Fumi Homma talks us through bringing a “sense of humour” into his photography

Fumi Homma is a man of few words, but his photography does all the talking. Born and raised in Tokyo, and now based in London, Fumi first dazzled us with his keen eye for colour, nostalgia and unique portrait subjects back in 2018. “Trying new things always makes me excited,” Fumi says on his evolution as an artist. “I’m working on a project in the UK right now and I’ve been experimenting with different formats that I don’t always use.” It’s an exciting prospect to imagine, as Fumi’s work is already inventive as it is, and any experimentation from the photographer will be welcomed by us in spades.

Most importantly, Fumi’s natural knack for portraiture has only been refined with time. With more editorials under his belt, we’ve been able to witness Fumi’s career flourish in all its creative and free-wheeling glory. There is simply no ‘conventional’ side to his portfolio. “My signature visual style is portrait, and I like shooting a subject who has a visual of a character looking like it’s appearing from a movie or animation,” Fumi explains, when asked how he manages to always capture the most striking subjects. It’s a talent that often goes overlooked for portrait photography, but snagging the right subject makes or breaks your photo – no matter the technical skill of the photographer. “I take pictures of them from my perspective and it’s very important for me to get a sense of humour into my art.”

Fumi doesn’t see any one part of photography as more motivating than any other, however; each and every aspect of creating an image stimulates his creativity. “Being inspired and motivated about everything in taking a picture is the key to my photography,” he says. “It’s all interesting.” As a viewer, you can see this engagement with each element of photography come through across Fumi’s portfolio, from the way that props are arranged around a subject and interacted with, to the way that there is always a sense of movement or dynamism present in the final shot.

As Fumi continues to wonder us with his photographs, he has no specific hopes or projections for the future of his career. Instead, rather simply, his “only hope is a world without Covid-19.”