“Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh! You’ve shot pictures of Taylor Swift?!”

“Yes I have.”

“What is she like in real life?”

“Oh boy. . . Here we go.”

Taylor Swift Headlines the Longwood University Spring Music Festival – April 2007

These days, Taylor Swift is the most popular performer in the world. Her billion dollar concert tour is more lucrative than the GDP of many small countries; and she has more private security than the President of the United States. You have about as much chance of meeting her in person as you do of walking on the surface of Mars.

But before all this, there used to be a time when you could walk right up to the young singer songwriter, shake her hand and get an autograph. I had the chance to do just that, and along the way, capture some never before seen photographs of the starlet when she was just beginning her meteoric rise to the very top of the pop culture food chain.

Taylor Swift is wholesome…

If I could only use one word to sum her up, that would be the one. Sure, there are a lot of ways you could describe the most famous performer on the planet. She’s definitely determined to break the sound barrier when it comes to delivering monumental entertainment to her mega concert venues around the world. And one certainly has to appreciate her dedication to a fanatically loyal fanbase.

But I can really only speak to one stand-out character trait that I witnessed in person. Young Swift is a kind and gentle sweetheart.

After the concert, the young singer personally met every single fan at the venue

It feels like a million years ago when the singer songwriter swept into the small college town for a music festival. I was working for the university as a photographer and video producer. That meant back stage access the greenroom, and front row seats to the concert. Armed with my trusty 70-200mm telephoto lens, the camera was able to give us an up close and personal look into the performer’s humble beginnings.

Today, she sells out stadiums. She performs amongst an ensemble cast of dancers and Jumbotron video screens. Pyrotechnics spray columns of flames into the air and the whole event brings entire cities to a standstill with traffic as fans clamor to get a piece of the experience.

Before all the over the top glamour, she was just a kid with a guitar. And, back then, it was abundantly clear that she did not need the epileptic carnival of special effects to captivate the entire crowd. Standing on stage at the little college music festival, young Swift made her own light. With little more than a guitar and a mic, she had every fan eating out of her hands.

Before the cropped hair and manicured bangs, there was a lion’s mane of wild blond curls that went in all directions. Inflated by the intense Virginia humidity, the ringlets were fluffed up with enormous volume, cascading over the singer’s face and shoulders. This unruly blond hurricane was constantly caught up in the wind. This was before the era of stylists which now orbit Swift like satellites, spraying clouds of aerosol hair straightener. Had there been a team of personal groomers in the entourage back then, the hair stylist likely would have been experiencing a series of mini strokes as the tornado of curls swirled around the stage.

Swift did not care.

Whipping the ringlets out of her eyes and smiling at the crowd, she played her heart out on that old guitar, which never left her side for the entire performance. Ever since her departure from country music and hard press into the pop scene, the acoustic strings have not been quite as prevalent to her brand. I find this to be a little unfortunate,

because it was obvious that she really liked that guitar. And, unlike many of her pop culture contemporaries, Swift actually can play a musical instrument.

Swift made time for every single fan after the concert

After the concert, the young performer came down from the stage and stood behind a small folding table while hundreds of college students queued up for autographs. At the time, Swift’s mother, Andrea, was one of the few members of the original entourage. I had the good fortune to chat with momma for the next two hours while excited kids came up to meet the new star in person.

Andrea was yet another kind soul, and it was easy to see that the apple did not fall far from the tree. Momma watched over her cub with adoration. Andrea was the tour photographer at the time, and when her camera battery died, I loaned her one of mine, and took the opportunity to extol the virtues of adding a battery grip for extra run time (Original gangster Canon 5D).

After two hours of photographing Swift interacting with her fans, one began to notice an unusual host of peculiarities that can only be witnessed up close. For instance, the way she held a pen was like nothing I’ve ever seen. She clutched the Sharpie between her pointer finer and her middle finger, all the while keeping her hand straight. Best guess, this technique was designed to prevent carpal tunnel strain, which would certainly be a death sentence for any self respecting guitar player.

Swift was bright and engaging with every single fan who came up. Her smile never faded, and she gave a friendly chat to every last person. She signed a lot of clothing. Mostly blue jeans. She would aim for the thigh and draw an arrow pointing up, followed by the word PRETTY. The simple written compliment sent dozens of girls into elated fits of blushing.

Swift’s eyes lit up at the sight of the furry little muffin and it was instantly in her arms. The whole thing happened so fast I almost dropped the camera trying to capture the moment. The rabbit clearly made a splash. I have no doubt this was the beginning of a new trend, surprising the pop star with unusual items in order to stand out in the autograph line. Swift would likely encounter a procession of horses, water buffalos and ostriches if such creatures were allowed in concert venues.

Eventually, the crowd thinned, and only after every single autograph had been signed did the singer finally retreat from the concert venue. In short, every person walked away feeling like they had made a personal connection.

One fan brought a bunny… Swift’s eyes lit up with cuteness overload

After we retired to the green room, momma handed back my camera battery. I can only imagine the history of images she has captured in the years since.

We said our goodbyes, and I watched Swift drop into a chair. “I’m so exhausted,” she said, and promptly curled up on the table like a kid sleeping at her desk in class.

I refrained from taking that last picture. I think the moment was best left to Taylor and momma.

As the years have gone by, Swift’s career has taken her across the world and into the biggest musical venues in history. I often wonder if she still remembers the little shows she used to play way back at the very beginning, when she was just a kid with a guitar. And a bunny.

Lewis Carlyle is a photographer and filmmaker in Colorado Springs, CO.