Hey it’s Lensel, the newsletter for the wedding photography world. Here is what’s on today:

This industry can leave people behind.
But it DEFINITELY doesn't do it by age.

If you were anywhere near Instagram this week you saw it. A bamboozling post with big yellow lettering over an (just ok) looking ceremony photo that claimed “YOUR WEDDING PHOTOGRAPHER IS TOO OLD FOR YOU.”

Underneath, somehow worse… “Gen Z couples should hire Gen Z photo and video teams. Millennials connected with millennials, so now it's Gen Z's turn. Consultation calls that feel like FaceTiming an old friend. We just vibe and deeply resonate with our couples."

And worse still!!! “Comments turned off, because the oldhead photographers don't know how to behave.”

And yeah, this is all just rage bait.
And perhaps we shouldn’t give it the time of day… But it did obviously hit a nerve for a lot of people.

The whole premise in this post is about as good as the font choice - TERRIBLE. Claiming that only Gen Z should capture Gen Z weddings will and has ended being a big “self own” for the photographer who posted it.

BUT.

The post hit a nerve because it hits on something very real in the industry: getting left behind and becoming irrelevant.

So let’s get into a bit more nuance.

Firstly, the post by storyofyourday was a great starting response. Taking the argument apart slide by slide. Her winning line to sum up her argument was connection isn't generational, it's human.

But then, the comment section of legendary photographers really got to the hear of it ⬇️

Wedding photography dad, John Dolan put it better than anyone:

"Instead of 'too old', maybe couples should ask 'Is your photographer too stale?' 'Are their photos boring or thrilling?' I don't care about age, I care about the work. Do I believe it? Does it have creative energy and attitude?"

THIS IS THE REAL QUESTION FRIENDS.
And, as you may have noticed - it’s nothing to do with age.

But there’s a great qualifier on it too. John doesn't pretend the young photographers are always wrong:

"When I started in the 90's, the older wedding guys were just bored, going through the motions each Saturday. It was easy to come in fresh with smaller cameras and run circles around them."

Photographers don’t lose because they get older.

They loose because they stop growing, trying, creating and experimenting.

So in essence - the post that startes this all - completely missed the point. They pointed at age, when they should have pointed at ‘pushing the whole thing forward.’

It’s those constantly pushing their own work and vision forward that will keep winning - TOTALLY REGARDLESS OF AGE.

So what does that look like? How do you quell the fear of being left behind, becoming irrelevant - in a wedding world that is constantly evolving and changing. Here’s a few bullet points to stuff into the brain:

Look outside the industry. DUH. The photographers who stay fresh are not only spying other wedding photographers. They are all over the place.

Don’t be scared to change. Being “current” and pushing things forward sometimes means letting go of old things you used to love and defend. If your work looks identical to five years ago it isn’t always a signature, it's a habit. AND maybe it’s time to shake yourself up. Try sometime a little new.

Chase the heart of it all, not the ‘look’. Aesthetics date on a two year cycle. Warm, cool, flash, no flash, film, digital, moody, bright. Understanding what a wedding day actually IS and where the real heart of it doesn’t. All the photographers who are 20 years in (there are SO many) and still brilliant aren't scared of the trend cycle. They've watched four of them go past. They know the brilliance of their work lies deeper than just aesthetics.

Stay uncomfortable. Try things at weddings that might not work. A new lens, drone - whatever. Don’t JUST run a system, keep pushing it forward.

So no, nobody is too old to shoot weddings. And nobody is too young either.

Everyone is capable of going stale and becoming ‘irrelevant’. That part is a choice, and it's available to you at any age.

So thanks to a little silly post the industry had a nice convo. Hope it helped!

There’s an ongoing tension in wedding photography between two camps: documenting and directing. In this stunning French wedding, Rodolfo Santos finds the perfect balance and invites us into a day full of raw emotion, French château grandeur, and a little after-dark edge.

“I love it when, looking at the final sequence, it’s hard to tell exactly where the documentary style ends and the directed photography begins.”

Full feature is available to read now on lensel.com

Happening this Wednesday! Come learn from some of the very best ‘art directors’ in weddings.

Live on Wednesday at 5.30pm CET | 11.30am ET
Replay available the next day.

⬇️ Double tilt double exposure. Yes please.

⬇️ Norman and Blakes tones are a total dream. On a sunny day, finding backlit moments, inside locations, flash, and the lucky half cloud moment.

⬇️ Wedding photography right now is all about finding a balance between all the vibes that are working right now, and doing it all with the highest quality. Jean Laurent is absolutely crushing exactly that in NYC. And this post is the perfect example.

⬇️ Is this peak anti-bride? But for real, we love the concept, the poses and the energy in this shoot. Dive in.

⬇️ Art Direction + Documentary + The Ferros = unbelievable genius. This Moroccan wedding is a must see and must dive deep. From posing and concept genius mixed in with