“Story is Dead”?! Are You Kidding Me?! (Special Edition Rage Mode)
Hey, it’s me. Back in your inbox sooner than planned because I just saw something so ridiculous, so out-of-touch, that I had to stop everything and write this.
This morning, I opened my inbox to this absolute gem of a headline from LENSEL:
Thanks for reading For The Hearts Still Beating! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
"Story is Dead."
Their email kicked off with this steaming pile of clickbait:
"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…"
And you know what? I would have heard them out—except, of course, the rest of the article was hidden behind a paywall.
Because nothing screams “thoughtful industry discussion” like making people pay to read your hot take about why their entire artistic purpose is supposedly dead.
Listen, I don’t have an issue with paid content. I support creatives getting paid for their work. But making a clickbait-y, existential claim just to hide the “logic” behind a paywall? That’s not insight—that’s desperation. And it’s exactly the kind of sh*t that makes this industry feel like a hamster wheel of anxiety.
But let’s get to the actual problem here:
A “Vibe” is Not a Story. Period.
Let’s break this down.
A vibe is a mood, an aesthetic, a curated look. It’s a filtered moment, designed to fit a brand, a mood board, an Instagram grid. It’s about what looks good, not what actually matters.
A story, on the other hand?
🔥 It’s alive.
🔥 It’s raw, real, and unfiltered.
🔥 It’s the only thing that actually f*cking matters.
A “vibe” won’t capture:
🖤 The way someone grips their partner’s hand during the vows like it’s the only thing keeping them steady.
🖤 The way a sibling chokes back tears during a speech because their heart is too damn full to get the words out.
🖤 The absolute, chaotic, drunken joy of a dance floor at 2 AM, when the shoes are off, the ties are undone, and nothing else in the world matters but this moment.
Because here’s the truth: Love isn’t a f*cking aesthetic.
And if we start treating it like one, we strip it of everything that makes it real.
The Industry Loves to Sell You a New Lie
This is the same sh*t we’ve seen a thousand times before.
They repackage the same concept under a trendy new name, make you feel like you’re falling behind, and then—boom!—conveniently sell you a solution.
💥 First, it was all about “photojournalism.”
💥 Then, “editorial storytelling.”
💥 Now, “vibe curation.”
It’s all the same f*cking thing, just dressed up differently. And every time, photographers scramble to adapt because no one wants to feel like they’re being left behind.
But let’s get real for a second:
📸 Storytelling isn’t dead—it’s timeless.
📸 Storytelling isn’t a trend—it’s why photography even exists.
📸 And storytelling sure as hell isn’t something we should abandon for a buzzword that’ll be irrelevant in six months.
Storytelling is the Only Thing That Will Ever Matter
Because when all the trends fade, when Instagram changes its algorithm again, when “vibe curation” has been replaced with whatever the next made-up term is… what’s left?
The moments. The real, raw, unfiltered stories that don’t need a caption or a color grade to matter.
So no, storytelling isn’t dead.
And if we let it die? Then we’ve failed the very people who trust us to document the biggest moments of their lives.
🔥 What do you think? Are we done with this industry’s bullsh*t yet, or do we need to shout louder? Hit reply—I wanna hear your take.
Thanks for reading For The Hearts Still Beating! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.