吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in China

Posts Tagged ‘Street photography’
Analog | The Village – Fall 2023
Analog | The Village - Fall 2023

Back at the village to visit friends, take photos – and watch the rice get harvested. All photos were shot on a Leica M7 with a Voigtlander 28mm Ultron V2 lens. The film stock was either Kodak Portra 400, Kodak Gold 200, or Fujifilm Superia 400. Processing & scans were done in Hong Kong / […]

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 | Village in the Summer
Analog | Village in the Summer

I took the Hasselblad Xpan to the village for some pano images. It’s usually a challenge to compose a panoramic photo in a small area like a village, but I’ve started using a wide 28mm Nikon lens on the Xpan which has made it easier.

Analog | Ningbo in the Heat
Analog | Ningbo in the Heat

Wow – it was stupid hot in China during the summer of 2023. I had a choice of weather conditions – extreme heat + humidity or heavy rain. Neither was very conducive for street photography.

Analog | Yangjiang in the Summer
Analog | Yangjiang in the Summer

Hot, Hot, and more hot. Maybe some rain too. All photos were taken with a Zeiss Ikon ZM on Portra 400 film. Thanks to Anne for being my guide on a couple of photo outings.

Analog | The Village after Covid
Analog | The Village after Covid

I was relieved to see all of my village friends survived the December of 2022 Covid wave that swept through China.

Analog | Ningbo after Covid
Analog | Ningbo after Covid

I spent a month back in Ningbo after the big Covid wave of December 2022. It was great to see China back to normal.

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 | Returning to the Village
Analog | Returning to the Village

It took me over 15 months before I was able to return to China to continue my documentation of the final years of this 400-year-old village.

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 | Ningbo | Returning During Zero Covid
Analog | Ningbo | Returning During Zero Covid

After enjoying the relative safety of China’s Zero Covid policy during 2020 and 2021 I returned after a 15-month absence. Unfortunately, I returned to a very different China.

Analog | Ningbo Village 4.20
Analog | Ningbo Village 4.20

I’m back at the village after my 2 weeks in prison (Covid-19 quarantine). The weather is gorgeous in Ningbo and my friends in the village missed me.

Hong Kong & Shanghai 4.19
Hong Kong & Shanghai  4.19

Everything was shot using one lens – the amazing Fuji 16mm f1.4. One of Fuji’s finest lenses.

Tibet 10.18 | #Twice in a Lifetime
Tibet 10.18  |  #Twice in a Lifetime

Seven years after my first trip to Tibet I retraced my steps and was able to take a lot of my photos all over again with much better gear and a lot more experience.

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 9.18 | Typhoon
Hong Kong 9.18  |  Typhoon

I was in-and-out out of Hong Kong a few times in September & October, but the more memorable stop was during Typhoon Mangkhut on September 16th.  WOW.

Hong Kong 8.18
Hong Kong 8.18

I made three stops in Hong Kong during my five-week summer trip.  Plenty of time for some photos in the extreme heat and humidity.  I used a USB-powered lens warmer to pre-heat my lens so it didn’t fog up when I left my air-conditioned hotel room.

Ningbo 8.18
Ningbo 8.18

Ningbo was incredibly hot in August.  I visited the Tianyi Ge ancient library twice to take some photos on the grounds.  This is the oldest library in China that dates back to the 1500’s.

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 11.17
Hong Kong 11.17

Two quick passes through Hong Kong on this trip – arriving and departing on a three week trip to China. The weather in October is always amazing.  No humidity or big heat. 

Shenzhen 10.17
Shenzhen 10.17

I use Shenzhen as my pivot point as I travel to other cities in China on business.  The Shekou area is very western and very comfortable on the weekends.  The food is great and the beer is cold.

Hong Kong 8.17
Hong Kong 8.17

Five-mile street photography walk + strained knee ligament = real pain.  But worth it.