There’s a special kind of magic in the hills of our region. It’s the kind that shifts with the morning fog, glows gold across pasture fields, and disappears just as quickly as it comes. For local photographer Evan Blumenstein, that fleeting magic is what it’s all about. With an eye for light and a deep love of the natural world, Evan captures moments that most of us only catch a glimpse of before they fade: sunrises over ridgelines, the glow of horizons, and the ever-changing palette of West Virginia’s seasons.
A Legacy of Art and Inspiration
Evan Blumenstein, born and raised on a farm outside Alderson, now a Lewisburg resident, is a renowned Greenbrier County photographer who truly chases the light. Using both his drone and camera, Evan captures dynamic shifts in light and stunning natural phenomena such as sunsets, rainbows, and horizons.
“I notice the light in the forest and how it changes ahead…it’s fascinating. It’s one of the hardest natural mediums because that high dynamic range with super bright and very dark is very difficult to capture,” he says.
Each photograph is a testament to his artistry. His father, Mark Blumenstein, a sculptor deeply involved with cameras and photography before Evan’s birth, has been a constant source of inspiration and support in Evan’s journey and success as a photographer.
“He showed me the ropes and got me really interested in (photography).”
A Moment in Zion
A turning point in his artistic journey happened during a moment with friends in Zion Canyon in Zion National Park in Utah.
“We’d just hiked up into Zion Canyon and the Virgin River and the sun was coming up and it was chasing us up the canyon,” Evan remembers. “And there’s a photo…I was pretty young, I was in my early 20s, and the light was just about to catch us around the bend in one of these side canyons, and it’s something about it that just, it made me realize that, ‘Oh, I can take a decent photo.’ But it was also the best day of my life. I was hiking with friends and it was just a beautiful time. It’s just kind of captured a moment in my life that I like to remember.”
The photograph from that time still resonates deeply with Evan.
Seasons of the Lens
The Greenbrier Valley’s strikingly distinct seasons offer Evan a constantly evolving canvas to capture.
“I have shooting seasons here, so fall is a big one for me. This time of the year I’m a heavy photographer,” Evan explains.
One of his favorite projects that Evan always marks his calendar for is capturing the changings leaves on the ginkgo tree in Academy Park near Carnegie Hall and New River Community and Technical College.
“I shoot it eight or nine different ways. I did a time lapse from the top of Carnegie Hall with it last year, and it’s just a really good start to my shooting season.”
Spring is also a big shooting season for Evan, whose other work includes working on farms in the summer.
A Family Exhibit and a Dream Realized
Evan’s acceptance into the Alderson Artisans Gallery in October 2024 was more than a career highlight. It was a chance to show his work alongside his greatest inspiration: his father.
“We did kind of a father/son thing. He hadn’t had a show in a while, and it was my first professional show ever.”
Showing at the Artisans Gallery was a dream come true for Evan.
“There’s a bunch of incredible folks that I grew up around, really incredible artists. So to be in their company, it was kind of like, ‘yeah, is this real?’. Is this actually happening? There’s no way I’m up here, but it’s just nice to be here.”
Chasing Color: Drone Adventures Beyond the Greenbrier Valley
From misty coasts to rugged mountain backcountry, Evan has ventured far beyond the Greenbrier Valley, exploring and photographing some of the nation’s most breathtaking landscapes by drone. “I have gone out of my way to backpack a drone into some very wild places like the backcountry of Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Montana, and Idaho. One of the wilder moments was on a little island in Puget Sound. My buddy and I endured a ridiculous storm with over 60 mph winds and were rewarded with a triple rainbow after it passed near sunset. I took photos of the Sound from a drone where I captured a shade of blue I had never seen before in nature.”
Ground-Level Perspectives
Evan also has been shifting his focus from drone work to ground-level photography. Ground level photography has given him an opportunity to capture some remarkable moments, such as the one Evan describes from a backpacking adventure with friends in the Badlands:
“It was really wonderful. We found some incredible color, slept on a little bluff out in the backcountry of Badlands, just surrounded by these bison and just watching the sun go down…There was an incredible light show that night just from stars and we woke up to this beautiful sunrise with all the dust and the air and how dry it was, just these wonderful transitions from the orange and brown and the earth to this bright yellow and the sun coming up.”
Another popular photograph that has garnered a lot of attention is his photo of a tool collection belonging to well-known Summers County historian, Jimmy Costa.
“I have a photo of a bunch of his tools that I really like,” Evan says. “He’s been doing this a long time, and a lot of folks know him.”
Capturing Fleeting Moments
When asked what he hopes people feel or notice when they see his photographs, Evan said,
“Maybe the same thing I feel, like when I’m looking at a couple framed photos of two of my closest friends that I backpacked with, and it just causes you to take a moment, makes you smile, makes you remember a good moment in time, or be able to appreciate the beauty of the world and those moments that only last for seconds.”
See More of Evan’s Work
To see and purchase Evan’s extraordinary work, you can visit the Alderson Artisans Gallery website (www.aldersongallery.com), or visit Evan’s website at www.theskyview.org.
