Since the moment the camera lens landed on the smartphone, users have been busy snapping the world around them. 

The market for new ways to capture photographs and make adjustments to them has exploded further with the rise of Instagram and selfies. 

Despite the saturated market, two former business consultants from London saw a chance to “re-imagine” photographs through a new app called Polaroid Swing. Intrigued by the app’s new take on photography, Polaroid came on board as a shareholding partner. 

“We set out to combine Polaroid’s iconic brand heritage with pioneering imaging technology,” said co-founder Tommy Stadlen in an email interview with The Korea Herald. 

Stadlen and his childhood friend Fred Blackford created an app that allows users to capture images that fall somewhere between a photograph and video. The one-second images move when they are touched, creating an effect similar to the moving photographs seen in the Harry Potter movies.

“Human beings perceive the world in moments, not still photos or video footage,” said Stadlen. “Smartphone photography hasn’t fundamentally changed since the introduction of filters. We wanted to make available an entirely new visual medium to stand alongside photos and videos.”

Before its launch, the app’s details were finalized with the help of those most familiar with photography trends.

“Polaroid Swing’s early adopters were artists and Instagram influencers who helped co-create the medium in a highly secretive beta. The community has expanded from there, with dense usage among teenagers, the fashion world and young parents capturing memories more faithfully,” said co-founder Fred Blackford.

The co-founders have an eye on the Korean market, which has always been “ahead of the curve” in new photo technology. “For that reason, we anticipate it will become one of our top five markets in 2017,” said Stadlen.

The app is currently only available for iOS, but the Android version is in the works for release this year, according to the co-founders.

“We’re excited by what 2017 will bring in terms of smartphone cameras. As the smartphone market because increasingly commoditized, the manufacturers will compete even more on the camera as a key differentiator,” said Blackford.

“That expands the toolkit we have to work with, and it will likely lead to significant partnership opportunities for Polaroid Swing, both in the US and in Asia, including Korea in particular.”