Local photographer J. Earl Miller found an ironic photo opportunity - an old sign pointing to a power plant billowing smoke with the words "Scenic Overlook". This inspired the name of his latest photography collection "A Scenic Overlook". Miller took a roundabout trip through several western states, putting over 4,000 miles on his car, to capture scenes for the collection. The 10 large prints in the collection are meant to depict the vastness and variation of the landscapes from his journey, which was not without obstacles like storms and an accident that trapped him in a canyon. Miller's collection will be on display at the DK Framing gallery in Fargo during the month of June.

1. HIGH PLAINS READER | May 31, 2012 | HPR1.COM12
By Brittany Negaard
Staff Writer
Picture a giant power plant in the Wyoming
countryside, billowing massive clouds of
smoke overhead. The words “Scenic
Overlook” aren’t the first that come to mind.
But an old sign with those words and an arrow
pointing directly at the power plant, does exist.
Local photographer J. Earl Miller found this
photo opportunity while working on his latest
collection. The irony of this scene is what
inspired the project’s name, A Scenic
Overlook.
“That’s what a lot of my photos do. It’s
something really weird and crazy that’s not
supposed to be there, but it is,” says Miller.
Miller found the power plant during his
five-day trip to Las Vegas to attend a friend’s
wedding. Instead of flying, the photographer
opted to take the scenic route, which would
afford him the opportunity to visit friends and
take photos along the way. He hoped this
would be a “journey most people wouldn’t
take.”
He took a roundabout trip through the back
roads of South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah and
Nevada. His trip led him through Aberdeen
and Rapid City, S.D., Laramie, Wyo., Boulder,
Colo., to Moab and Salt Lake City, Utah, and
up through Ely, Nev. Miller put between four
and five thousand miles on his car, the result
of which is this collection of 10 images. The
prints are larger in size than Miller’s typical
prints, and are meant to capture the vastness
and variation of the scenes from his trip.
His adventure wasn’t without obstacles;
Miller left in early March and storms came
practically every night. At one point he found
himself trapped behind an accident in a
canyon in Colorado. With no phone reception
and no way of exiting the canyon, Miller wait-
ed it out as the nearby toxic waste spill,
caused by the accident, was cleaned up.
He recalls another evening when he led ten
cars through the mountains during a snow-
storm in Nevada. Traveling at 25 miles per
hour with little visibility, Miller drove to the
nearest town, which was 45 miles out of the
way. He stopped for a short break, and one of
the drivers following him got out of his car to
IF YOU GO:
WHAT: J. Earl Miller’s A Scenic
Overlook
WHERE: DK Framing at Gallery
14, 14 Roberts Street North,
Fargo
WHEN: Reception: Thurs, June 7,
6 p.m.; On display all of June
INFO: http://tiny.cc/tra3ew
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