with all of the successes and inevitable failures that entails – and for that I commend him.’

Muralla Roja by Linda Wride – chosen by Jessica Miller, deputy on-line editor

Nikon D750, 24-120mm at 78mm, 1/250sec at f/14, ISO 200

Jess says: ‘Linda’s daring and graphic {photograph} was taken in Calpe, Spain. I was drawn to the summary nature of this structure shot. The format of every block of color is nicely composed, with every phase becoming completely within the scene, reasonably like Tetris bricks. She has captured the color of those constructing blocks technically very nicely, with stability seen all through the picture. I notably benefit from the blue of the sky and strip of blue constructing on the backside framing the central partitions of the scene, with a touch of blue within the centre to tie all the things collectively.’

Rainbow strolls in Burano by Tracy Higgins – chosen by Peter Dench

Nikon Z 5, 24-200mm at 35mm, 1/400sec at f/14, ISO 1000

Peter says: ‘This is Burano at its most alluring, a rainbow of homes mirrored within the canal like a scoop of gelato. The composition is spot on, with the boats moored within the foreground and pa and daughter offering human scale towards the architectural sweet. The photographer has nailed the technical bits: f/14 to get all the things in focus, 1/400sec to freeze the ripples within the water and multiply the colors beneath. ISO 1000 to reveal within the vibrant Mediterranean solar. Any grain simply provides to the painterly impact.

This may very well be a nonetheless from Wes Anderson’s The Grand Budapest Hotel: Venetian Edition. The coral pink, mint inexperienced, butter yellow and lilac are simply so candy and people terracotta rooftops present earthy punctuation. The late day solar is heat and golden, turning an bizarre road into pure color heaven. It’s all so succulent, like Italy.’

More superb images from our shortlist:

Related studying:

Do you wish to win some nice prizes in your images? Enter your pictures in our International Amateur Photographer of the Year competition. Free entry for photographers aged 13-21.

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