An old saying: “One man’s art is another man’s junk.”

A question I’ve been asking myself regarding the supposed magic applications that we can spontaneously access via our smartphones is this: are these peculiar and magical applications that add to our photos a surprising, ‘dramatic’ and always more or less spectacular ‘retro effect’ just a pleasant and gratifying bluff whose razzle-dazzle effect has no place in the demanding photographer’s toolbox?

On the other hand, do these funny toys, when used without excess or self-indulgence, prove to somehow be valuable allies whose creative potential deserves to be positively explored and applied in the context of fine art photography?

Here, some glimpses of my own thinking.

Jean-Pierre Bijouard