You’ve probably seen a landscape photograph that slowed your pulse. But have you ever considered what the process of actually capturing that image was like? You’d be forgiven for assuming it was also zenlike.
Occasionally, that might happen. “But a lot of times,” says landscape photographer Cody Conk, “it’s a mad dash to get your shot in a precise moment where everything lines up. It’s honestly pretty adrenaline-pumping sometimes.”
That tension between the high-energy capture process and the often soothing images created is what fuels Conk’s passion. The staggering, otherworldly geologic formations he gets to visit — like those found on the Colorado Plateau in Northern Arizona and Southern Utah — also don’t hurt.
So it’s not surprising that when we asked Conk, the proud owner of a 5th generation 4Runner, if he’d like to plan a trip to try out the 2025 4Runner TRD Pro, he suggested we head to canyon country.
A capable and reliable vehicle, it turns out, is an essential piece of kit for a landscape photographer. That’s because so many of the most visually interesting scenes are not exactly easy to get to. When you turn off of pavement and onto dirt en route to White Pocket, for instance, you’ve still got an hour and a half of harsh washboards, deep sand, and jagged rocks to traverse.
Want to go deeper into Cody’s epic adventure? Head over to Your Window to the Wild for more.