Fleshbot and pornography

Who would have guessed that my photography website would appear in a rather bizarre yet cool pornographic column website named fleshbot.com? I hadnt' known about the website until a friend told me about. Take a look at it, if you care. http://www.fleshbot.com/sex/gay/the-asian-male-photography-by-norm-yip-175726.php?mail2=true
I find it cool and sort of miffed, because my photography is hardly pornographic, but I'll take it all in stride a good thing.

So I get these emails asking me to start doing some Asian male porn. And you know what? I have considered it, but only to the point of pulling back at the last moment. Is it needed? I will not lie and say I haven't made a few purchases at the local gay shop. Yes, I have purchased pornographic material. But the thing that bothers me the most about having my work appear on such media is that the images seem so 'disposable' -- never really appreciated. Magazines as such will probably end up in the trash. No one keeps them (or do they?).

beautiful disaster...

Most recently, I discovered the song Beautiful Disaster by Kelly Clarkson, a song that, just by the melody and Kelly's soulful voice, brings me into a state of despair and longing for something that is perhaps better without the love of. Whatever the case may be, her live recording is supremely moving.

Heading back into the photography class that I just held, it was an interesting experience meeting with both younger and older males (why all males taking this portrait photography class?) of whom some had more and some had less, technical experience. So for the next few months, we'll all be exploring the realm of potrait photography from a very personal perspective. I asked what they wanted to get from the class, and a few of them responded by saying they wanted to know how to take a really good portrait was good. It's what I have been investigating all along, but perhaps with a mix of form and composition mixed into the photography. But the how is vitally important, as it is the stuff that you usually do NOT learn from a technical photography class, but from overcoming fears, taking chances, taking rejection, making mistakes and errors, and having the courage to be who you are.

School days...

Tomorrow I start to embark on a new adventure of teaching a photography class to students at Open University entitled Portrait Photography. I've taught some other classes such as life drawing and introductory art classes (to the complete newcomer), but never a full on photography class. It will be rather interesting as I go through the motions of teaching, discussing and sharing ideas with students that are equally eager to learn how to photograph. I guess my inner concerns is whether I will be good enough to teach them anything or will they lose interest? I think that perhaps if I sat in a room filled with a few photographers, I'd certainly have my OWN way of photographing a subject/person, that would be vastly different than the guy/girl next to me. That is the beauty of it all. Someone once asked me if there would ever be a time when pencil drawing would ever become obsolete (as my pencil drawings are not your ordinary graphite work). To that, I asked the young gentleman how many songs could one compose with the piano. I think he got the message. So to tomorrow, after all my preparation and investigating, I leave it up to Universe to determine which way the winds will blow.

Photography, models and sex....

I have had a number of interesting conversations recently regarding me and my models...

Firstly, no I do not pay any of the models for their time. I consider this work like art projects, whereby I am lucky if I get anyone to actually pay for limited edition print. I pay for film, developing, and contact sheets. I offer to pay the model back by way of digital files (high res suitable for prints up to A4 size). I build the website on my own and pay for all associated costs for having it up online. Any prints, if have an exhibition and sell, usually pays just enough for all the framing and time put into the having the work up on the walls. But do the models pay me? Well, believe it or not, some of the guys that are online are paid clients. And no, just because someone hires me, does not constitute a position in the gallery. Actually, I'm behind in my work with the website, cause I have a few guys that I photographed but have not had time to put them up...and they certainly deserve to be up there. And to those fews guys that I've conversed with (mainly on msn), I do not sleep with the guys as part of the package to photograph them. Besides, it's none of anyone's business except my own. I do my work as a photographer and the model does his role of modeling. The models need to sign a model release. Finally, the guys on my website does not instantaneously mean that they are gay, nor straight, nor bisexual.

Sorry for the venting, and for putting this as my first LOG in my blog, but the questions I have been asked was just getting to me. Okay...better take a pill.