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These are officially the best really colourful photographs of the year

Be wowed by these incredible photos from across the world

How can something be both natural and that shade of red? The above image, with its two halves of deep orange-y red and rich turquoise separated by a thin and wispy white line, looks more like a Rothko painting than a photo. Only the tiny flecks of people paddling and swimming give it away as an actual photograph.

The shot was taken by Graham Earnshaw as he flew over Roebuck Bay, western Australia, at sunrise, and it’s a pretty decent reminder of the vivid beauty of the natural world. It was selected as one of the winners of a competition by magazine All About Photo.

The theme of the competition was ‘COLORS’, and the winners were all chosen for their distinctive approach to colour photography. And that doesn’t just mean photos that attempted to cram a barrage of rainbows into every frame. These pics are bold, striking and vibrant. They draw attention to colour in ways that can be both subtle and overwhelming. All the winning shots are worth a look, but here are a few of our favourites.

“Football field in Moscow’s woods” by Vitaly Golovatyuk

Photograph: Vitaly Golovatyuk / ‘All About Photo AAP Magazine #21 COLORS’, www.all-about-photo.com via photopublicity.comFootball field in Moscow’s woods

“La Raccolta del Riso” by Lello Fargione

Photograph: Lello Fargione / ‘All About Photo AAP Magazine #21 COLORS’, www.all-about-photo.com via photopublicity.comla raccolta del riso

“Green” by Judi Iranyi

Photograph: Judi Iranyi / ‘All About Photo AAP Magazine #21 COLORS’, www.all-about-photo.com via photopublicity.comGreen

“Untitled F-305” by Jerry Takigawa

Photograph: Jerry Takigawa / ‘All About Photo AAP Magazine #21 COLORS’, www.all-about-photo.com via photopublicity.comUntitled F-305

“Untitled” by Miloš Nejezchleb

Photograph: Miloš Nejezchleb / ‘All About Photo AAP Magazine #21 COLORS’, www.all-about-photo.com via photopublicity.comUntitled

“Untitled” by Bootsy Holler

Photograph: Bootsy Holler / ‘All About Photo AAP Magazine #21 COLORS’, www.all-about-photo.com via photopublicity.comUntitled

“Nowhere – untitled 05” by Xavier Blondeau

Photograph: Xavier Blondeau / ‘All About Photo AAP Magazine #21 COLORS’, www.all-about-photo.com via photopublicity.comNowhere – untitled 05

“Uganda Colors” by Koshevova Natalia

Photograph: Koshevova Natalia /‘All About Photo AAP Magazine #21 COLORS’, www.all-about-photo.com via photopublicity.comUganda colours

“Sand” by Diana Cheren Nygren

Photograph: Diana Cheren Nygren /‘All About Photo AAP Magazine #21 COLORS’, www.all-about-photo.com via photopublicity.comSand

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