Lensley Automatic

The Opportunity: Self-Service Storytelling

Founders and innovators often begin with a spark of inspiration – one that demands the right technology to move from prototype to global deployment. For Jaime Macias, Creative Director at studio black and founder of Lensley Automatic, that spark became Lensley, a freestanding, unenclosed photo booth kiosk that autonomously captures studio-quality images.

“I’m a tinkerer,” says Macias. “I’m happiest when I’m prototyping. My office is filled with tools to make things real that don’t exist yet.”

Launched in 2009, Lensley has grown into a full suite of tools used by museums, retailers, sporting venues, public events, and private functions – anywhere people gather and memories are made. The mission remains simple: capture authentic, joyful moments and make them part of the story brands share with their audiences.

"We chose Soracom after years of using traditional network providers and being overcharged for SIMs and services. Soracom’s low-cost SIMs and pooled data across all connected devices make it easy to scale and grow efficiently."

Jaime Macias

VP and Creative Director

Studio Black

The Solution: Timeless Moments, Continuous Improvement

From its beginnings as a single in-office prototype, Lensley has evolved through more than a decade of iteration. “Every single component that could break has broken. Every piece that needed to be replaced has been replaced,” says Macias. “Each new iteration has been more reliable.”

One of the biggest challenges? Connectivity. Lensley is often deployed in remote or temporary settings with limited access to Wi-Fi. Macias turned to cellular as a backup, but found traditional providers expensive and inflexible.

That changed with Teltonika routers paired with Soracom IoT connectivity. Soracom’s low-cost SIMs, pooled data across devices, and centralized management made scaling straightforward.

“Soracom gave me everything that I was looking for and needed,” says Macias. “I’m no longer paying for what I don’t need, and the service is reliable wherever we go.”

Why Soracom: Low-Cost, Scalable, and Designed for IoT

After years of testing corporate accounts, personal accounts, and a range of modems, Macias found Soracom’s IoT-first approach a perfect fit. The combination of cost efficiency, device pooling, and real-time management tools gave Lensley the control it needed.

“With Soracom, I can scale without worrying about hidden costs or downtime,” says Macias. “The sales team is accessible, the tech works, and we’re no longer tied to overpriced legacy systems.”

The Outcome: Creating Social Connection Despite Social Distance

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted Lensley to innovate further—launching touchless, socially distanced photo experiences like a drive-through Santa setup where families could stand 12 feet away but still get their holiday photo.

Macias also envisions using Lensley to document social change over time, installing a unit in a single location for years or even decades to capture evolving communities.

“I care about keeping people safe and connected,” he says. “I’m looking at new opportunities and continuing to make things that start out as sketches.”

As Lensley expands into retail, events, and new experiential formats, its combination of creative design and Soracom-powered connectivity ensures every installation delivers the same dependable, joyful experience, anywhere in the world.