The beauty of Yellowstone National Park has come to State College with the help of photographer Robert Baumbach.
Baumbach’s photographs are currently being featured in an exhibit at the Schlow Centre Region Library’s Betsy Rodgers Allen Gallery . The exhibit is entitled Geysers and Hot Springs of Yellowstone and will run until the end of November.
The vividness and clarity of Baumbach’s photographs convey the spectacle of an active geyser and the vibrancy of the hot springs through the camera’s lens.
“The beauty of [Yellowstone] just mesmerized me,” Baumbach said.
As a retired art teacher from State College High School , photography has always been a part of Baumbach’s life, he said. So when a trip to Yellowstone National Park presented itself, Baumbach was sure to bring his ever-handy camera.
“I’m always toting the camera along,” Baumbach said. “Anytime I travel, I take lots of pictures.”
Baumbach enjoys sharing his experience and the photographs, which serve as a tangible memory of the trip, he said.
Maria Burchill , the gallery coordinator for 10 years, wrote in an email that the gallery is seen by many due to “its prime location for foot traffic,” as the library has around 398,000 visits a year.
“These digital photographs are excellent examples of how the medium is mastered,” Burchill wrote. “Baumbach’s work captures the natural beauty, color and grandeur of the Yellowstone Geysers.”
Yellowstone National Park is the largest active geyser field in the world and it contains over 10,000 different geothermal features . As Yellowstone draws tourists, the exhibit, too, will captivate the eyes of those passing by, like student Alysa Calestini .
“The photographs are so clear that I feel as if I am almost there,” Calestini (freshman-psychology) said.
Baumbach is a member of the Art Alliance in Lemont, Pa., where he teaches courses on photography. His work has also been featured in the Bellefonte Museum and Good Life Magazine . Baumbach has exhibited work at the Schlow gallery before, but this is the first time his photographs are being featured as a single show there.
Baumbach’s personal favorite is entitled “Prismatic Flow,” he said. The photograph is of the Grand Prismatic Spring, located in Midway Geyser Basin.
“I love the act of pushing the shutter and trying to capture a piece of life or landscape,” Baumbach said.
