Photographing Music Festivals, Love Stories, & NYC Streets w/ Jeremy Cohen

On this episode of The J-Card Podcast, NYC-based photographer and director Jeremy Cohen (aka Jerm) joins us to talk about shooting festivals like Gov Ball and Treefort, his new Meet Cutes NYC photo book, and how he built a career by following curiosity over clout.

We dig into his favorite music festivals to shoot (and why Treefort rules), how he got started as a photographer, building a meaningful portfolio through passion projects, stories from photographing NYC's wildest characters, tips for aspiring photographers trying to break in, and an eclectic mixtape of songs that inspire him — from Fleetwood Mac to James Blake.

📚 Meet Cutes NYC is available for preorder now right here!

The J-Card is presented by Rue Defense Tape Club, a quarterly, mail-order cassette compilation and DIY audio project. Hosted by Alexei Shishkin, each episode is part music discovery, part oral history, part hangout show. We ask artists, musicians, filmmakers, and other music-minded folks to build us their own personal mixtape and talk about the moments and memories that inspired it.

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⏱️ Chapters:

00:00 - Intro to Jerm

01:58 - Stuck In Your Head

05:08 - Photographing Music Festivals

11:15 - How Jerm Got Started In Photography

12:55 - First Gigs

17:13 - Tips for Aspiring Photographers

19:17 - Twins Days Fest

20:34 - Meet Cutes NYC Book: Behind the Scenes

25:55- Jeremy’s Eclectic Mixtape Starts

27:34 - “Everywhere” by Fleetwood Mac

30:04 - “Crash Out” by Dax Flame

32:44 - “GOT DAMN” by Gunna

38:47 - “in heaven” by bad tuner & Miette Hope

40:41 - “NAUSEOUS” by PERRIS

43:01 - “You’re Too Precious” by James Blake

45:18 - “New York” by Junior Varsity

48:56 - “Plug Walk” by DrewKey5000

52:04 - “Will I See You Again?” by Thee Sacred Souls

54:26 - “Freckles” by The New Mastersounds

56:46 - Mixtape Wrap-up

57:32 - Game: No Flash, One’s Trash

01:09:33 - Plugs + Where to Find Jerm

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