吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in China

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Analog | Beijing
Analog | Beijing

To celebrate my son Ethan’s 19th birthday we traveled up to Beijing for a long weekend. On the first day, we hired a driver and went to the Great Wall. The second day didn’t exactly go to plan because I didn’t research ticket sales enough, but it was still a nice time. All photos were […]

Analog | Ningbo & Yangjiang
Analog | Ningbo & Yangjiang

These two cities are my homes away from home and I bounced back and forth between them during most trips to China.

Analog | The Village after Covid
Analog | The Village after Covid

I was relieved to see all of my village friends survived the December of 2022 Covid wave that swept through China.

Analog | Winter Travel & Ningbo
Analog | Winter Travel & Ningbo

Some assorted photos using assorted cameras and assorted film stocks. These are the final photos taken in 2020.

Analog | I’m YouTube-Famous Now
Analog | I'm YouTube-Famous Now

I met a YouTuber on the bus from the Shanghai airport to our government-mandated 14-day quarantine hotel in Ningbo. He was returning from the US with his family trying to out-run the COVID-19 virus that had just hit the US. I was doing the same thing – for slightly different reasons.

Analog – Summer 2020
Analog - Summer 2020

My six-week trip turned into an “indefinite” length trip because of COVID-19 related issues (closed borders, lack of flights, lockdowns, etc.). I had plenty of opportunities to work on my photo project in the village and travel around China to capture analog photos on my Mamiya 6 and Hasselblad 500 C/M. Most of these photos were taken using Portra 400 film.

Analog | Hong Kong 1.20
Analog | Hong Kong 1.20

I zig-zagged in and out of Hong Kong a few times on this trip, each time taking analog photos and getting the film processed/scanned at Dotwell in TST. I used both a Hasselblad C/M and Mamiya 6 for these – which is why everything is square. I really enjoy shooting the old neon signs in […]

Analog | Hong Kong 8.19
Analog | Hong Kong 8.19

This was the summer of protests in Hong Kong and I saw evidence of them, but never actually saw any protesting. I left HK on the first day of of the protesting at the airport, but my plane left before they actually began.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Beijing 6.16
Beijing 6.16

This was my third trip to Beijing. Each time I see the same sights, so this time I was prepared to get some decent photos because I’ve already done the scouting.

Hong Kong | Mongkok 4.16
Hong Kong | Mongkok 4.16

We took a great walk through the Ladies Market in Mongkok before dinner. I love the energy of that area of Hong Kong. It’s an incredibly target-rich area and home to a couple great camera stores. What else could you ask for?

Ningbo 4.16
Ningbo 4.16

I made my usual stop in Ningbo and took photos near my usual shopping mall (Wanda Plaza). Except for the people in the photos it looks like the photos could have been taken in Minneapolis.

Hong Kong 2.16
Hong Kong 2.16

I was in Hong Kong on the first and last day of my month long trip – which is my typical routine since I fly in and out of Hong Kong. I LOVE this city. So much energy! So much great material for street photography!

Macau 2.16
Macau 2.16

I’ve driven by Macau about 30 times over the last four years and each time I think “I should make a side trip to Macau sometime”. Well this year I finally pulled the trigger and spent a couple days in the old city a few days before Chinese New Year. It was a mob scene.

Yangjiang / Shenzhen 1-16
Yangjiang / Shenzhen 1-16

I often go to Southern China in January to escape the winter in Minneapolis.  This year winter followed me to China and I witnessed the first snow in Shenzhen in over 40 years.  I had to go out and buy a freaking winter coat because it got so cold.  Not exactly the escape I had […]

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.

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.