I’ve been a fan of Taylor Swift since she rolled out the romantic, fairytale song “Love Story.” Her Swiftie fan club gives her a cult-like following that would trump any musical artist of her generation. Even if you—dare I say it—don’t like Taylor Swift, you have to admire her. The girl can write a hook! With fourteen successful albums under her belt and millions of adoring fans, this twelve-time Grammy Award winner is on track to take over the world.
So what does Taylor Swift have to do with our photography? Well, on occasion, I use her music in Instagram stories, posts, and reels. But as I conjured up ideas for our next Senior Style Team project, I thought, “I use her songs. Why not do photoshoots of her songs?” Her music videos are always over the top with theatrics and give us plenty of material to work with.
Thus, our first Tay Swift photoshoot, Lavender Haze, was born. Our model, Eden, is a lover of lavender. It smells lovely; the color’s pretty. Who can blame her? But to capture the essence of the haze, we needed to go one step further than a typical senior photoshoot. And If you’ve ever watched the video, there’s a surreal water scene, too. Did we bite off more than we could chew? Probably. But we made it work. Using a fog machine and colored video lighting, we gave Eden’s photos the cinematic appeal we often see in Taylor’s music videos. I bought multiple pools from Amazon to find the right size for our basement and workspace. Using milk, purple watercolor paint, flower petals, ivy, and yes—lavender—we created our indoor lavender oasis for Eden to “swim” in. Guys, our basement smelled AMAZING!
In the end, the results far exceeded our expectations. If Taylor Swift comes across these photos one day, I hope we did her proud. So without further ado, my Swifties, I give you our take on “Lavender Haze.” But before you scroll, please take a moment to appreciate the incredible people involved.
Model: Eden Eveleth, a beauty both inside and out
Hair & Makeup: The VERY talented Codi Clark, owner of Beauty and the Blush
Instagram: @beautyand_theblush
Facebook: @Beauty and the Blush, LLC.
Lead Lighting Guy & Photoshop Master: Joel Knepper
Photographer & Ideas Creator: Andrea Knepper
Location: Our studio and basement
Wardrobe: Shein.com
Inflatable Pool: Amazon
