Between his senior editor role at Speedhunters and numerous other commitments, we don’t need to tell you that Larry Chen is one of the hardest working photographers in automotive media.
When he’s not behind the camera capturing on average 750 photos every single day, Larry can usually be found processing images, and in this new short documentary from Gears & Gasoline, you get a rare, behind the scenes glimpse into his professional life where a passion for car culture and photography collides.
Nicely shot and edited, and featuring cameo appearances from fellow Speedhunters Paddy and Louis, this 12-minute film is well worth a look.
Brad Lord
Instagram: speedhunters_brad
brad@speedhunters.com
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Larry is so dope.
Its an inspirational 12 minutes, to push my own automotive photography to its limits, yes I should probably get a better body or even an FX so I get more options. But what i shoot with too I find I can shoot comfortably and quickly and not be weighted down.
Sure i wont be capturing super large wide angle quick shots, 12 miles away distances, etc.
But Ive always been a details guys.
Its amazing to hear how you came from just nothing to something, it truly proves that you can do anything if your put your heart into it.
Keep up the good work guys, I love how you guys are on a roll recently, its making me all warm inside and if I ever get my project done, I know thats they day that Ive felt I can achieve.
Truly, Madly, Deeply, Inspirational, Stars in your eyes watching the film.
I hope this inspires a bunch of amateur car enthusiasts to start taking more proper photos with a proper DSLR.
Documenting car culture helps bring it out from the dark wether its illegal high speed runs at night,
back road twisty runs,
car meets
shows.
etc.
Documentation keeps it alive for years to come, nostaliga, leaves an imprint.
and they say a picture is worth a thousand words, so get snapping and keep working at it, your not perfect, and practice makes perfect so dont get discouraged and just keep at it.
its all I do and I have fun doing it too,
I know theres times when im not feeling a meet or a show I dont go, I push myself but theres also a healthy balance of life work, etc.
So get out there, I guess.
and get snapping
Keep Up The Work, Much Love From The East Coast- Pothole Land.
-DarkShadowFox
@speedhuntersfox
instagram @foxboyhunter
What a thoughtfully written comment. Thank you so much for the kind words!
I couldn't agree more.
Being Italian, I grew up in a family of "Lancia" fans, then I discovered American V8s and everything changed but it wasn't until my first trip to Japan that I came to understand what it's all about: it's a matter of love, no matter where or how, it's the amount of passion you put into finding a car, building it, going to an event or meeting with friends, shooting for hours to end up choosing a fraction of what you shoot. Your work is one of the reasons why I went back to photography. thanks guys!
Marco
Instagram: @angles.photo
Nice to see some of the other speedhunter guys too.
I always wonder where you find the hat, is it a custom made thing?
The rear part seems perfect to protect the neck during sunny photoshooting days
There is actually a story behind that hat too. I bought it at a cart on the Bonneville salt flats the first time I was there because the sun was so intense. There is only one place that I can see that sells it now: https://hahnsurvival.com/products/dorfman-pacific-co-mc117-fossil
Thanks for the tip
Thank you for your photos and building an internet community that isn't consumed with the need to exert superiority over one another. This is a rare thing and true gem! Thanks!
Love it, so inspiring. If only I was a speedhunter... Hey, I can be the only one French Speedhunter if you want !
Larry has really become an inspiration for me. His hard work and dedication show through his photos and posts to a point that its mesmerizing. Never stop, Mr. Larry Chen, never stop.
I want your LIFE hahahahha
Awesome! Always refreshing to see all the work that gets put in behind the scenes. My jaw literally dropped when you said how many photos you have to go through. What software do you use to be able to scan through all the photos so quickly? Lightroom still takes about 1-2s for each photo to load and i'm running on a SSD already.
PS. now that Louis has quit, I'll send you my resume
He quits every day and I fire him a few times a day as well.
Pretty much every time we dump a card we build the 1 to 1 previews to make things load faster. I feel your pain.
Awesome Larry! You're a huge inspiration! Love what you and the other speedhunters do! The photography gig is no walk in the park, but all your hard work definitely shows! Honored to have a few of my own iamthespeedhunters posts beside my favorite photographers!
Would love to see more behind the scene/photography based articles!
Thanks for the support. I'll try to do more behind the scenes stuff for you guys.
Well done.
Wow, love it
I'm 13, and just one to be like this dude.
Growing up surrounded by photography, I had to develop a passion by myself. Turns out it's cars. This guy is now my idol.
Taking 750 photos of cars doing 250km/h a day is now my dream job.
Thanks Larry for all of this, keep it up!!
If you work hard you can do the same thing.
Inspirational and pretty but doesn't tell me what to do with my 1D Mk1 which is basically a paperweight because I only have one EF mount lens
I still have my T6 which shoots 100x better but costs 1500 less :/
I still use a T6i camera. Those things are so good.
1. Goddamnit Larry for making me feel good about myself and taking time to respond
2. I agree. As I write I am waiting for FedEx to pick up the 1D as I'm selling it back to get another lens. My T6 is fantastic and it will serve me well.
Thanks for all the continued inspiration and content, I always look forward to your stories as young automotive photographer and I can't wait to see where it will take me.
Best
It's not often I feel the need to comment, but this was the most well spent 12 minutes of my life. Inspirational story to say the least, I often find myself looking at numerous shots Larry has taken and wondering how, how is he so good at this?!
Larry, I thank you for the shots you take and for bringing the car culture to the world in the best way you know how. I'd now like to say i'm not so happy that i'm now looking at the money for DSLR cameras with no idea how to use it properly but a burning fire inside me telling me I need to do it for the love of cars and trying something new, specifically shooting which i've never had a nack for to say the least!
Jordan,
Thanks for your comment and thanks for your support. It's comments like this that really make me feel good about the content we are all providing here at Speedhunters. Now go out and hunt for some speed.
Larry is very talented. One thing he can't do though, is grow a beard (No hate)