吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in China
China
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.
Beijing – Tiananmen Square
If St. Mark’s Square is the “Living Room” of Venice, then Tienanmen Square is the living room of Beijing. Security is very tight, as evidenced by the hundreds of surveillance camera and dozens of police men & soldiers.
Beijing – Nature
I’m not much of a nature photographer. I prefer people & places more than flowers and birds, but there were a few good nature shots from Beijing that came out nice.
Beijing – Olympic Park
Beautiful architecture that’s still timeless. The care-and-feeding of the buildings could be improved to prolong their life span. The crowds are gone and now the Olympic Park is a curiosity for a few visitors.
Village Nightlife
I went prowling around the village last night with a fast 35mm f1.8 lens to test the low light capabilities of the D3100. Not bad. Some of these shots look like they were taken in the middle of the day because of the amount of lighting in the village and the fast lens.
Hong Kong from the 29th floor
Some shots from 29 stories above Wan Chai looking towards North Point on the island. The stormy weather was interesting to photograph, then it all blew away a few hours later for a beautiful afternoon.
Chinese Line Dancing
Everyone’s doing it!! Line dancing at night on the basketball courts and in public squares.
Retail Parallax
There are miles of these “retail alleys” in every small village in China. Inexpensive retail space for entrepreneurs. The stripped tunnel visual effect can be dizzying.
Construction Sunset
This is a common scene in the area surrounding a new high tech industrial park being build next to our factory in Shenzhen. The land value has sky-rocketed because of the adjacency to the new electronics factory buildings, so the owners of 5 story apartment buildings are tearing them down and building 8 – 9 story buildings (with a higher density inside).
Ping Pong & Lunch
After spending thousands of hours playing ping pong as a youth I decided to test my rusty skills with some friends here in China. Because it’s one of the national pastimes most people tend to be pretty good. Unfortunately I was not. I got smoked by the “number one lady player” at our factory – along with everyone else.. We had a nice Sunday afternoon reunion lunch before playing.
Badminton in China
I went to my first badminton match to watch my friend Mike play some of his friends. Badminton is a national pastime and is played the same way Americans bowl – as a social sport. They were very good, but I couldn’t help but chuckle as one of the girls chatted on a cell phone while playing.
Uighur Family Portrait
Today while eating lunch, the wife of the restaurant owner (not an English speaker) used “charades” to ask me if I would photograph her daughter. Of course this was a great honor for me, so I came back with my camera gear and started shooting away.
Things-on-a-Stick
These two happy guys are selling stuff on a stick. It’s actually a traditional Chinese candy called “iced sweet gourd” because the shape is like gourds strung together.
Sign of Change
What was once a field growing vegetables is about to become a high tech industrial park. Progress…
Hong Kong Nature
There isn’t much nature left in Kowloon, so when a muti-million dollar shopping center was built a few steps from the harbor the developer spared no expense to preserve a very old tree so they could excavate a lower level courtyard.
