A photograph is a selected rectangle

Human vision is continuous and mobile; a photograph is bounded. Framing can place one saturated colour against a relatively neutral background and make that relationship more dominant than it felt while walking through the scene. This is one reason a sari, painted wall or flower garland can appear exceptionally vivid in a still image.

Contrast changes perceived intensity

Colour is perceived in relation to surrounding colour and brightness. Orange against grey stone, red against pale river haze, blue beside warm earth tones or flame against night can appear more saturated because of contrast even when the object itself has not changed.

Light matters

Direct sunlight, open shade, dust, haze, dawn and artificial night lighting all change how colour is recorded. Strong tropical or subtropical light does not automatically make every colour richer; it can also bleach highlights or deepen shadows. Exposure choices determine which effect the photograph preserves.

Cameras and screens are not neutral

Digital cameras apply colour profiles and white-balance decisions, JPEG processing can alter saturation and contrast, and phones or computer displays vary in brightness and gamut. Post-processing can intensify or restrain these effects. Documentary practice therefore requires colour adjustments to remain controlled and subordinate to the scene.

The archive’s position

Everyday Lives treats the visible colour of the photograph as part of the documentary record while recognising that every image is also a photographic rendering. Adjustments may improve tonal separation, contrast or colour balance, but the purpose is not to manufacture a more “exotic” India than the camera recorded.