Jimmy’s Journal Edition 7

October 4, 2016

Straight From Minneapolis and his heart …

The Beach

The Beach by Jimmy Wilson

"The two most important days in your life are the day you were born,

and the day you find out why."

I often get asked which is my favorite photograph? Like many artists I don’t
really have favorites.. There’s a story though behind your best images, your ‘Cary Grant’ images as I call them, your best images, not your favorite, your best.. Where I was, what time of the year, what time of the day, location, weather, circumstances of all sorts you remember, because these images, the special ones, don’t happen everyday. It’s not like ordering a cheeseburger, they’re special, they’re your best, the ones, the one. That’s why I do it, to get the one..

Well there`s one image that started me off on all of this, it has to start somewhere. The one image that made me want to get more, and the one image that got me to understand about the ‘One’.. The one that gave me the confidence, the one that got me going, the one that is better than anyone else`s, the one that is in a group of images that can be considered classic, the best of anyone’s ever. The one that made me understand you want the best and only the best, and you throw away the rest..

I was doing my normal daily morning walk before work. Well that`s sounds kinda` funny because I am working I suppose, because I`m an artist and there are no hrs. and I`ve got my camera with me and yes I am walking, so let`s just say I`m doing my thing. While this is all happening I`m waiting for that alarm bell to ring, that alarm bell that tells me there might be the ‘One’ nearby. That alarm bell that get`s me to focus immediately, that gives me an immediate shot of adrenaline, that gets my senses all in tune in a millisecond. That alarm bell is my eye..

I`m about half way through my walk, a 3 mile walk every morning around a lake in the city I reside. It`s early Winter and the lake is 95% frozen and there`s about 3 or 4 inches of snow on the ground and it`s about 20F degrees. Then all of a sudden my alarm bell goes off!!! As I`m walking around the lake clockwise my eye catches something to my right, it`s more than just a something, it catches the whole scene at that exact moment. The sky, the horizon, the ground, the frozen lake, and the main character in the entire scene, the star of the show, the lifeguard tower on the snowy beach, with the ice covered snow on the frozen lake in the background, and the low overcast stratus cloud deck above in the sky..

As I often do when my eye catches something, I`ll go a few more steps and then say to myself get back there! I go back, and sure enough my eye was correct, I size everything up within 10 seconds and point the camera at this beautiful scene I`m looking at through the view finder, I shoot about 10 images and then continue my walk.. I`m thinking already this could be a ‘Cary Grant’. It stays on my mind while I finish the rest of my walk..

I get home and download the images onto my computer and take a look and I get that feeling. I don`t know how to describe it, the best way is it`s a feeling, it`s a feeling of magic. That`s the best way to describe it. A moment in time captured with your eye that explains what forever is. An image that will last forever because it`s one of those one`s, It is the ‘One’..

So long for now, Jimmy..

_______________________________________________________________

Quote Mark Twain

For more Jimmy Wilson info,

please go to www.jimmypicture.com & www.jimmyfilms.com

Born in Minnesota, photographer, filmmaker, writer, and gallery owner.

Jimmy Wilson Gallery

4304 Upton Ave. So.

Minneapolis

jimmy@jimmypicture.com