Utah and Colorado road trip glamor photos

I'm on a road trip at the moment through Utah and Colorado, and I finally dusted off the DSLR (I never use it anymore, I've become a lazy cell-phone photographer), and took some glamour photos of my 4Runner. I'll also throw in a shot or two of my travel companion, Ember, and some landscapes. Let me know if you have any questions about where they were taken. And please, for any photography folks out there, critique is welcomed! I have thick skin and I'm still learning.

My personal favorite:


Ember:

 

That first shot of Ember is heroic. Love it.

 

Awesome pictures, there perfect.

 

I like those tires, what kind are they?

 

Great pics!

 

Great shots! Fun & safe travels.

 

Thanks! I won’t tell her you said that, it’d go straight to her head.

 

Thanks, I like them too. They’re the stock size (265/70R17) BF Goodrich KM3’s.

 

Great pics! Have fun and safe travels

 

Good pics. No advice from me. You seem to have a good handle on lighting, shadows, the rule of thirds, and not tilting your camera at a crazy angle and taking duck lipped selfies!

 

Thanks for the kind word, Gents! I appreciate it!

Hahaha! Crazy-angled-duck-lipped selfies are next on my list to master!

 

Well done!

 

very nice

 

Fantastic pictures!

I originally was considering a Tacoma (starting 11/20) and ultimately bought a 4R (05/21), so I was constantly on Tacoma World gathering information for my pending purchase. What I most liked about Tacoma World was the number of super high quality outdoorsy / overlanding photos that was on that thread. Definitely a higher portion of outdoorsy types that own Tacoma's that 4R's. Again - great pictures!

 

Disagree. Higher number of Instagram Jenners own Tacos maybe....4R owners be out doing it!

 

I appreciate everyone's kind words!

Thanks for the compliments! Your point about TacomaWorld is interesting, and I had to do some puzzling over it since it was brought up. I've had two Tacos prior to owning this 4Runner, and I've been on TW for 10 years. I think part of it may be that TW is a WAY bigger forum, so by default you're going to see more photos of everything, whether they are artistic type shots or not. So that probably puts a bit of a biased slant towards the perception. To illustrate my point about size, this forum has 350k+ posts, and TW has more than 25M posts. Size-wise, there's just no comparison.

I know this was somewhat tongue in cheek, MeefZah , I'm sure tons of both Taco owners and 4Runner owners are out there off-roading. But my own anecdotal experience (very limited) makes me agree with you. Since moving to Colorado, I've tried to get out and do as many jeep trails and forest service roads as time allows for. Jeeps and 4Runners are almost exclusively what I see, plus the occasional odd F150 or something. But thinking back on it, I have yet to see a single Taco on any of the Jeep trails I've been on. I'm confident people take their Tacos out there and do way more hardcore off-roading than I ever would, but I just thought that was interesting since Yeti brought it up.

 

Very fair points! I would agree with your statement that Tacoma World is a much larger forum and therefore more content. A very wide variety of subsets that I could have participated in, ie. Taco Bowhunters, Taco Paratroopers, Taco Skiers, Taco Mtn Bikers, etc. Definitely much larger in sheer size! But that being said there were some incredible professional level photos in their overland threads that have exceeded what I have seen here.

 

Amazing shots, thanks for sharing. I love your storage setup. What box and Jerry can holders are those?

 

Thanks! The Jerry can holders are specific to the 10L (I like them much better than the typical 20L size), although they do make the same holders for the larger cans as well. Here's a link to them on Amazon. I had to measure and drill a couple more holes in them to be able to mount them on my cross bars, but it worked out OK.

$59 Valpro GJC004 Jerry Can Holder, Fits Wavian or NATO European Military Cans, for 2.5 Gallon (10 Liter)

Amazon.com: Valpro GJC004 Jerry Can Holder, Fits Wavian or NATO European Military Cans, for 2.5 Gallon (10 Liter) : Automotive

I absolutely love the storage box. It's the new line of Pelican "Cargo" cases, made specifically for roof racks and bed racks. Mine is the BX140R, and I'm using the 2nd Gen mounting brackets that they sell. Prior to that, I had two Pelican rifle cases, but they made everyone think I had guns in them, and they were pretty awkward for storage, being so narrow top to bottom. This BX140 is way better for a variety of reasons. In fact, I just ordered the longer, thinner version, the BX85S, that I'm going to mount alongside it, where the duffel is in these photos.
BX140R Cargo Case | Pelican Official Store

 

Awesome, thank you very much for the info and links. Don't be surprised if you see a Lime Rush with an identical setup running around soon

 

Only if you promise to update with photos!

 

I'll do my best as a lazy cell phone photographer. Haha.

 

Awesome photos of the trip! Ember is photogenic

 

Thank you! I’ll be sure to tell her.

 

Great photos, thanks for sharing!

How would you rate those KM3s on paved, snow covered roads?

 

As someone that bought the 4Runner with the hopes of landscape and nature photography enablement, I can appreciate this thread. I took have become lazy and a bit spoiled, being able to do some bird photography without leaving my backyard. I’ve been getting caught up in customizing my truck and not using it. Your photos are both enjoyable and inspiring. That 4th photo is a top notch, definitely one to print and hang on the wall.

 

Cool pictures, I have a DSLR but never use it anymore just use the camera on the IPhone. How are the on road manners of the KM3’s?

 

Thank you! I'm honestly not the right person to ask. Many folks have said that mud terrains in general, and the KM3's in particular, are bad for winter driving. I know some tires are better than others. I've lived in and driven for two winters in Alberta, two in Colorado, and now in South Dakota. I don't believe in Santa Clause, the Easter Bunny, or tires that provide good traction on packed snow and icy roads. I just drive slow in the winter, and it works regardless of my tires.

Like I told Cygnus above, I'm not a good person to ask for that either, unfortunately. I've driven MT's for so many years that I couldn't tell you what it's like to drive a Taco or 4Runner without them.

 

Thank you, that was very kind of you to say. I'm glad I was able to offer some inspiration. These trucks are at home when they are out adventuring.

 

Hello,
I am hoping to visit more of the scenery in our Southwest. The 4 th photo if a place I wish to visit because of your excellent photo of the vista.
I love the way you captured the snow covered mountain(do you know its name?) as the backdrop to the two fascinating rims and of course the mesa as centerpiece.
Can you give me the location? What direction were you facing?
Regards,
Hungryhawk