For its latest How To series, Hypebeast looked to professional car photographer Larry Chen to teach car fans how to photograph their own rides. Chen is a globally-known photographer and has covered car culture extensively, capturing pictures for auto magazines, brands and events such as the Formula Drift series and the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Simply put, his automotive arts pedigree speaks for itself as he’s also utilized his writing and video creations to showcase his passion for the world of cars.
In his How To demonstration, Chen looked to the latest Toyota GR Corolla for its aerodynamic silhouette, ultra-detailed interior and this particular model’s pristine SuperSonic Red color. The Toyota GR Corolla is one impressive looking ride – its profile is inspired by modern rally cars, yet it still has that stunning street-racer look that discerning auto fans have grown to love. It drives with ease and controlled aggression when needed, as Chen was able to take the GR Corolla for a spin and was thoroughly satisfied with his driving experience. “This thing is incredible, I’ve had the chance to drive it on the track and on the street,” Chen said. “It’s a three cylinder, 1.6 liter, 300 horsepower, all-wheel drive monster – the best daily driver in my opinion.”
As for capturing the Toyota GR Corolla with a mobile phone, Chen breaks it down in easy steps. The first step is choosing a location that suits your car and he looked to a grassy setting to really highlight the model’s rally car elements. With its vibrant red exterior, the expert photographer knows the sun will make the GR Corolla’s paint really standout. “You want to kind of see it in the sun,” Chen says. “It changes colors a bit, making the paint pop.” Additionally, exposure must be as close to perfect and tapping the car on the screen adjusts the phone camera’s exposure properly. A three-quarter front shot is an ideal first snap, and having the wheel turned away gives the front some character and shows off some nice details, according to Chen.
With more intricate shots like the engine bay, Chen suggests showing the entire build first, then work your way down to the details. The sun might get in the way so he adds that blocking the sun from hitting your lens with your hand gives you a little more contrast and less lens flare. The GR Corolla’s interior is a definite show-stopper so Chen highlighted the car’s ergonomic seats, branding, shift knob and start button. “I like to get at least three shots of the seats, one of the steering wheel from the driver side and one of the cabin from the passenger side,” Chen explains.
When it was time to choose what to post on Instagram, Chen went with a strong lead shot – the front facing angle with the wheels turned. He points to the GR Corolla’s wider three-quarter back shot as the next with captures of the grill and its badge to follow. For the rest, cool interior shots, macro shots like the shift gear, and an angled driver side steering wheel photo completes a fluid car photo gallery.
Even though Chen uses a professional Canon camera to shoot, he still feels that a mobile phone is a good option for getting clean, impressive images of any ride. He encourages anyone to just go experiment and photograph their car as he’s done so with the new Toyota GR Corolla.
To see some of Larry Chen’s current work, his Instagram page @larry_chen_foto. For more information on the Toyota GR Corolla, visit the official page at toyota.com/grcorolla.
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