“Musically and lyrically, Red resembled a heartbroken person
It was all over the place
A fractured mosaic of feelings that somehow all fit together in the end
Happy, free, confused
Lonely, devastated, euphoric, wild
And tortured by memories past” – Taylor Swift

Oh 2021. The year of Meghan & Harry’s big sit down with Oprah, the year both Branson & Bezos flew to space, the year Britney was #freed, the return of Bennifer, and the year that T-Swift began to give us her version of her musical library. Moriah at Something Blue Events (being the Swifty that she is) reached out us at Amative Creative wanting to collaborate on a photo and video session inspired by the Taylor Swift album & song RED. And, I mean, who could say no to that?

So, that’s how we found ourselves, a wedding planner, a photographer/videographer, two newlyweds, and a red mustang on the Blue Ridge Parkway on a crisp fall evening in November. Trying to time the release of our shoot with the release of Taylor’s new album.

The Car [Verse 1]

“Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street
Faster than the wind, passionate as sin, ending so suddenly
Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you’re already flying through the free fall
Like the colors in autumn, so bright just before they lose it all…”

Any RED inspired shoot wouldn’t be complete without a red car. And while we may not have been able to find a Maserati in Central Virginia, we reached out to our friends at Body Works Lynchburg (who we’ve collaborated on with shoots and weddings before) and they let us borrow their gorgeous red mustang.

The Cast [Chorus]

“Losing him was blue like I’d never known
Missing him was dark gray, all alone (Whoa)
Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you never met
But loving him was red…”

We loved working with Ana Petra & Ben Ruck. These two lovebirds were married in the summer of 2021, and they made the perfect couple for this project. Making out on camera can be nerve-wracking for anyone, but these two quickly became naturals. (I mean, I think they were just focused on each other – hello, newlyweds).

The Process [Verse 2]

“Touching him was like realizing all you ever wanted was right there in front of you
Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song
Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there’s no right answer
Regretting him was like wishing you never found out that love could be that strong..”

We wanted to take this opportunity to be creative. We had fun with this shoot and played around. Just like Taylor mentioned in the liner notes of the album, we wanted our project to resemble the roller coaster that is love (sometimes). Though Taylor said it best, It should be, “Happy, free, confused, lonely, devastated, euphoric, wild, and tortured by memories past”. So, we experimented with different techniques (like setting roses on fire – omg difficult) and the concept of tug of war.

The Final Product [Bridge]

“Remembering him comes in flashbacks and echoes
Tell myself it’s time now, gotta let go
But moving on from him is impossible
When I still see it all in my head
In burning red…”

 

 

The Vendors [Breakdown]

“And that’s why he’s spinning ’round in my head (Red, red)
Comes back to me, burning red (Red, red)
(Red, red) Yeah, yeah
(Red, red)…”

Planning & Design: Something Blue Events

Hair: Chelsea Crick @Envy_hair_and_lashes

Makeup: Locks & Lashes VA

Venue: Blue Ridge Parkway

Bridal Attire: Church Street Bridal

Models: Ana Petra Ruck & Ben Ruck

Car: Body Works Lynchburg

Collaboration can be a lot like love. When you bring different creatives and ideas together, there’s bound to be a little like a free fall at times. But, we hope that all of our collaborators on this project found that our little shoot was like, “driving a Maserati down a dead-end street”.