When I first thought of this project, Jeremy was at the top of the list. I didn’t go to him first because I had just interviewed his band for another, much slower project.If you don’t know Jeremy, he has been in Gainesville for 11 years, moving down from Georgia. As he says, Gainesville is the only place in Florida for him. He is currently the store manager for Anthem Tattoos, drummer for Sandcrawler, and lead organizer of the very sexy, and the very popular group known as the Photo Collective of Gainesville.

During our conversation, we discussed many topics. Out of everyone I've talked to, he is the one I know best, so the conversation jumped from topic to topic. One main topic was how the Photo Collective of Gainesville was formed.

Back in February of this year, he reached out to me with an idea for starting a local photography group. We met at the Paper Bag downtown and had a good conversation. We were both eager to do more than just photography. The biggest concern we shared was overcommitting ourselves. Neither of us wanted to start something we couldn’t manage properly.

That first photo walk was a huge success, with 18 people attending. Since then, we’ve held two more photo walks and an in-studio educational photoshoot. Last weekend, Jeremy curated his first photo gallery for the group at the Top Secret Space, working with Wooley. I think I can give some unofficial breaking news that this might become an annual event.

We didn’t just talk about photography; surprisingly, we also discussed music. As I mentioned earlier, he is the drummer for Sandcrawler. When I first heard the band's name, I wondered if there might be a connection, but when I was told their old band name was Beskar, I knew what I was dealing with. Star Wars nerds. As a fellow Star Wars nerd, I had no complaints. Jeremy was actually in five different bands a few years ago, but now he focuses on Sandcrawler to dedicate more time to photography.

By the end of our conversation, we talked about recent trips we made, his up to Maine and mine to North Carolina. Jeremy hiked to the top of a mountain and got some great photos. The mountain peak I went to, sadly, was closed for maintenance. He did a mini Steven King tour, seeing the graveyard for Pet Cemetery, and the manhole that inspired IT.

All in all. Jeremy is a great guy, a great friend, and someone who is building a positive photography community within Gainesville. We need more Jeremys