“No filter!” Not quite.

We’ve all seen the caption: “No filter! Just taken on my phone - all natural.” It sounds like a badge of authenticity, as if the image is untouched. But here’s the reality: if you’re using a modern smartphone, a filter has already been applied, just not by you.

Smartphones are designed to process images instantly. The moment you press the shutter, the software gets to work: adjusting exposure, balancing whites, boosting contrast, sharpening details, and saturating colours. That’s why phone shots so often look good straight away and it’s great that almost anyone can capture a decent looking photo without much effort.

But that’s not the same as making artistic choices. When a photographer edits an image, it’s done with intention. Decisions about light, colour, and contrast are made carefully, by eye and by hand, to bring out the story or feeling behind the shot. That’s very different from an algorithm applying the same automated recipe to every scene.

So next time you see someone posting a phone shot and saying “no filter,” remember: the filter is already there. The reality is, their phone has already edited the picture. The only question is whether the final image reflects the phone’s programming, or the photographer’s own vision.