A Chance Meeting with the HIP Hotel Guide himself - photographer Herbert Ypma

With Herbert in via del Babuino Rome

All roads lead to Rome, and it seems like all photography assignments do to. Yesterday I was shooting my 2nd video for Rome Luxury Suites and was in their Mario de Fiori location setting up my GoPro for opening wide shot, when another photographer stepped into the room - am thinking double booked ? No just Herbert Ypma on his next book assignment in Rome.

We got talking, he recognised my Aussie accent and I recognised his face. 30 years ago we had met a few brief times when we were both living in Sydney but moving in different circles. He had gone on to create the famed HIP Hotel Guides which if you are into travel and architecture know, became a publishing phenomenon, that for one moment on Amazon eclipsed the sales of Harry Potter novels. Today it was great to catch up with him for an espresso in between shooting, meetings & workouts.

What I picked up from our conversation was a reminder that the power of a creative idea, once excecuted and followed through with passion wins the day. As a film maker I have been a long time admirer of his architectural photographic work, not just for its sheer compostion elegance, but also as a travel guide. Unquestionably his contribution as a visaul artist is that he has integrated architecture and travel publishing, creating a new genre of inspiring books echoing the theme of Highly Individual Places - HIP. But I don't think any photographer how ever adept could have produced the images that he has consisitantly managed to create, without a deep love of travel. And here I think he imbibes the spirit of the legendary nomad writer Bruce Chatwin

For you architectural photographers out there my biggest surprise was that he doesn't use any artifical light for interiors, no photographic lights or room lights on ... I won't give away his secret but he shoots with a Canon D Mark III with a 70mm - 200mm lens.