Johnston has been a regular at many festivals around Virginia, including events in Urbanna, Reedville, and Fredericksburg.

Many people would probably consider Chesterfield resident Jim Johnston a lucky man. A retired Baby Boomer, he says he’s “living the dream” – after stepping down from his job at Reynolds Metal Co. in 2004, he decided to open a small business of his own, Chesapeake Breeze Photography. This year, for the first time, ChesterFest attendees will be able to share in Johnston’s passion for the arts and his family’s Northern Neck heritage.

“I always wanted to have a small business, so this was a natural for me,” Johnston says. “I’ve been a photographer for over 20 years, thanks to my kids. I started taking pictures of them – it was point and shoot and I went from there.” These days, he uses a Canon Rebel
XTi and assorted lenses to snap his digital photography.

Shortly afterwards, he also took up watercolors, which he says had been an artistic area he’d always wanted to explore, learning techniques in both fields from Chester artist Gwen Beall, Deltaville artist Kathleen Noffsinger, and taking classes through Chesterfield Adult Education.

Johnston’s mother’s family comes from the Northern Neck area of Virginia, and Johnston himself grew up there. “I’ve always been drawn to the bay, so I shoot seascapes, waterfowl, and watermen at work,” he says. Other photography and watercolor subjects include Virginia landmarks like the Ashland train station and O’Toole’s in downtown Richmond.

At this year’s ChesterFest celebration, Johnston will be offering around 150 pieces. “The
bulk of them will be Chesapeake-focused, but there will also be a number of locally-themed pieces as well,” he promises. Sizes range from 5x7 inches to 11x14, and prints can cost between $5 and $125. Much of the artwork will be unframed so that customers can choose their own mats and frames; however, Johnston will also offer larger, framed prints.

“I’m just eclectic,” Johnston says of his artwork. “I shoot what I like, and I’m not shooting for any particular audience other than what I myself like. I put them up and if people want to buy them, it’s great.”

Though this will be the first time Johnston will be an attendant or vendor at ChesterFest, it certainly won’t be his first public event. “I do festivals in Urbanna and Art Affair and Rainbow of Art in Fredericksburg,” he says. “I prefer to stay in a 100-mile radius of home.” In the past, there have been some exceptions; most recently, Johnston visited the Skip Jack races in Maryland to photograph the century-old sail-powered oyster dredges during their annual race.

According to Johnston, he couldn’t be happier with his life. “I really am living the Baby Boomer dream,” he says. “I’ve retired, I have a small business I can enjoy, and it never has to be work. For me, photography is something I do because I like it.”

Samples of Johnston’s work, as well as sizes and prices, can be found online at www.chespeakephoto.com.

The seventh annual ChesterFest celebrations are scheduled for September 13 from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Chester Village Green.

ereel@villagepublishing.com | 751-0421

© Copyright by Village Publishing

Top of Page                                              Comment on This Article

The Village News office is located at 4607 West Hundred Road Chester
Mailing address is PO Box 2397 Chester, VA 23831
Phone: 751-0421  Fax: 751-9155
Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday - Friday call ahead for other hours.
Statement of Journalistic Ethics