吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in China
Author Archive
Long Distance Shopping
After I leave China I’m visiting my daughter who is teaching at an international school on the West Bank. Besides being a mule transporting mac-n-cheese and other delicacies, I unwittingly opened the door to some long distance shopping for my fashion-starved daughter.
More Qingxi at Night
I went for a short photo walk after dinner last night. It was Sunday night and the city center was hopping. Using a flash at night is a little invasive, but no one seemed to mind.
Walking Yangjiang
I’ve combined my existing hobby of street photography with my new hobby of power walking. I logged a total of 16 miles in 3 consecutive afternoons. That’s a lot of streets that got photographed.
New Years Day in Yangjiang
Ah – the first day of 2015 and the beginning of year number five of my Faces & Places photography project. I took a 3 hour photo walk to the most crowded mall they have in Yangjiang and studied the crowd – inside & out. Unlike most people, I love crowds.
Yangjiang at Night
Some more flash photography on the streets. I’m really starting to like this style of street photography. I walked halfway across Yangjiang searching for interesting street scenes after dinner. I worked up a pretty good sweat with the high temperature & humidity.
Qingxi in the Day
Ah yes, another photo walk through the streets of Qingxi, China. The temperature has been in the mid-90s with high humidity. I continued to remind myself in four months the snow will be flying in Minnesota.
Qingxi – Blasting a Flash at Night
I tried a new twist on street photography and went out at night using a flash. Usually I’m less-than-obvious when I take photos out on the streets, but last night I turned on the flash and blasted people. It’s a little riskier than shooting from the hip, but I didn’t have any problems. The lighting effect is pretty stark and gritty.
Childhood Scars
This is an unremarkable iPhone image, but when I saw this scene in China it jogged a drunk memory that was pretty profound and is the theme for this rant. Beware.
Old Village Near Yangjiang
So, we went to an “old village” near Yangjiang yesterday. When someone tells you that you’re going to an “old village” in China it can mean several things. It could be a top-of-the-line preserved tourist village complete with gift shops – or – it could be an old village where people live. Yesterday’s village was the later, which I enjoyed.
RT Mall on Mothers Day
It’s been raining like crazy for the last 3 days, including a pretty serious thunderstorm last night. Not so great for street photography, so I had to take my little project indoors again.
Making Knives in China – The Video
I decided to merge my new love for my 85mm f1.8 lens with a video project for work, so I compiled a collection of video clips into a “How it’s Made” video about making knives in Yangjiang, China.
Hong Kong Streets
I was able to get in a few hours of photos in Hong Kong (Kowloon) before heading to the airport to fly home. It was a gorgeous afternoon and I ran around like a crazy man getting shots in the narrow streets of Tsim Sha Tsui.
Yangjiang Streets V2
I’m back for my second tour of Yangjiang on this trip and the weather improved a lot. There are actually shadows in these photos!
I found our money…
Yep – it’s all here. At the Wanda Plaza mall in Ningbo. This extremely upscale mall looks like it came straight from any major city in the US. Caution – rant ahead.
Departures – New T3 Terminal at Shenzhen Airport
In December I photographed the 1 week old Shenzhen Terminal 3 arrivals hall because I had flown into the airport from Ningbo. Last week I departed from the airport so I could photograph the departures hall (and get to Ningbo). It was more spectacular than the arrivals areas because of the expansive perforated ceiling.
Qingxi Streets
Yet another weekend layover in Qingxi gave me some time at the central market for street photos. A very photogenic place if you can handle the smells.
Yangjiang Streets V1
I’m making two passes through Yangjiang on this trip. These are photos from pass number one.
Shanghai & Ningbo in February
I only had one day to cruise around Pudong and grab a few shots. It was nice to hit the streets after a particularly brutal Minnesota winter. Just walking around the city was a treat after hibernating for the last 3 months.
On the streets
This hasn’t been a great trip for street photos because of the weather and a busy schedule. I got out for a few hours in Yangjiang to take these shots.
Arrivals – New T3 Terminal at Shenzhen Airport
I flew into the new (1 week old) T3 terminal yesterday and took some photos before the building becomes too dog-eared. It’s a beautiful structure with some unique repeating patterns. I watched this terminal being built over the last few years and was pretty excited about getting inside to see the results. I wasn’t disappointed.
Faces & Places in China – The Video
I’ve compiled the “Greatest Hits of 2013” into a five minute video along with some pithy commentary.
Photo Dim Sum
Dim sum refers to a style of Cantonese food prepared as small bite-sized or individual portions of food traditionally served in small steamer baskets or on small plates. This is photo dim sum. The menu today is a handful of semi-unrelated bite-sized portions.
Brides on the Beach
I went to the beach on Saturday and witnessed an interesting phenomena. One of the most popular locations for wedding photos is seaside. I know a lot about Chinese wedding photography now because my friend Mike just got married in China and he went through this drill.
Extreme Fashion in China
“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.”
Oscar Wilde
