This weekend, I’m packing my bags, heading to the mountains of Missoula, Montana, and bringing with me two things guaranteed to blow my nephews’ minds:

1. A custom song I co-wrote with AI about their obsession with Nintendo Switch,
2. And—wait for it—a brand new Nintendo Switch 2.

Yes, I snagged one for them. Yes, I’ll be in line at midnight tonight to pick it up (and mine, too!) And yes, I’ve probably spent way too much time dreaming about their jaws dropping when I pull it out of my bag like some kind of tech-savvy Santa Claus.

But as wild as the Switch 2 surprise is going to be, I’m actually just as excited about the song I made just for them. It’s silly, it’s fun, it’s full of references to their favorite games, and it was created using two tools that are about to reshape how I work as a photographer and creative: ChatGPT and Songer. ChatGPT helps me perfect the lyrics, and Songer does the heavylifting of music production based on my preferred music genres! Not a songwriter? No worries: you let Songer write the whole song based on your preferences for a simpler workflow! I used to sing and write (you may or may not be able to look me up on Apple Music or Spotify 🫣), so I opted to start with ChatGPT for a higher level of involvement in the writing process!

Why a Song?

Every time I visit, my nephews go full Mario mode—racing Karts, stomping Goombas, and spitting out facts about the craziest minutiae of the Mario gaming world you can think of (oh, to be a kid again! 😂). I wanted to bring them something that wasn’t just cool, but personal. Something they could laugh at, dance to, and maybe even memorize every word of by the next time I see them. And with AI, that kind of magic is now shockingly easy to create. Heck, I even managed to create an “album cover” for them with the power of AI:

But What Does This Have to Do with Photography?

Here’s where it gets interesting: what started as a fun family surprise has now turned into one of the biggest new ideas I’m bringing to my college grad sessions this year.

Imagine this:
You book your senior photo session, get your gallery back… and instead of just a slideshow or highlight reel, you also get your own custom song—co-written by me (and AI), about your college experience.

It might include inside jokes from your friend group.
Shoutouts to your major, your favorite study spots, your go-to late-night snack, or perhaps something sentimental… like a tribute to the parents who made it possible for you to go to college in the first place.

And then, when you post your grad pics to Instagram, the background audio isn’t just any song… it’s YOURS.

We’re talking ultimate personalization—next-level experience. And thanks to tools like ChatGPT and Songer, it doesn’t take hours to produce. It takes minutes. Just a few prompts, a little lyrical polish, and we’re off to the races!

What I’m Learning from My Nephews

There’s something about seeing the world through the eyes of my nephews that reminds me why I started doing all of this in the first place. The surprise. The storytelling. The joy.

It’s what I want my clients to feel, too—especially in the college & sorority market, where emotions are high, traditions are strong, and everyone wants to feel seen and celebrated. Adding things like custom songs isn’t just about being creative—it’s about crafting experiences that feel unforgettable.

And if surprising my nephews with a Nintendo Switch 2 and a silly custom jam about their Mario Kart skills taught me anything, it’s this:

People don’t just remember the photo.
They remember the feeling.

So here’s to my trip to Missoula. To my nephews losing their minds when they hear their names in the chorus. To the Switch 2. To AI. And to another year of finding meaningful, magical ways to connect through creativity.

Game on. 🎮
And cameras ready. 📸