Taylor Swift photographer got job with longshot email

Taylor Swift Fan Turned Photographer Captures Iconic Moments

Taylor Swift has millions of fans worldwide, but Jasmeet Sidhu from Brampton, Ont. has had a unique opportunity to get up close and personal with the musical icon. As a photographer, Sidhu has been able to capture Swift at concerts during three separate tours: 1989, Reputation Stadium Tour, and the upcoming Eras tour, which is set to kick off in Canada.

Sidhu describes the experience of photographing Swift as being “lucky” because she gets to be front row, right by the stage. She believes that the upcoming Eras tour will be a defining moment for this generation, comparing it to the legendary Woodstock concert that people will talk about for years to come.

The journey to photographing Swift started over a decade ago when Sidhu, fresh out of graduate school at Columbia University in New York, moved to L.A. with dreams of working in music videos. An email to music director Anthony Mandler led to the opportunity to shadow him on the set of Swift’s “I Knew You Were Trouble” music video.

Despite her love for Swift, Sidhu knew the importance of maintaining professionalism on set. She used the connections she made through this experience to gain access to Swift’s concerts in 2015, 2018, and now in 2023.

Sidhu’s photography of Swift has been compiled into an exhibit at the CN Tower and Toronto’s Eaton Centre. Her passion for photography started in high school, nurtured by her immigrant parents from Malaysia who always encouraged her to dream big.

While photography is not Sidhu’s full-time job, she has also captured moments of other renowned musicians like Ed Sheeran, Olivia Rodrigo, and Sia. She recently moved to San Francisco with aspirations of starting her own tech company.

Sidhu’s advice to aspiring creatives is to keep making connections and creating opportunities for themselves. She believes in paying it forward by inspiring the next generation, just like Taylor Swift does.