Hand-colouring of photographs was a 19th century technique to make monochrome images appear more real. As a photographer, I have always been intrigued by hand-coloured photographs as a combination of two artistic disciplines, and the possibilities that it creates.

In 2019, I decided to experiment with this practice using my photographs, but in a modern and painterly way. I chose to use contemporary colours and ways of highlighting elements, not to make them more real (as was the original intent), but to emote. My first series of hand-coloured photographs was called ‘Female Warriors’, and was exhibited in Bangalore in September, 2019. The series explored feminine strength in the 21st century, while subverting how women have conventionally been seen in images.