A brief interview excerpt where photographer Speaker B recounts an anecdote photographing Taylor Swift (a short, eight-minute shoot in a Nashville hotel) and discusses pre-shoot rituals—notably chewing gum to relax. The tone is conversational, informal, and focused on practical, personal experiences during high-profile shoots.
Did you learn any lessons from Taylor Swift?
What did I learn from Taylor Swift?
I mean, she's clearly an incredible marketer, business person.
Yeah, my wife is a huge fan.
What's your favorite Taylor Swift song?
I don't know. A single one.
Yeah, I don't. I mean, she was a very nice person to meet for those, like, eight minutes that we got to shoot. It was this overcast day in Nashville and they had. They rented the whole floor in a hotel, and they would be like, the time slot would change. They would, like, call me. Oh, no, I would say, you know, it's one of those things. And me and my assistant, like, had this cart full of equipment, and then they're like, all right, let's come in. And then we wheeled it in. And as soon as we come in through the door, the whole thing collapses. The whole cart falls to the ground, like, oh, my God. And then I heard somebody say, oh, these are the Germans coming in.
Yeah, here we are. That's great. You know, it's a good way to make an introduction. But it all went well. It was great. Yeah. I'd love to, you know, obviously photograph her again now. I love the challenges of shooting people who are very. Who are icons, like every photographer.
When you're doing a shoot, do you have a pre game ritual that you go through?
Chewing gum.
Really?
Yeah, I always chew gum.
Specific kind of gum?
No, Any of it just gum. Just chew gum in the car.
What does that do for you?
I don't know. It just relaxes me.
Is it a form of meditation?
Maybe it is, yeah. Yeah. Sometimes I do yoga before a shoot at home just to ground myself. Sometimes I sit on the ground in the studio, which is very helpful. It sort of like gives you that childlike, you know, mentality just by grounding yourself by sitting on the ground, which is just you do something or, like, do everything with my left hand to just raise my awareness. Or, like, play with a tennis ball, stuff like that. Just kind of get in the moment, not be too much in my head.
