We brought our best dresses, our best friends, and our big reputations. We came with our friendship bracelets and left in our getaway cars. We took the moment and saw something they can’t take away.
There’s just one who could make us stay in that merch line that long and travel from across the country to Tampa, Florida, of all places, to stand in the sun for hours, waiting for the countdown clock to appear. Spoiler: her name is Taylor Swift.
And in that moment, as the lights turned down, and “it’s been a long time coming” poured over Raymond James Stadium, it turned into something bigger, all of us together. And the best part is, none of us were ever alone.
Long live, the looks on all your faces, the magic we made: thank you for letting me capture it. I had the time of my life taking pictures with you. You’re beautiful.
*Yes, I cried writing this; someone please hire me to do this forever. Yes, the person or people on the stage are important, but this—the friendship, the dancing, the dresses, the people coming together because the same words make them feel understood—this is what it’s all about. This is what the songs have become: stories and bracelets that tie us all together, and, god, if there’s one thing I want to do forever, it’s tell these stories.
If you see yourself and would like your photo, please email me at estorie@outlook.com. If you would like to hire me, please email me, too. Lastly, if you’d like to support a local artist, my venmo is @estorie. Thank you!
