noun
color photo; colour photo
A photograph in natural colors, as opposed to black-and-white or artificially colored. This term is somewhat dated; modern Japanese more commonly uses カラー写真.
この天然色写真は戦前に撮られたものだ。
This color photograph was taken before the war.
The modern, common term for 'color photograph'. 天然色写真 is an older, less frequent synonym.
Compound of 天然色 (natural color) and 写真 (photograph). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term was used in the early-to-mid 20th century to distinguish natural-color photography from hand-tinted or monochrome processes.