Blue is an amazing color. As a highly emotional color, it can convey so much to the viewer with no real effort at all. The bright blue of a clear sky can cheer us, and the clear blue of a river or stream can calm us. It can express anguish and pain or sadness. It can be bright and chirpy, like a bluebird, or pale and powdery like the wall of a nursery.

With such versatility comes an unprecedented lack of limitations on the use of such a color. It is so emotive that just having it present in a piece of art can completely transform the mood – and, so, the context – of a piece. That is why it is used so often in photography, where nature provides ample opportunity to see the primary color in action.

If you are looking for some truly breathtaking examples or you want to share your own blue-inspired work, these 10 Flickr groups are the perfect place to start.

1. Blues Group

Blues Group is a standard photo pool that allows users to post either pictures or videos an unlimited number number of times for ratings, commenting and criticism.

There are no clear rules except that photos have to fall under “safe” category levels and contain blue as a primary focus. There are more than 350 members and thousands of photos submitted in the pool.

2. Blue-Azul

Blue-Azul is an English-speaking group that the owner says added “azul” to the title because of the huge number of gorgeous blue pictures coming out of South America lately.

The group tries to keep the pool current by deleting the two bottom photos in Flickr Interestingness each week, though with more than 6,500 photos currently hosted and over 1,100 members, this usually goes unnoticed by most. You can post one item per day, and it is a “safe” group.

3. Blue Sky Dichromatic

The contrast of a blue sky against a simple foreground can be truly stunning to witness. Blue Sky Dichromatic aims to take advantage of that fact for clean, beautiful photographs. The group has three rules: The photo has to be a two-piece picture with limited foreground against a blue sky; there are to be no people in the shot; and you can use any creative process necessary, such as color saturation, night shots or image enhancement.

While there are more than 1,200 members, there are only a few thousand pictures in the pool. That is due to regular pool cleanings that lead to deleted photos, something the owner asks not be considered an offense to those who are removed.

4. Blue Is My Favorite Color

If you love the color blue in all its forms, you will love Blue Is My Favorite Color. This is a photo group with an emphasis on discussion, and there are often lively conversations about the use of blue in a natural and living photography.

You can find some really creative and interesting shots, which flourish under the lack of structure within the group itself. You can post animation, photos and videos as often as you like. The group is “safe.”

5. Something Blue in My Life

In Something Blue in My Life, there are two rules. The first is that everything posted has to have blue as the main focus of the picture, giving the image context; it cannot simply be a color in the photo. Second, you have to comment on the previous picture before the one you posted every time you add an image to the pool. That’s a great one for winter calendar design inspiration!

If you don’t add a comment you will be given a warning and then banned from the group on the second offense. It is an easy system that seems to work well, and there are no actual limitations on the content of the photos other than them being “safe.”

6. Singin’ the Blues

An invite-only group, Singin’ the Blues is another that asks only for blue as a primary focus to be added to the pool. Members can invite people who they feel have captured the essence of the color. People are added regularly, and there are more than 5,000 members already there, with more than 8,000 photos in the pool. The group is “safe” and allows only pictures at this time.

7. Blue + Rust

Lately, there have been a lot of images on Flickr that feature rusty items, many of them pitted against blue backgrounds or blue objects. Someone decided it was time that all of those images were seen together in one place, and so Blue + Rust was born.

While it is a definite niche, there are more than 1,200 members and an astonishing 9,400 images in the pool that meet this simple – but specific – requirement. The group accepts any media, including illustrations.

8. Blue-Green Culture

Quality is a major requirement for Blue-Green Culture, which aims to bring the best of Flickr into one place. Both colors have to be the main focus of the shot – the more clear and deep those colors the better. The group will delete images that it feels don’t meet that requirement.

If you comment on a photo you are asked to use an invite code in your signature. The group has fewer than 1,000 members but almost 10,000 images in its pool.

9. The Blue and Purple Group

Another dual-color group, this fun pool is dedicated to blue and purple. However, unlike other groups where both colors have to be in the same shot, this one can be an either/or photo.

The color just has to be the main focus of the image, and otherwise the rules are completely open. Members can post as many as 10 images per day, and commenting is encouraged but not required.

10. The Blue Hour

The Blue Hour is a reference to that time of night just after sunset, where the sky is at its bluest point. The group allows photos anytime from sunset to night, with an emphasis on dusk and just before the total sundown. It does not allow people or day shots and will remove any images posted of either. The group takes any medium.

These are some of the best that Flickr has to offer. Do you have a group you are a member of that focuses on the color blue and you would like to share? Post the link in the comments section.