Hey, this is LENSEL.
Your weekly dose of hot takes, cold facts and pro moves in the wedding photography world. Here’s what we have on for you today:

• Story is dead. And what the heck is a vibe?

• Feedback from the ‘Rise of Agencies’ topic

• All the news and inspo from the week
  
  Let’s jump in 👇

NEWS

Happening this Week

• Nikon’s big 35mm. Nikon just announced a new 35mm f1.2, and it’s an absolute blurry bokeh winner at 1.2. Apparently super sharp and smooth. BUT it’s also big, heavy, and $3k—but if you Nikon friends want an ultimate 35mm, this might be it. Take a look here. And Nikon’s newly announced future lens road map here.

• JACQUEMUS goes full iPhone. The fashion brand just shot its latest campaign entirely on an iPhone, and it’s cool, you need to see it. It PROVES (if you need more evidence) once again that high-end aesthetics don’t need high-end gear.

• Apple confirms their Pixelmator purchase. It’s official—Apple now owns a VERY powerful photo editing app. An underground favourite some might say… Watch this space and fingers crossed for something good.

• Leica x iPhone? The new Leica LUX grip makes your iPhone feel like an actual camera. An attachment that adds a physical shutter button, an ergonomic grip, and even that classic Leica-style look. It looks actually kinda beautiful. Take a look here.

• Workshop Alert: THE EDITION. A small intimate workshop hosted in Barcelona by two gems: Robert Marcillas and Joy Zamora. Join the waitlist here.

• Edit feed is coming to Instagram. Did Instagram CEO just mention you’ll soon be able to re-order and edit your entire feed? YES. And thank you.

• THE WED Inspo 2025 guide just dropped. Honestly it’s just such good curation. A yearly goldmine of trends, styling, and what’s next in weddings. It’s worth a look. Check it out here.

TRENDS

🧵The Shift from Storytelling to Vibe Curation

Storytelling is DEAD. (Kind of)
We’re jumping into something that may be a touchy subject for many photographers, but let’s hold judgment a sec and hear this theory out: We are no longer storytellers, but vibe curators…

For years, it was practically wedding photography = storytelling, right?! The word found somewhere on a photographers home page description.The idea was simple: capture a wedding day as a cohesive narrative, with a visual arc with a beginning, middle, and end. From the morning nerves and waiting to the golden-hour portraits to the final dance-floor chaos - wedding photographers saw themselves as the silent narrators of love stories. BUT something is changing…

A few weeks ago…

LAST WEEK

🎤 Reporting back on AGENCIES

WOW what a huge response to last week’s issue on about the rise of all these new agencies for wedding photographers. We heard it all: photographers who feel stuck in restrictive contracts with little payoff and others who say representation completely changed their career—opening new doors and taking big admin burdens off their hands. We are excited for AGENCIES in our industry, so we wanted to give a quick roundup of a few recommendations from all the observations. When considering an agency ask:

• Do they genuinely believe in YOU and your work? The best agencies truly advocate for their artists and believe in them. If they don’t seem excited to represent YOU and it’s more about the $$, that’s a red flag.

• Who’s actually representing you? Do they have real industry experience and connections, or are they just managing an inbox? Have they worked with top planners and clients before?

• What’s their long-term strategy for you? Do they have a vision for your career growth? Will they advocate for bigger budgets, creative projects, and industry positioning? Or are they seeing this as more of a money making things on their side.

• How many photographers do they represent? If they have too many with a similar style, you might be competing for the same opportunities.

• And don’t get stuck. Pour over that contract and make sure you aren’t getting stuck in something that could go wrong. Are there minimum earning expectations? What happens if you want out? Consider trials and be clear on everything before signing.

BIG shout out to some amazing new and established agencies we have around the industry you can check out: Luago Agency, AiA Management, and of course the very wonderful The Wedding Artists Co. 

INSPO FROM THE WEEK

⬇️ Genius in every frame. Do yourself a favour and savour these.

⬇️ Time and time again The Ferros push the boundaries and we can’t not share it. This time with some BEAUTIFUL posing and frames that need to be seen to believed.

⬇️ Ok this is bring EPIC back. An insanely beautiful shoot at sunrise in some rice fields in Bali. We love mix of the perfect wide shots with the closer blurry ones too.

⬇️ A WHOLE series of unique and creative frames to inspire you to look at things a little differently and use every inch of your frame.