Larry Chen is one of the most popular automotive photographers in the world. He takes pictures for race series all over the world including Formula Drift and Global Rallycross as well as one-off events such as the Pikes Peak International Hillclimb and Race of Champions. For the most recent episode of Hoonigan’s Daily Transmission Tangents, Chen gives you an inside look at what he went through to shoot pictures during his latest venture: King of the Hammers.
Chen’s pictures are definitely unique. I’ve not met him, but I have seen him work. At Red Bull Global Rallycross Atlantic City, when I was walking around the paddock getting details for a story for The Drive, I saw Chen in the distance with a long lens. I watched him walk from one side of the paddock to the other then go under the Honda race team’s trailer ropes to eventually plant himself near the swampy brush at Bader Field Airport that hosted the Atlantic City GRC race. He went back there and I am sure got a picture that few if any other photographers at the event got or event thought to get.
In the video, Chen takes you through his King of the Hammers shooting starting at Hammertown—the 50,000 people strong city that gets created for the event. His first shots of the event are hopping in a helicopter to get chase shots of the race vehicles. Then, Chen gets on the ground to watch and shoot the offroad rigs climb the boulders. As a result, he finds the best spots, even shooting the machines pushing and climbing each other.
As Hoonigan Zac Mertens says in the video, Chen tells a story with his photos, showcasing not only the race vehicles but the background of the race. The man has three cameras at all times. One for his left hand, one for his right, then a long lens camera to catch the race vehicles as they leave.
Check out Hoonigan’s latest Daily Transmission Tangents episode following Larry Chen at King of the Hammers 2018.
