Watch Behind the Scenes of This Incredibly Complex Automotive Drifting Shoot

Simplistic photoshoots have appeal by virtue of how achievable they are, but sometimes you need to remind yourself just how complex things can get. Watch this shoot by Larry Chen as he captures high-end drifting with a large arsenal of Canon equipment.

As a petrolhead, photographing cars is something I love, but don't do enough. Once per year, I work as press at a hill climb event in London, which is incredible, but I have on occasion shot other automotive events. One of my favorites was a drifting event where I was allowed trackside to shoot the cars as they hurtled sideways around a large track. (Eagle-eyed readers may remember that I have spoken of this once before, as a Toyota Supra had a tire blow-out on a bend right in front of me. It was one of only a handful of times behind a camera where I genuinely considered whether I was about to shuffle off this mortal coil.)

In this video by Larry Chen, we get to see some basic (but brilliant) panning drift shots from within the track, as well as some complex video work in and out of the cars. Panning is an extremely effective technique that is rarely seen outside of sports — particularly motorsports —and there are few better ways to capture speed and drama in a still image.

Have you ever used panning in your work? Share your best images in the comments section below.