吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in China

Really great shots
Sunday In Qingxi
Sunday In Qingxi

I think I’ve photographed everyone in Qingxi now. Twice.

Nanjing
Nanjing

I just spent a couple days in Nanjing, which is a few hours west of Shanghai. It was my first trip there. I always seem to visit the same manufacturing hubs in China and it was nice to go somewhere new.

Yangjiang Traffic & Streets
Yangjiang Traffic & Streets

Yangjiang a beautiful city on the southern coast of China, just below Macau. This place is the “knife capital of the world”. I’m here working on some product development projects with the knife factories, but have found time to wander the back streets to take some shots.

Hong Kong Sunrise +
Hong Kong Sunrise +

On the way in and out of China I always stay in Hong Kong. It’s one of my favorite cities in the world. I woke up early because of jet lag and grabbed some shots as the sun was rising.

Market Sights
Market Sights

Sights from a couple market places in China (Qingxi + Yangjiang). I love to photograph these places. Lots of interesting sensory inputs: sights, sounds, smells, people, activities.

Qingxi Night BBQ & Market
Qingxi Night BBQ & Market

One of my favorite places on the planet.  Lots of amazing street food + beer + fun people (often random new friends).  The smells are incredible (good).                                        

Streets of Qingxi
Streets of Qingxi

Random street photos from Qingxi, China. This is my “home-away-from-home”.

Sunday in the Park
Sunday in the Park

While I was waiting for a late afternoon meeting with a factory representative I decided to kill some time at a local park in ChangAn. I sat at various benches for about 3 hours taking photos and meeting people.

A Night(mare) at the Airport
A Night(mare) at the Airport

Flying in China in the spring is not unlike flying through Chicago O’Hare at the same time of year. You probably don’t want to travel in the late afternoon or evening unless you enjoy (long) delays because of storms.

Behind the Kitchen Door
Behind the Kitchen Door

I was curious about how a restaurant kitchen looks and operates in China. I tested 3 restaurants that I frequent and was able to get access to the kitchen in all of them.

The Supermarket
The Supermarket

In many ways this China grocery store is similar to a US store, but in other ways it’s VERY different. Most items are sold in small units to keep the price and size down. There aren’t rows and rows of minivans & SUVs parked in front of the store – you buy what you can carry home.

Faces
Faces

Photos of friends and strangers.

Under the Big Top
Under the Big Top

This circus’s “big top” was scaled down to village size, with about 8 guys acting as ringmaster, acrobats, clowns, animal handlers, ticket takers, poop scooper, etc.

Saturday Afternoon in the Village
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
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 […]

China Village Night Life – 11.15.11
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
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
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
Tibet | Faces

The faces of the Tibetan people are distinctive, beautiful, and often telegraph the hardships they’ve endured.

Tibet | Daily Life
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 | Shadows & Reflections
Tibet | Shadows & Reflections

The light in Tibet is amazing. It’s VERY bright and casts deep shadows.

Village Kids
Village Kids

Photos of the kids that I see around the village and in my travels to other factories.

Lady X
Lady X

Lady X – Mystery model in China.

Beijing – Fun & Shopping
Beijing - Fun & Shopping

Besides the historic sites there are many other cool things to do in Beijing.