"Life at Shutter Speed" is a must-own for all automotive enthusiasts
Watch Larry Chen's photography evolve one image at a time.
Larry Chen has been a staple figure in the automotive world for pretty much as long as I've been in this industry. If you have any interest in the human element of car culture — and, if I'm honest, that's probably my favorite thing about it — then you've almost assuredly explored a new subculture through Chen's lens.
In many ways, it feels like he's been an omnipresent force in the car world. Yet every career must start somewhere, and in Life at Shutter Speed, we're invited to take a jaunt back through time in order to appreciate the dedication and skill that it took for Chen to perfect his craft.
Let's talk specs: Life at Shutter Speed is a new 400-page book published by the inimitable Carrara Books and set to be officially released later this year, on September 29. It's a gorgeous, glossy ode to one of car culture's most incredible artists, jam-packed with never-before-seen photos from Chen's exploration of the racing world, his long partnership with the folks at Hoonigan, and his travels around the globe. The limited edition version is already sold out, but you can still get your hands on the $125 standard edition, and I assure you: It is well worth the investment.
(Full disclosure: Carrara Media founder Ryan ZumMallen offered to send me a digital version of Life at Shutter Speed to peruse, but I enjoyed the book — and Carrara's goals — so much that I'm going to buy my own copy. Support the work you want to see in the world!)
In essence, Life at Shutter Speed works backwards through Larry Chen's illustrious career in the automotive photography world. It starts with 2025, allowing Chen to introduce readers to his art in its most contemporary form, then moves into 2024, 2023, 2022, and so on until 2005, his very first year capturing automotive imagery. He groups certain years together in sections, which each summarize a different phase in his evolution.
This backwards approach requires a certain familiarity with Chen's work and his foundations as an artist — though, I do think anyone buying this book is likely already familiar with at least part of Chen's story. And the further I got into it, the more I could appreciate that editorial decision.
Right from the get-go, you're immersed in these stunning and beautifully composed pieces, which means that even if you are new to Chen's work, you're able to instantly understand why this guy's photography deserves its own book. Chen summarizes each phase of creation at the start of the sections, and he summarizes each year during each chapter. That way, you get a sense of the overarching concepts that Chen was exploring at that phase of his career, working back to major milestones and creative approaches.
The overall effect is akin to watching Larry Chen's career come to life. Starting with 2025 gives you a sense of where he's ended up, but the photographer guides you into the earlier parts of his career, letting you know why each year mattered. This is the year I began to explore composition. This is the year I realized that the people, not just the cars, are the focal point of the stories I want to tell. This is the year I quit my job to pursue automotive photography full time. When you're looking at the images included in each chapter, you can see what he's talking about. You're able to watch his style develop.
That approach carries a lot of affective power because it illustrates just how intentional Larry Chen has been with his craft. He starts with the style that we all know and love today, then pares back the layers of evolution until we're brought back to 2005 and the images that kicked off his love affair with automotive photography. The moment I finished the book, I immediately flipped through it backwards; I saw Chen deconstruct his art, and I wanted to watch him reconstruct it.
What's clear in every image is his natural talent. I personally believe that everyone who pursues a career in a creative, artistic field likely possesses some innate ability to utilize their medium of choice to convey a greater point. But what I deeply appreciated about Life at Shutter Speed is the fact that Larry Chen reveals how much dedication goes into transforming that natural talent into continually greater expressions of the art form in question. That initial spark of talent and passion can be more than enough to kickstart a career, but what separates a good artist from a great one is his drive to firmly master his discipline, and to be intentional in his evolution. It can look like a fairly “simple” and linear process from the outside looking in, but Chen does an exceptional job showing that that's not the case.
It's a phenomenal book, and if you have even the slightest smidge of interest in automotive photography, Life at Shutter Speed is a must-own.
You can — and should — pre-order Life at Shutter Speed via Carrara Books’ website in anticipation of its September 29 release. (While it's also available for pre-order on Amazon, the author in me would like to implore you to alway buy directly from the publisher, particularly in the case of small and enthusiast-driven publications like Carrara.)
Also: Carrara's entire back catalog is replete with bangers. From Sam Mitani's fictional spy thriller The Prototype trilogy to Victoria Scott's work (We Deserve This is a beautiful exploration of the intersections of identity and auto enthusiasm that I cannot get enough of) to the e-book re-release of Sylvia Wilkinson's iconic classic The Stainless Steel Carrot, you're guaranteed to find something from Carrara that you'll love.