My First Summer in the Sierra: Illustrated, John Muir & Scot Miller

06/27/2026

Photograph of John Muir’s handwritten “My First Summer in the Sierra” manuscript. Check out the crossed-out words and the pencil sketch illustrating his harrowing scramble to the top of Upper Yosemite Fall. This photograph appears in my book “My First Summer in the Sierra: 100th Anniversary Illustrated Edition”.

06/20/2026

04/21/2026

Naturalist, environmentalist, wilderness advocate, author, adventurer, Sierra Club founder… these are just a few words to describe John Muir on the 188th Anniversary of his birth (April 21, 1838).

A great honor of my life was providing the photographs for Muir’s “My First Summer in the Sierra: 100th Anniversary Illustrated Edition,” with a Foreword by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns. Produced in collaboration with Yosemite Conservancy, the book received a National Outdoor Book Award. Muir’s hand-drawn illustrations and captions from the original 1911 Houghton Mifflin edition of the book are exquisitely reproduced and several previously unpublished illustrations and handwritten pages from Muir’s journals, kept at the University of the Pacific, are included. Take a close look at this photograph of Page 1 of Muir’s Sierra Journal shown here and you’ll get an inkling of just how fascinating it was to spend quality time with his original journals. Happy Birthday, Mr. Muir!

05/29/2025

In 2001, four photographers (Charles Cramer, Karl Kroeber, Scot Miller & Keith S. Walklet) began working in Yosemite’s expansive wilderness in collaboration with The Yosemite Fund (now Yosemite Conservancy). Mike Osborne joined the group in 2003 and G Dan Mitchell in 2009. Wilderness trips eventually expanded to the southern Sierra as well.

In 2009, Yosemite Conservancy published “First Light: Five Photographers Explore Yosemite’s Wilderness”, featuring the artistic explorations, reminiscences and musings of the photographers over a five-year period (2001-2005). “First Light” was just the first chapter of a long, productive journey and extraordinary creative partnership that continues to this day.

The interview that forms the basis for “First Light: A Place Apart – A Conversation with Karl Kroeber” was recorded remotely in early 2021, at the height of Covid. Interviews with other photographers were also recorded remotely (more to come on this). Many technical challenges were overcome as each photographer was responsible on his end for recording HD video, setting up lighting, recording audio to a separate source, etc. – things they had never done before. Incorporating standard definition DV video, HDV video, HD video and 4k video recorded in the field over the years and incorporating it into this HD production was an additional challenge… a challenge gladly taken on.

This is Chapter 2 of a continuing series with more to come. Enjoy this conversation with Karl Kroeber as he talks about the realities of the “First Light” Sierra wilderness trip experiences and see the photographers in action over the years.

ENJOY!

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In 2001, four photographers (Charles Cramer, Karl Kroeber, Scot Miller & Keith S. Walklet) began working in Yosemite’s expansive wilderness in collaboration ...

04/21/2025

In celebration of the 187th Anniversary of John Muir’s birth in Dunbar, Scotland, enjoy this performance by Lee Stetson, well known for his portrayals of America’s foremost naturalist and conservationist, John Muir. His one-man performances are spell-binding. These scenes were recorded in October 2014 at a performance hosted by the Dallas Sierra Club.

Lee Stetson is well known for his portrayals of America’s foremost naturalist and conservationist, John Muir and is John Muir in Ken Burns' critically acclai...

09/09/2024

Have you registered yet? "68 Hours in Quanah: A Photographer's Story by Scot Miller" is just around the corner! Seating is limited, so you are strongly encouraged to secure your spot in advance. This is a free event, but donations are appreciated and will support the Treemendous Quanah Initiative.

Register now at eejfoundation.org/68hours

07/08/2024

Red sky at night, Yosemite National Park. Prove 100F film.