Announcement

Never in my dreams as a little child did I ever think I would come to live, work and play in Hong Kong. Born in Canada to Chinese parents, I moved here in 1994 and worked as an architect for 4 years before pursuing my greater interest in photography and art. Having published my second book themed and titled 'The Asian Male', I'm set to continue and explore all things that make this Universe as diverse and interesting as it is.

My blog

Kenji test shoot...

Wednesday, Jan 9, 2008 6:22PM / Standard Entry

Just thought I would put up some images I finally got around to retouching from a test shoot I did with a friend and hair stylist Kenji. My friend Jasmine came around to do the styling which turned out to be pretty different. I could never come up with this combination of items. The luggage were pulled down from my storage.....old things that I nabbed from my grandfather back in Canada.

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Beauty and the Universe

Saturday, Dec 8, 2007 12:46PM / Standard Entry

All-pervading Beauty is not an exercise in creative imagination. It is the actual structure of the universe. That all-pervading Beauty is in truth the very nature of the Kosmos right now. It is not something you have to imagine, because it is the actual structure of perception in all domains. -- Ken Wilber, the Eye of Spirit, pp. 177-178.

I had to put this quote online, after seeing it pop up on the www.kenwilber.com website, a website who's author I quite admire and believe, is making truly progressive strides in a integral philosophy. It's mind-boggling to me, and it's ideas and concepts revolutionary, yet simple and beautiful. The quote simply reminded me that Beauty exists in everything, and we do not have to imagine, we do not have to create it. It is there inherently in the music we play, the songs we sing, in the photography we take, in the art we paint or draw. Beauty prevails in the element of love, of the ugly, of the rich, of the poor, of the green-eyed, the sick or diseased, the sun, the moon or the pavement you walk on on your way to work. Every moment is embedded with Beauty. I sometimes get trapped in seeking out beauty as I photograph, draw or paint, but it is all there, as if waiting for the right person to take notice and show it to someone. I have been doing some old-fashioned mixed mixed media digital art-work these days and highly fascinated by the effects I have been getting with photo-manipulation techniques. Wonderful creations that I find highly fascinating and mesmerizing to look at both from a normal view and up close (Up close on a computer would be simply zooming in with the magnifying glass; in reality, you'd have to have your eyeball stuck to the canvas/paper). I have attached some samples of what I am doing.

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My shoot with Fabian...

Thursday, Nov 1, 2007 11:48PM / Standard Entry

I thought I'd give my D200 digital camera a trial run with a new friend from Singapore, namely Fabian. Shooting in Nikon's raw format, NEF, I actually got some very good results. Lighting was quite harsh..as I didn't use my typical softbox. And the retouching took a bit of time too, but I'm pleased overall with the overall effect. I think you have to click on the image to see it more clearly.

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Business and resistance...

Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007 7:56PM / Standard Entry

business world says i have to get my butt out there, do shameless promotion of my body of work, not matter how many times i have thrashed it out to newcomers or followers. i put a twist to an event, hire a publicist, a business development manager (BDM...ooooo, sounds so butch), an agent and perhaps even a part-time assistant to document my photography collection, which has grown to a scary volume of dvd's of over 500. i cringe at the thought of documenting and tagging. anyone want to come and take on the job? then....the struggle and guilt of not producing my own work after reading books like 'the war of art', whereby resistance seems to take over me. to the writer, it's writer's block. to me, it's getting down to the work of painting or drawing, or finding the next suitable models to grace me with their presence. oh, how i feel like the work is so waiting for me, sitting and teasing me with it's fiery flesh of blood and beauty. resistance is laughing at me. i have not found the right model for my next project and i'm peeved. why? maybe i'm not looking hard enough. i scour the internet and books seeking inspiration and i'm envious of what others have achieve, but not really. i think i'm gonna head to the gym and sweat it out, again...

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diesel party by alivenotdead...

Saturday, Oct 13, 2007 12:22AM / Standard Entry

last night i attended the deisel party as hosted by alivenotdead. a photography exhibition held by wing shya followed by a performance by local indie group 24 herbs helped with the entertainment. unfortunately, i did not stay till dan the automator made his appearance. i have to say first that the energy of the night was exceptionally high. the people, the crowd, the fashionistas, paparazzi and celebs making it's way through set the location on a buzz. the photography exhibition, to which i had no strong preconception of, took awhile for me to adjust to. it was all in all, snapshots, as taken by photographer extraodinaire wing shya. some snapshots were really not what i would call artistic nor interesting. then there would be one or two images that would sneek up on me and surprise me by it's immediacy and sense of unprofessional brilliance -- afterall it's just a snapshot, but done oh so well. then it dawned on me that the subject matter was all (or mostly) taken in ride with indie groups and bands. real life, real people. this was what made me feel the 'ah ha' of his work, and how the images were selected. the images were not about individuals, as so much as the realness (and ugliness) of the surroundings we live in. the way the photographs were displayed was simple and unsophisticated, mounted on foam core and placed on the wall so images were butted against each other above, sideways and below each other, somehow reminiscent of a cross-word puzzle assembly. in a back room, there were square polaroids of mostly head-on portraits of people, which reminded me of a lomographic presentation style. it was a fun room that trivializes individuality yet promoted a sense of unity amoungst the mass of head and faces. the hoopla over this exhibition and live performance is justified, as it offes a unique grittiness, realness and pretentiousness that only hong kong can spit out.

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4/6

Norm Yip

Stats

I am a photographer-artist living and working in Hong Kong. I vary between socially outgoing to hibernating at home with a book...
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I am a photographer-artist living and working in Hong Kong. I vary between socially outgoing to hibernating at home with a book. I challenge myself in many areas of life, namely creatively, intellectually, physically and spiritually. I believe that I am ambitious in whatever I do and try to encourage others to do what they are passionate about. My three main areas of artistic interest are people photography, graphite drawing, and finally painting. All three areas weave in and of my life at different times. I self-published a photography book in 2005 called 'The Asian Male - 1.AM' and just released the follow-up volume 2.AM under the same title. Other than this, I dabble in Tarot readings and enjoy quiet nights with my fur-ball cat 'BB'. My weakness are anyone that is stunningly good looking, whether male, female or somewhere in between (these days, it can be hard to tell), bitter chocolate, gelato, and a nice pair of legs.... I like reading non-fiction books mostly, especially ones that really make me think and question myself and life. Although I am generally quite moody by appearance, it's usually because I'm thinking WAY too much for my own good.
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Occupation: Photographer
Age: 46
Gender: Male
Total visits: 55,111