“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” – Leonardo da Vinci

93.8 million views as of October 13, 2025. Thank you so much for your interest!

Most of my new postings are "cinematic series" featuring friends and models, both in the studio and on location, with most being candid, even when in the studio. I am the observer in most instances, and not necessarily the director. So for me, it's real life that I respond to, even if I can control the lighting and background. Série cinématographique. 电影系列, La Photographie De Rue. 街头摄影.

Also new postings include street photography, both new and old, documentary work, travel and landscapes. There is a sense of autobiography in most of my work, in one way or another.

I am truly honored to have such interest and support for this work. It means a lot to me, you can be sure.

92 million views as of July 18, 2025.

91 million views as of June 1, 2025.

90 million views as of April 7, 2025.

87,891,165 views as of December 31, 2024.

84 million views as of April 4, 2024.

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75 million views as of January 24, 2023.

74 million views as of November, 2022.

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70 million views as of June 14, 2022.

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68 million views as of March 15, 2022.

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66 million views as of December 12, 2021.

65 million views as of October 23, 2021.

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61 million views as of April 26, 2021.

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58 million views as of December 10, 2020.

57 Million views as of October 30, 2020.

56 Million views as of September 16, 2020.

55 Million views as of August 6, 2020.

54 Million views as of July 2, 2020.

53 Million views as of May 25, 2020.

52 Million Views as of April 19, 2020.

51 Million Views as of March 14, 2020.

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49 Million Views as of January 8, 2020.

48 Million Views as of December 5, 2019.

47 Million Views as of November 4, 2019.

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42 Million Views as of April 29, 2019.

41 Million Views as of April 2, 2019.

40 Million Views as of March 12, 2019.

39 Million Views as of February 23, 2019 - the shortest time to the next level (12 days - that's more than 83,3000 views per day).

38 Million Views as of February 11, 2019.

37 Million Views as of January 25, 2019.

36 Million Views as of January 7, 2019.

35 Million views as of December 20, 2018.

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32 Million views as of Oct 19, 2018.

“It is not because things are difficult that we do not dare, it is because we do not dare that they are difficult.” – Seneca

So much to say ... so little time to say it all. But please, no negative comments. I'm not on here for review or criticism, I'm here to share. I have been making photographs for over 50 years, and although I am still learning, I think I know what I am doing, even if you may not agree. So please, no unsolicited advice or critiques, thanks.

“The artist's job? To be a miracle worker: to make the blind see, the dull feel, the dead to live.” – Edward Abbey

I teach photography to adults, and offer workshops here in Rhode Island, so when I am paid to give advice or criticism, I will do so, but I would never impose unsolicited critiques on anyone's work.

If you appreciate the work that I do, fine, if not, please move on. You are not required to stay on my pages. Thanks for understanding and respecting my reasons for being here.

“If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.” – Robert Capa

I am an American, born and raised. I have an affinity for Chinese and China, but I am not Chinese. Chinese Johnny is my nom de guerre.

I have been around, but I have yet to see it all.

I have photographed what I can. I hope to photograph more, if I can.

"The moment fact is transformed into a photograph it is no longer a fact but an opinion.” – Richard Avedon

I bought my first camera in 1970, and have probably made over a million images over the span of about 55 years.

I cut my teeth on Kodachrome, then taught myself traditional darkroom processes starting in 1979, and began to use digital photography in 2006, and iPhone photography starting in 2013. Now, I shoot mostly iPhone images, using an iPhone 15 Promax. I've always believed that it is not the camera that matters, but rather the photographer's eye.

You can see both film work and digital work (including loads of iPhone images) in my various albums on here.

“We don't see things as they are; we see them as we are.” – Anaïs Nin

I have a Master of Fine Arts Graduate Degree in Photography from the Savannah College of Art & Design, 2002.

I was a Photography Instructor at the Rhode Island School of Design Continuing Education Program since 2004. I have taught photography at other schools in Rhode Island, as well as at the Beijing Institute of Fashion Technology, in Beijing, China in 2007 (where I picked up the nickname Chinese Johnny). I have most recently been teaching photography at Hunan University of Technology and Business, in Changsha, China. Photography is my thing, but teaching keeps me going.

I began using my trademark "Studio Without Walls" in 1982, and continue to do so today, although my actual studio in R.I. existed only from 2011 to 2015, during which time I made hundreds of thousands of images. I have photographed between 300-500 models in my day (I have never added them up), all of whom were quite wonderful and exciting, some of whom I fell in love with, and many of whom I am still friends with.

I'm trying to keep it real here. And have some fun, express something visually that I can't express in any other way, to remember things, to share it all with you, and hope that you see something that reminds you of what it means to be alive in this world.

“We do not take pictures with our cameras, but with our hearts and minds.” – Arnold Newman

This is about experience. Not all experience feels the same. Not all experience looks the same. Not all experience has the same meaning. I'm interested in the variety of representation that can communicate these ideas. This work defines my experience: in breadth, depth, and expression, for better or for worse..

"Sometimes I think all my pictures are just pictures of me. My concern is . . . the human predicament; only what I consider the human predicament may simply be my own.” – Richard Avedon

I have visited all 50 of the United States, as well as 40 other countries in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa. My most visited location is China, with 23 provinces and autonomous regions visited in 11 trips. Other most visited are Canada (8 times), Amsterdam, France, and Italy (5 each), England and Nepal (4 each), and Austria, Croatia, Germany, Greece (twice).

I tend to measure the beauty of a photograph, not by the skill it takes to photograph something beautiful, but the creativity it requires to interpret the world into a thoughtful and interesting photograph. Anyone can make a photograph of something beautiful. It's much more difficult to make a beautiful photograph of the banal or unimportant. That's the beauty of photography: giving importance to subjects or moments that otherwise might go unnoticed.

“Wisdom begins in wonder.” – Socrates

Don't get me wrong, now. I do love beauty for it's own sake. "A pretty girl can do no wrong," as Edward Abbey once (sort of) said. And as you can see, there are plenty of beauties in these photos.

"Photographers deal in things which are continually vanishing and when they have vanished there is no contrivance on earth which can make them come back again." – Henri Cartier-Breson

My first book is available for purchase, and if anyone is interested, please let me know. I now have 8 books published and for sale on Blurb.com. I appreciate the support, so please check them out and collect them all!

CHINA: Paradox... Photographs by John... By John Hames Book Preview

CHINA: Paradox & Progress by John Hames | BOOK INFO

I am neither female, nor beautiful, but I do appreciate female beauty.

“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that’s creativity.” – Charles Mingus

If you are interested in learning a little about what I do, please contact me. Thanks for stopping by and reading. If you've gotten this far, you are awesome.