The Asian Male project started initially as a personal interest — a simple desire to photograph friends of mine from an artistic view. My influences were based on a number of things, including photographer Herb Ritts, my Canadian upbringing on the Saskatchewan prairies, my architectural training, and my quest for beauty in the human body and face. What I have here in this collection of images are photographs of friends, taken with intention, passion, and love.

As an artist, I am always struggling to achieve a perceived perfection — an idealised image that may not be the truth, but only a partial truth. A camera can only view from one angle, from one vantage point. Hence, some models have a 'good side'. As a photographer, I am seeking that good side in the most truthful way, from my own set of aesthetics. I owe so much to the models who have allowed me to work with them, to share in the experience, and to entrust me with their physical presence to be photographed nude. In Hong Kong, and for much of Asia, the unadorned body has long been seen simply as pornography — though only recently has there been a more normalised acceptance of male beauty. I thank those first few models who believed in me and allowed me to photograph them.

In 2021, I returned to Canada to care for my aging mother. It was a period that asked me to set aside my creative practice, but in many ways it also asked me to look inward — to sit with stillness and to reconsider what truly matters in art and in life.

I am now returning to my practice with renewed energy and purpose. If you are moved by what you see on this website, I would encourage you to enquire about my limited edition signed prints, or to explore my publications — The Asian Male 3.AM and Beaux Magazine, V1, both available on Amazon. In everything I do, I want to maintain a level of excellence — and above all, I want everyone to share in the spirit of photography and the beauty of Asian men.

— Norm Yip