吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in China

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.

Digital | Ningbo Quarantine 4.20
Digital | Ningbo Quarantine 4.20

I managed to travel to China in mid-March at a fortunate time – China had become a safe harbor as the US was dealing with the explosive growth of the COVID-19 virus pandemic. The only downside of the trip was a government-mandated 14-day quarantine in a Ningbo hotel.

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 | Ningbo Village II 11.19
Analog | Ningbo Village II  11.19

After spending a month this summer photographing the people in a small village outside of Ningbo, I returned in October to continue my mission of taking environmental street portraits of the inhabitants. As has become my custom, I returned with prints of the portraits to give to anyone who volunteered. Apparently my project went viral […]

Analog | Ningbo Village 8.19
Analog | Ningbo Village 8.19

My summer project was a little different than my usual street photography. I took environmental street portraits in a small village adjacent to a factory I collaborate with in Ningbo. I also created a video of the process and included some of the back-story about the village.

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.

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.

Analog | China & Singapore 1.19
Analog | China & Singapore 1.19

After resisting the urge to reenter the world of film photography for the last two years I decided to jump in with both feet. My Christmas present to myself was a mint condition Nikon F2 film camera from Ebay.

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.

Yangjiang 7.17
Yangjiang 7.17

I participated in the first ever Yangjiang Street Photography Photo Walk this week.  There was three of us, but only two photographers.

Ningbo 5.17
Ningbo 5.17

I had the opportunity to photograph some ballroom dancing in China on this trip, but it didn’t quite turn out like I thought it would.

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.

Ningbo 3.17
Ningbo 3.17

Ningbo was cold and crappy – except for one day, which was like a glimpse of spring. But it was just a tease.

Yangjiang | Zhapo 3.17
Yangjiang | Zhapo  3.17

The weather was warm and it felt great to get out and shoot. This is my first trip with the X-Pro2 and a bag of lenses and it was amazing! I spent most of the trip experimenting with settings and lenses.

Shenzhen | Qingxi 2.17
Shenzhen | Qingxi 2.17

I was lazy and didn’t get out to the Qingxi wet market early in the morning like I usually do, but there is always activity there and an opportunity for street photos. I also stopped briefly in Shenzhen and got out for a couple hours.

Yangjiang 10.16
Yangjiang  10.16

Another stop in Yangjiang and I wandered down into the old part of the city for a few photos.  I’m experimenting with Fuji’s 56mm f1.2 lens for street photography.  All of these photos were shot wide open at either f1.2 or f1.4.  Two words – Not easy.                 […]