About the Guy Behind the Lens
Born and raised in Parkersburg, West Virginia and formerly an avid fan of the "big city life" --whatever that means--I moved in 2019 to Elkins, West Virginia, right in the heart of the Potomac Highlands. I went to college at Muskingum University in central Ohio, with my first semester spent at WVU, and graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Science in math. I never really knew what to do with that outside of knowing that it wasn't going to be teaching. One thing I did know, though, was that I always enjoyed taking photos at motorsports events that I would attend throughout the years, using mostly a borrowed Minolta film camera from my dad and sometimes, later on, an old Olympus DSLR. When I found myself in a new place, surrounded mostly by wilderness and not much else, looking for something to keep me occupied when I wasn't busy working some dead-end job in a miserably hot, noisy kitchen, I kept finding myself thinking that I wouldn't mind taking up the hobby again, so later that year I ended up getting a Canon Rebel T6 that was on sale at the time as a kit with two lenses and everything needed to get started. The plan was to continue shooting motorsports, but then COVID hit in 2020. With no races running anytime soon, and again, not much else to do, plus a mean itch to use the new camera, I took it to the woods one day and fell in love with landscape photography.
That first trip, in late November of 2019, was to a place called The Pig's Ear where a trail through a forest full of red spruce followed the East Fork of the Greenbrier River. It was pretty great. Over the following years I made many, many, many more trips, most of which were all within a 2 hour, one-way driving radius of home base in Elkins. I got to know and love the area and I'd like to think I've taken a few photos that help to highlight just how awe-inspiring these mountains and valleys are. I particularly gained a deep interest in the rivers and streams of the area, and most of my trips have centered around visiting one or another. I've also grown quite fond of photographing forests, especially old-growth forests and big, old trees with lots of character. In true Mountaineer-fashion, I've fully embraced shooting in what most would consider bad weather that's so prevalent around here, especially at the higher elevations, and I actually love incorporating into my photography those atmospheric scenes of thick fog, dark skies, rain, snow, and the like.
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Publications and Highlights
Over the years I've been fortunate enough to have my work published a number of times in a few different magazines and a few of my photos have done particularly well in contests. So far, I've had photos published in Wonderful West Virginia Magazine four separate times, twice in the Gallery section that exclusively featured a number of my photos according to a specific theme--Spring in West Virginia's state parks and Fall in West Virginia--once as accompaniment to an article on old-growth forests in the state, and once, my first time, in the Table of Contents page. In addition to those, I've had a few photos accompany an article on hiking in WV Living magazine, I've twice had a photo in the online publication Landscape Photography Magazine as the result of being a finalist in their monthly submission assignments, and once in the local magazine Highland Outdoors as the result of being runner up in the landscape category of their annual contest last year. I've also had photos selected for either the cover or for a single month in a calendar put out by a couple local entities via yearly contests, and another recent highlight for me has been the selection of two of my images for exhibits in this year's edition of the Cortland Acres annual photography contest. Hopefully there will be more to come!
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Galleries and Places to See My Work
This past September I became one of the newest juried artists at the Tamarack, West Virginia's premier and most well-known gallery. I am currently working on putting together my first set of prints for them, a few 5x7s and 8x10/8x12s, which should available there sometime in the next month or two. I'll try to keep this updated with info once I know more.
Gallery Location and Hours
One Tamarack Place
Beckley, WV 25801
(I-64 Exit 45)
Open daily, 9 AM - 7 PM
I've been a juried artist at the Pocahontas County Artisans Co-Op since July 2021. Though not a resident of that particular county, I do spend a lot of time there and I have to say, I'm a big fan. They have two galleries where I have prints for sale among other highly talented local artists. Currently the items I have at both galleries include 8x10/8x12 prints, 11x14 prints, a few framed and metal prints of various sizes, and some postcards.
Gallery Locations and Hours
4th Avenue Gallery of Fine Arts & Crafts
720 4th Ave.
Marlinton, WV 24954
(It's in the old, yellow train depot.)
Open year-round, Tuesdays through Saturdays and on holiday Mondays, 10 AM - 5 PM
&
The Shops at Leatherbark Ford
12363 Cass Rd.
Cass, WV 24927
(Across from the train depot for Cass Scenic Railroad.)
May - October: Open Wednesdays through Sundays and on holiday Mondays, 10 AM - 5 PM.
November - April: Open only on the select days the trains are running.
Consult the train schedule here for info on their schedule.
Located next to Tip-Top Coffee on the main strip in Thomas, WV, this was the first place to give me a chance and allowed me a place to try and sell prints. I don't have a whole lot in the store right now, just a couple 5x7s and 8x10s, but good news, both of my parents do! A lot of times, especially in the beginning, my parents would accompany me to various places, taking photos of the scenery themselves. My dad has been a very knowledgable guide so far, showing me all the good spots over the years, and they both really helped to jump start this whole thing for me by their own love and appreciation of the outdoors.
Gallery Location and Hours
15 East Ave.
Thomas, WV 26292
St. Joseph's Hospital in Buckhannon, WV
Very early on, before I had any prints for sale anywhere or even thought about selling prints for that matter, I was contacted about having some of my work printed on large canvases and displayed in an area of the hospital. Of course I jumped all over that, and I'm told they're still hanging up there to this day.
Your Place
I'm throwing around the idea of opening up an online store, but for now, if you see any photo you would like printed for your space, feel free to contact me, either by using this form below, sending me a message on any of my social media accounts--links to which can be found by clicking the icons at the bottom of the page, or simply by emailing me at ericbrumba@gmail.com. I can do any size from teeny tiny up to ohmygodthat'shuge! Prints can be matted, framed, in a sleeve on their own, done on high quality photographic paper, metal, canvas, etc., it's entirely up to you. Let me know what you're wanting and we'll go from there.
Thank you!