In a world where everyone is constantly taking photos, how do you become a famous photographer? That's the question I've been asking myself at this year's Festival de mode et de photographie in Hyères. One person was extremely well-qualified to answer: Steve Hiett, legendary lens-man and president of the photography jury. "You need an edge of madness," he says. By madness he means originality - and impulsiveness. So what does he think about Instagram culture? "I'm aware of it, but I'm not involved in it. That would be just one more thing to worry about." He has abandoned his old Kodachrome film for digital cameras, however. "You have to, really. Everyone wants everything so fast these days."
The young people in the competition have other solutions. Many of them influence or even create the landscapes they shoot. Marleen Sleeuwits converts abandoned spaces into weird alien interiors using tiles, insulation panels and tube lighting. Arnaud Lajeunie throws coloured dye into waves and photographs the results. Marie Rime creates fierce tribal masks out of screws, tacks and drinking straws and shoots them on models. It's as if the relentless tide of Instagram images has forced them to look beyond everyday streets and people. Or perhaps the ordinary has become unfashionable. Steve Hiett might disagree. "I think banal things are very beautiful," he says.
