The 2025 Refocus Awards Just Revealed The Best Color Photography, And It’s Breathtaking (50 Pics)

"Canoeing through a quiet Louisiana swamp at sunrise, I watched soft light filter through the trees. A Great Egret glided over the water, drawing my lens to the richness of the swamp—a warm, thriving habitat many wildlife species call home."

"Beneath the earth lies a glowing realm, where Bioluminescent Glow Worms create a galaxy-like spectacle. This image captures the awe of exploration, blending the soft glow with the cave’s textures, highlighting nature’s fragile, otherworldly beauty in a moment of quiet wonder."

"Past and present, light and cold shadow, man and woman... one morning I came to the train station and took this photo shortly before the departure of the retro train."

"In the vast expanse of the Maasai, the soft light of dusk gives way to a scene of profound, almost sacred intimacy. A family of elephants stands close together — whose true majesty lies not in their size, but in the depth of their connection, a bond as old as time itself."

"From the series 'A Man and His Horse', made in The Gambia. This image shows a weekly ritual in which he bathes the horse and checks her skin for parasites."

"Every week, on Inle Lake (Myanmar), hundreds of canoes gather to form the night market with different fruits and vegetables to trade with the local population."

"Pakistan is expelling 1,5 million undocumented Afghans, refugees in the country. These women fled Afghanistan when the Talibans took over, but now they are forcibly back in their country, registering at the border with Taliban authorities."

"Underwater in French Polynesia, a surfer rides through the barrel of a wave. Nearby, another person floats, watching the moment unfold."

"A quiet moment captured in the geothermal area of Kerlingarfjöll, Iceland."

"Bangladeshi women contribute to the household economy by working in chile pepper factories during the summer."

"This is my only capture of this adult Australian fur seal. The pups were curious and playful. This fella would float in the distance, ignoring us. A younger seal was chasing and nibbling him, and that interaction sent him charging in my direction. Unveiling this remarkable, dynamic encounter."

"According to UN estimates, approximately 320.000 children between 5 and 14 years of age are forced to work. 
In Managua (Nicaragua), nearly 1.000 children live on the largest garbage dump in Central America, where they rummage in search of recyclable materials, which can later be resold on the streets."

"A local water buffalo farmer and his daughter cross an ancient stone bridge as the first rays of sunshine spill over the peaks. Location: Guilin, China."

"With irresistible puppy-like eyes, an Australian sea lion playfully engages with the camera with curiosity in South
Australia’s kelp forests. Listed as Endangered, these rare sea lions face threats from habitat loss, fishing bycatch, and pollution."

"Seeing Route 66 change from boom to bust, season to year, surviving the loss of the surroundings and the bypass of old routes, The Blue Swallow survives as a living part of history for the nostalgic traveler that seeks the roadside relics that convey of America's passing culture."

"A 'Ring of Fire' solar eclipse reaches annularity as two intrepid ice climbers summit the mighty Glacier Leones. A drone illuminates the ice’s textures and colours, battling fierce winds that whip up plumes of snow that burn in the sun’s rays."

"Pure Raza Spanish Stallion."

"This photo likely depicts a solitary flamingo standing or wading in a tranquil lagoon, surrounded by the soft haze of winter fog. The mist diffuses the light, creating a dreamy and ethereal atmosphere."

"These photographs are part of a series taken in the northern part of the Venice lagoon, where I live.
All images are taken with long exposures, sometimes with the tripod directly stuck in the underwater mud. I look forward to the foggy days to isolate the subjects as much as possible."

"The lone Citibank Tower in Long Island City, Queens, NY, acts like a backdrop to a snowy embankment of graves in Queens' historic Calvary Cemetery."

"Bottlenose dolphins jumping in the Gulf of California at sunset in Baja California, Mexico."

"At the foot of Wyoming's Tetons, the waning day brings a cast of characters together to mingle for a moment of refreshingly untouched nature."

"Abdu-Rahnan’s child sleeps outside on a property where the owners let the family use the land temporarily. In the West Bank, Abdu-Rahnan and his family have been displaced by settler violence after their entire community was forced out of their homes, days following the October 7th attacks."

"A woman is not decoration. A woman is not a shadow. A woman is not a ghost through which one can see the environment. She should not hide in the walls of buildings."

"When I saw this church, I knew I had to take photos there. The church has a light channel in front of its entrance. And I was lucky, the model fit perfectly with the stones of the church and during the shoot the sun came out and shone directly into her face."

"In Norway’s Arctic archipelago, scattered islets resemble chess pieces on the sea. Upon the rocks lies a lone green pitch—like a king’s square. Beneath shifting skies, each match becomes a game of fate and strategy in this oceanic chessboard."

"Mexican Mennonite boys having fun under cover of the night."

"A shark silhouette transforms the sun into an underwater eclipse. Captured while scuba diving in the Bahamas."

"I create visual worlds blending abstraction and nature through fluid forms born from the interaction of water, pigments, and light. In a studio setting, I photograph these dreamlike landscapes, questioning the boundary between the natural and the artificial, the real and the imagined."

"Gliding through a cathedral of ice, this moment in the Arctic feels suspended in time. But beneath the stillness lies urgency—these ancient giants, reflected in fleeting waters, remind us just how swiftly beauty can disappear."

"Dozens of caimans lie motionless in a shrinking mud pool, awaiting the return of the rains in the heart of the Pantanal at the peak of the dry season."

"The former Armstrong Rubber Building in New Haven, Connecticut. Part of my series LIGHT/MASS, which explores the alien-like urban landscapes found in cities and towns across the United States."

"In an attempt to avoid an even worse big wave beating, Rafael Tapia hits the eject button."

"A study in complementary color and texture - deep cobalt tones and sunlit clementines evoking distant places and timeless still life traditions."

"The suit is tailored to give the figure a sculptural sharpness and add an air of mystery to the image. The background is flooded with a vast, almost bleached sun or diffuse light, making the model’s silhouette appear strikingly graphic and high-contrast against the gentle outlines of the mountains."

35201-2025-CC-Elijah Barnes-elixbarnes

"The vintage charm of the decommissioned Tempelhof airport in Berlin."

"NOT AN EXIT is a collection of large format analog photographs that proposes a closer examination of the nondescript interiors that we routinely pass through; doorways and hallways, spaces intended for movement but here, somehow appear impenetrable."

"Rose Couture celebrates the elegance of aging. Dried roses, with petals curled into rich folds, resemble elaborate gowns. Their colors—deep magenta, blush, ochre, seafoam—reveal unexpected beauty. This series honors grace, resilience, and color in transformation."

"This series reimagines Holland's tulip fields as vibrant, painterly landscapes of motion, light, and hue. Using ICM and selective focus techniques, the series embraces the emotional qualities of the floral expanse, transforming linear rows of tulips into dreamlike fields of color and texture."

"Lyric, nine years old, lived in a converted school bus at a motorhome site in Arizona. Her parents sought autonomy outside societal norms. The brown beans and golden cutlery create a quiet tension, challenging ideas of wealth, belonging, and what defines a rich life."

"Mother of Pearl captures love and beauty through floral photography inspired by Renaissance painting. Focusing on roses in full bloom, it highlights soft textures, organic forms, and pearly tones. The interplay of light and shadow creates a surreal elegance, evoking femininity and timeless grace."

"This photo shows four women across three generations wearing a pink niqab. By replacing black with soft pink, the niqab sheds its oppressive image, symbolizing femininity and tenderness. The work challenges stereotypes, humanizes the garment, and sparks dialogue on cultural diversity and symbolism."

"Courtones is an image of a basketball court that screams of its uniqueness and colours. The aerial angle with the sun setting builds a really interesting play of light and shadow, shows the complementary colours of the court with its surroundings, and creates a composition that leads your eye around."

"The lost place of the Belvedere Hotel at night. It is located at the Furka Pass in the South of Switzerland."

"Dead Homeland is a visual project that re-examines a part of Venezuela's history and binary violence culture that operates from the archetypes of the Miss and the Military in Venezuelan society.

A military society, sometimes with guns, sometimes with heels."

"This scene was like straight out of Arizona. It’s hard to believe this stunning landscape is actually in Germany. The dramatic backdrop and his noble presence make this moment feel truly surreal."

"Hindu devotees celebrate the festival of Holi while smearing and throwing coloured powder into the atmosphere, while celebrating the annual festival, observed in Trinidad and Tobago."

"A series of portraits which go beyond representation. The aim is to create images which have a presence using the tools of intimacy and connection with the subject. What are we preconditioned to find 'Hot'?"

"Emediong stands with Ewaoluwa, her acclaimed “African Monalisa,” redefining the global art canon. Merging classical homage with cultural power, she challenges Eurocentric ideals — placing African beauty on a pedestal where it audaciously belongs."

"This photo aims to convey the contrast between a warm, cozy cabin and a harsh winter landscape during blue hour. Captured in Steamboat Springs, Colorado on 120 Cinestill 800t film."

"Lost within a labyrinth of colored doors, I float weightlessly, searching for a path that only exists in dreams. Self-portrait."

"Palm Springs in the summer can make a lizard sweat. Looking for some air conditioning?"

"This series explores the balance between movement and stillness in the city, capturing bursts of color in motion and quiet moments of reflection. It contrasts solitude and togetherness, inviting viewers to see the urban landscape as a living canvas where motion and pause exist in harmony."