吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in China
Author Archive
Night BBQ
This is another place in China I love, the night BBQ. It’s just down the street from our factory and next to my favorite alfresco restaurant. It’s a smorgasbord of inexpensive treats-on-a-stick that are barbecued right in front of you. The smoke and smells are part of the experience, but unfortunately they aren’t captured in photographs.
Boys Night Out
So, after eating dinner at a Thai restaurant, a German guy and three Americans walk into a German bar in China owned by a guy from Scotland. Sounds like the build-up to a joke, but it accurately describes my evening last night.
Saturday Afternoon in the Village
I took these shots on a cool January afternoon on the weekend before the Chinese New Year holiday began. The overcast weather produced some nice flat outdoor lighting. The lighting in the meat market was a different story.
HKIA Sunset
I arrived at Hong Kong International Airport at sunset last night. I ran down to the check-in counter area, sat on the floor and started firing away as fast as possible with both a 8mm fish eye and my trusty 18mm – 270mm zoom. There was only a short window of time to shoot before […]
Chinese Daycare RANT
I was riding my bike around our village early on Saturday morning and rounded the corner in a new technology park and found a 3 year old girl sleeping on the sidewalk.
China Village Night Life – 11.15.11
Another night of prowling the village for some interesting shots. I used a fast F1.8 lens + high ISO to turn night into day.
Tibet | Mt. Everest
What a trip. Literally and figuratively. No altitude sickness thanks to “better living through chemistry” (Diamox pills). It took about 2 days to travel from Lhasa to Everest Base Camp (EBC). The road was not straight. Not even close. We slept in a Yak hair tent, which was surprisingly warm. It’s insulation was really tested […]
Tibet | Monks & Monasteries
Most of Tibet’s history centers around it’s faith in Buddha. All of the temples and monasteries are now the key attractions to visit in Tibet. Our hotel was in Lhasa’s old town and only a 4 minute walk from Jokhang Temple, one of the holiest places in Tibet.
Tibet | Faces
The faces of the Tibetan people are distinctive, beautiful, and often telegraph the hardships they’ve endured.
Tibet | Daily Life
I once read that “you can accidentally drop a point-and-shoot camera in Tibet and it will take an award winning photo”. We found some interesting subjects just walking & driving around the countryside.
Tibet | Art
Most of Tibet’s art is religious themed – centered around images and sculptures of Buddha. The creation process hasn’t changed in centuries.
Tibet | Traveling
I kept telling my son Colin, this was “an adventure and not a vacation”. It definitely lived up to it’s billing.
Tibet | Shadows & Reflections
The light in Tibet is amazing. It’s VERY bright and casts deep shadows.
Sunday Afternoon in the Park
Chill-axing in Kowloon Park (Hong Kong) on a hot Sunday afternoon. Everyone was moving slowly – including the turtles.
Nighttime Street Food
I love street food. Especially at night. I enjoy supporting the local entrepreneurs. I guess I’m a nocturnal locavore.
Eating street food in China is like bungee jumping, every once in a while there’s a small risk of death.
Maid’s Day Off in Kowloon
Sunday is the day that most domestic workers in Hong Kong get a day off. They pass the time in the park talking to friends (new and old), dancing, singing, eating native foods from their home country, and just relaxing in the shade.
Wendy
This is Wendy. At only 24 years old she has some great stories to tell and Monk-like philosophical observations. She also told me I drink too much Diet Coke (she’s right). UPDATED: 11/18/11
Beijing – Fun & Shopping
Besides the historic sites there are many other cool things to do in Beijing.
Beijing – The Great Wall
The weather was hazy / foggy and it was tough to get any decent long shots. I had to punch-up the contrast in Photoshop to make the outer hills visible. I had been to the wall ten years earlier and it was crystal clear, but I only brought a point-and-shoot camera.
Beijing – Strange Food
We found a small alley just off a main shopping district that I began calling “Scorpion Alley” because of one of the treats served there.
Beijing – Peking Duck
Peking Duck (now Beijing Duck) is an experience, not a meal. We went to DaDong (translation: “Tall Mr. Dong”. No joke.), which is apparently the number two duck restaurant in Beijing. It was only two blocks from the hotel and was so incredible we went there for dinner two nights in a row.
