吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in China

Really great shots
Guangzhou / Ningbo 10.15
Guangzhou / Ningbo 10.15

My trip took me to both Ningbo & Guangzhou where I stayed at hotels that were both next to a Wanda Mall. This is a chain of upscale malls where China’s middle class goes to spend the money they’ve earned from Walmart.

Yangjiang 10.15
Yangjiang 10.15

I visited Yangjiang twice on this trip, including a period that overlapped with the annual kite festival.

Lijiang 7.15
Lijiang 7.15

I’ve been mentally searching for a western city I’ve visited before that is similar to Lijiang. The only place I can think of is Venice, Italy.

Qingxi 7.15
Qingxi 7.15

I’ve run out of words to describe the central market in Qingxi. It’s simply big and full of sights, sounds and smells.

Shenzhen & Qingxi 4.15
Shenzhen & Qingxi 4.15

I spent the weekend in Qingxi visiting my usual haunts for street photography – along with some new places in Shenzhen. The weather was perfect on most of the days and I even went mountain climbing with a new friend.

Walking Yangjiang
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.

Yangjiang at Night
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
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
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.

RT Mall on Mothers Day
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.

Hong Kong Streets
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.

Qingxi Streets
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
Yangjiang Streets V1

I’m making two passes through Yangjiang on this trip. These are photos from pass number one.

Shanghai & Ningbo in February
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
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
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.

Photo Dim Sum
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.

Extreme Fashion in China
Extreme Fashion in China

“Fashion is a form of ugliness so intolerable that we have to alter it every six months.”
Oscar Wilde 

Night Light
Night Light

Photography is all about capturing light. At night most modern cameras struggle because digital sensors don’t perform well in low light conditions. My current Nikon D7000 does a great job during the day and in the studio – where there’s light. Not so much at night.

China Tech
China Tech

I’m amazed at how technology is taking over people’s lives in China, much in the same way it has in the US. The boys in China are glued to smart phones and computer screens just like in the US. Their faces are illuminated by the dim glow from games.

Shopping in Yangjiang
Shopping in Yangjiang

I arrived in Yangjiang a couple days ago and needed to do some grocery shopping. I decided to take some camera gear to the grocery store to document the local flavor. Some indoor street photography on a hot Sunday afternoon…

Yangjiang Street Photos
Yangjiang Street Photos

Everytime I come to Yangjiang I take a very long walk through the city. The same path each time. Each time I see totally different sites and people. It’s never the same twice.

Made in China
Made in China

I take a lot of factory tours in China. That’s my job. I do it for many reasons, including learning about how things are manufactured so I can become a better designer. I also take photos…

Hong Kong at 5AM
Hong Kong at 5AM

Jet lag can be a wonderful thing if your plan is to get some VERY early pre-sunrise street photos. It was a steamy morning wandering around the edge of the harbor observing and photographing the world waking up (and sleeping).