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These ten photographs from the 2026 Amateur Photographer of the Year (APOY) “Celebrating Colour” round show how colour can direct attention, set a mood and give an ordinary scene new meaning. The strongest examples do not rely on saturation alone: composition, contrast, blur and negative space determine how each palette works.
Ten memorable examples of colour in photography
The gallery draws from the 2026 Amateur Photographer of the Year “Celebrating Colour” round, alongside additional Young APOY and camera-club selections. Its range runs from portraits and architecture to landscapes, wildlife and everyday places. As the source article puts it, “Colour is one of photography’s most powerful tools, it can stop us in our tracks, settle a mood or transform an otherwise ordinary scene into something unforgettable.”
1. “A Framed Glance” — Trevor Lake, category winner, 100 points
A woman is seen through a taxi window across a busy road. The muted blue of the enclosed taxi contrasts with the warmer street beyond, while blur and framing make the scene feel like a brief glimpse into someone else’s life. Guest judge Barry Lewis said, “Using colour and blur we are drawn into the intimacy of another life.” The article lists a Fujifilm X-T4, 85mm, 1/125 sec, f/1.8 and ISO 2500.
2. “Something to Laugh About” — Trevor Lake
Dyed hair, large orange earrings, sunglasses and an expressive face make this close portrait immediately vivid. The article notes that the strong colours complement one another rather than compete. Its listed settings are Fujifilm X-T4, 13mm, 1/250 sec, f/10 and ISO 160.
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3. “Little Steps” — Sirsendu Gayen, 80 points
A small human figure appears amid the yellow and orange geometry of Jaipur’s Jantar Mantar. The person gives the architectural forms scale and adds a point of rhythm to the bold shapes.
4. “Pink and Purple” — Charles Ashton, 70 points
Pink, purple and violet create a restrained palette in an everyday environment; a red doorway supplies a sharper point of contrast. It is a reminder that colour can be compelling without being loudly saturated. The article lists a Fujifilm GFX100S with a GF 32–64mm lens at 32mm, 1/320 sec, f/4 and ISO 1000.
5. “Between Earth and Sky” — Natalie Weigum, 60 points
A lone figure in the flooded Salar de Uyuni is reflected in the water. The open space and pastel colours of the sky keep attention on stillness and scale rather than detail. Listed settings: Nikon Z6 II, 24–70mm at 26.5mm, 1/8 sec, f/7.1 and ISO 100.
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6. “Study in Blue” — Graeme Youngson, 50 points
A view of swimmers and a glass-bottomed pool becomes a graphic arrangement: a blue square, clean lines and areas of negative space turn a familiar place into an abstract composition. Here, geometry gives the dominant colour its structure.
7. “Colour Full” — Peter Murrell, 45 points
Red clothing and lipstick stand out against cooler surroundings. Shallow depth of field helps keep the portrait focused, showing how selective focus can reinforce a colour contrast rather than simply blur the background.
8. “Day Blues… and Reds” — Jerry Wash, 40 points
Repeated blue laundrette machines form a symmetrical frame around a woman in red. The contrast gives the everyday setting a graphic quality, while the repetition makes the central figure easy to find. The article lists an Olympus E-M1X, 12–40mm at 18mm, 1/80 sec, f/4 and ISO 3200.
9. “Drying Incense” — Azim Khan Ronnie, 35 points
Rows of incense sticks create a strong repeating pattern, while the workers introduce human scale and activity. The scene’s appeal comes from the relationship between ordered lines and people moving within them—not colour in isolation.
10. “A Blue Tit Among Rose Hips in Autumn!” — Dr. John Mihopulos, 30 points
The blue and yellow of the bird contrast with the warm red rose hips, making the subject stand out against its surroundings. The source caption lists a Canon EOS R1, 600mm lens with a 1.4x extender to 840mm, 1/5000 sec, f/5.6 and ISO 8000.
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More colour ideas from the selections
Other images described in the article broaden the range of approaches: Adrian Kaletta’s low-angle flower installation, Andrew Sanfilippo’s white-and-green modern building, Dorothy Slinkard’s pink jellyfish against blue, and Lilien Bodo’s sunset silhouette. Camera-club selections include crayons against red, a bluebell woodland, blue sky above a yellow wall, and a silhouette against a red building. Together, they show that colour can come from a subject, its setting, repeated shapes or the boundary between light and shadow.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What these photographs teach about using colour
Let contrast create a focal point
Warm against cool is an effective way to separate a subject from its surroundings. The red figure amid blue machines in “Day Blues… and Reds,” and the blue tit against red rose hips, make the focal subject legible through contrast. A single strong accent can do more than adding several competing colours.
Use pattern and geometry to organize colour
Repeated forms give the eye a path through a colourful scene. In “Study in Blue,” lines and a square organize the pool’s dominant hue; in “Drying Incense,” repeated sticks establish rhythm while workers break the pattern. Before framing, look for lines, grids, repeated objects and a place where a person or animal can interrupt them.
Make space, blur and framing part of the story
Colour does not have to fill the frame. The taxi window in “A Framed Glance” creates a frame within the photograph, while blur softens the busy street and helps preserve the intimate feeling. In “Between Earth and Sky,” the broad expanse and reflection give the figure room to feel small. Consider what should remain sharp and how much space the subject needs.
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“Pink and Purple” uses a quieter palette, with the red doorway as a deliberate accent. Subdued colours can establish mood and let a small contrast matter. If every area is bright, it becomes harder to guide attention; simplify the frame or wait for a cleaner arrangement when colours compete.
What the camera details do—and do not—tell you
The exposure settings and camera-and-lens combinations above are the captions reported in the source article, not independent tests or requirements for making strong colour photographs. The listed images span different cameras, lenses and settings; the examples demonstrate visual choices such as framing, contrast, reflection and depth of field, rather than a single gear recipe. The article also names selected winning kit, including the Fujifilm X-T4, a Fujifilm GF 32–64mm f/4 lens and an OM System M.Zuiko 12–40mm f/2.8 lens. Those mentions do not establish that any of these products is necessary to achieve similar results.
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