吉姆 JIM HOFMAN | Photography Faces & places in 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 | 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 | 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 | Thailand Monks 1.20
Analog | Thailand Monks  1.20

We took a trip to Chiang Mai in Thailand right before the Chinese New Year. On the second day of the trip, I woke up and decided I wanted to take portraits of Monks at a Buddhist temple/monastery about 3 blocks from the hotel. All of these images were shot using a Mamiya 6 medium […]

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 | Hong Kong & SZ 11.19
Analog | Hong Kong & SZ 11.19

I’ve been in Hong Kong six times since the protests began in June – and haven’t seen a single protest. I’ve seen the graffiti and the missing bricks in the sidewalks (used to block traffic), but not a single protest. I’m starting to feel like I bring calm to the city. I also spent a […]

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.

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 & 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.

Singapore 1.19
Singapore 1.19

I’ve wanted to go to Singapore for a long time and I finally had the opportunity because of some early factory shutdowns before CNY. It’s an amazing place.

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.