吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in China

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Analog | Ningbo & Yangjiang
Analog | Ningbo & Yangjiang

These two cities are my homes away from home and I bounced back and forth between them during most trips to China.

Analog | Hong Kong
Analog | Hong Kong

I took a few trips in and out of Hong Kong in the fall of 2023. As always – it was a very photogenic city, both in the day and the night.

Analog | Hot Hong Kong – with Covid
Analog | Hot Hong Kong - with Covid

I was in Hong Kong three times on my summer 2023 trip. The last time on vacation with Covid. That kinda sucked. The photos below were all taken with either a Zeiss Ikon ZM, Bessa R2 or a Hasselblad Xpan (panoramic images) on Portra 400 or Cinestill 800T film.

Analog | Hong Kong after Covid
Analog | Hong Kong after Covid

Well, that was a long 3 years… All Photos were shot on 35mm film using three different cameras (Leica M6, Bessa R2, Zeiss Ikon ZM).

Analog | Back to Shanghai
Analog | Back to Shanghai

After getting shut out of China for almost a year and a half, I was finally able to travel to Shanghai for some street photography and vintage camera shopping with my Ningbo friend Barry.

Analog | Yangjiang
Analog | Yangjiang

It’s been over two years since I was last in Yangjiang and it was nice to spend some time there.

Analog | One Year in China
Analog | One Year in China

This week is the one-year anniversary of coming to China in March of 2020. I came to Ningbo with the plan to stay for 6 weeks for a business trip. A few days after I arrived China closed the borders (still not reopened a year later) and the Covid cases in the US spiked.

Analog | Shaoxing Opera at the Village
Analog | Shaoxing Opera at the Village

I was walking through the village in the middle of October and saw a large tent erected in one of the parking lots. After asking around I found out there was a touring company performing Shaoxing Operas for 3 nights.

Analog | I’m YouTube-Famous Now
Analog | I'm YouTube-Famous Now

I met a YouTuber on the bus from the Shanghai airport to our government-mandated 14-day quarantine hotel in Ningbo. He was returning from the US with his family trying to out-run the COVID-19 virus that had just hit the US. I was doing the same thing – for slightly different reasons.

Analog | Hong Kong 1.20
Analog | Hong Kong 1.20

I zig-zagged in and out of Hong Kong a few times on this trip, each time taking analog photos and getting the film processed/scanned at Dotwell in TST. I used both a Hasselblad C/M and Mamiya 6 for these – which is why everything is square. I really enjoy shooting the old neon signs in […]

Analog | Ningbo & Yangjiang 1.20
Analog | Ningbo & Yangjiang  1.20

More analog photos using a medium format Hasselblad 500 C/M. All photos were shot on Portra film. I visited my 99-year-old friend in the village again and met her 67-year-old third son. I asked about her secret for longevity and her answer was “I eat rice, vegetables, and meat every day.” That’s pretty much what […]

Analog | Hong Kong & SZ 11.19
Analog | Hong Kong & SZ 11.19

I’ve been in Hong Kong six times since the protests began in June – and haven’t seen a single protest. I’ve seen the graffiti and the missing bricks in the sidewalks (used to block traffic), but not a single protest. I’m starting to feel like I bring calm to the city. I also spent a […]

Analog | Hong Kong 8.19
Analog | Hong Kong 8.19

This was the summer of protests in Hong Kong and I saw evidence of them, but never actually saw any protesting. I left HK on the first day of of the protesting at the airport, but my plane left before they actually began.

Analog | Hong Kong & Shanghai 4.19
Analog | Hong Kong & Shanghai  4.19

So, I’ve gone all-in on analog photography, having purchased several film cameras in the last few months – including medium format, 35mm and a point-and-shoot. I’ve started developing and scanning my own negatives to speed-up the cycle. I’m really enjoying the “craft” of photography again.

Shanghai 10.18
Shanghai 10.18

It had been a while since I was in Shanghai, but we had a weekend to kill during Mid-Autumn Festival so we took the high-speed train up to Hongjiao station and spent some time in the city center.  And wow was it crowded. 

Hong Kong and China at f0.95
Hong Kong and China at f0.95

I typically dedicate posts to a single location on a trip, but this post is dedicated to a single f-stop – f0.95.  Mitakon makes a 35mm lens with a wicked-fast f0.95 aperture.  Shooting wide open with this lens yields a razor-thin depth of field.

Hong Kong 3.17
Hong Kong  3.17

I enjoyed a whirlwind photo walk in TST and Mong Kok for a few hours before flying home. I logged 9.2 miles of walking and got some interesting close-up shots. I used the 14mm f2.8 lens on the Fuji X-Pro2 for all of these images.

Kuala Lumpur 10.16
Kuala Lumpur  10.16

Not China, but it sure does feel like Hong Kong – and an amazing place for street photography.  Kuala Lumpur is a melting pot in Malaysia, with people from all over Asia and the west.  It’s also an incredibly cheap place for a holiday.  We stayed in an AirBnB one block from the main bar […]

Beijing 6.16
Beijing 6.16

This was my third trip to Beijing. Each time I see the same sights, so this time I was prepared to get some decent photos because I’ve already done the scouting.

Ningbo 7.16
Ningbo 7.16

I’m pretty sure my design associate and I were the cause of a beer shortage in Ningbo in late June. Sorry about that city of Ningbo. Work hard – play hard.

Shekou 7.16
Shekou  7.16

I made a few quick stops in Shekou in between trips to Yangjiang, Ningbo and Qingxi. Lots of cities on this trip.

Hong Kong | Mongkok 4.16
Hong Kong | Mongkok 4.16

We took a great walk through the Ladies Market in Mongkok before dinner. I love the energy of that area of Hong Kong. It’s an incredibly target-rich area and home to a couple great camera stores. What else could you ask for?

Ningbo 4.16
Ningbo 4.16

I made my usual stop in Ningbo and took photos near my usual shopping mall (Wanda Plaza). Except for the people in the photos it looks like the photos could have been taken in Minneapolis.

Shekou 4.16
Shekou 4.16

More photos from the Seaworld area in Shekou. Very cool area of Shenzhen with lots of stuff going on at night.