Motoyuki Daifu, a Japanese photographer, didn’t set out to capture Humorous Family Photos, but his lens has a knack for finding the quirky and unexpected within the everyday. Growing up in the bustling prefectures around Tokyo, Daifu’s initial aspirations were far from the world of photography. It wasn’t until his late teens, while at photography school, that he discovered his true calling. Graduating in 2008, he quickly launched his career with a deeply personal solo exhibition: photographs of his own family. This marked the inception of his ongoing exploration into the dynamics of family life through photography.
For over a decade, Daifu has been documenting his parents in their Yokohama City home, a project that has evolved into several interconnected series: Project Family, Still Life, and Untitled (Surround). Project Family, his earliest work, offers intimate glimpses into his family interactions. Still Life zooms in on the mundane yet telling objects scattered across their kitchen table. Untitled (Surround) broadens the scope to the landscapes surrounding their home, grounding the personal within a wider environment. These projects now converge in his book, Hypermarché – Novembre, creating a comprehensive portrait of his family and their world.
A photograph from Motoyuki Daifu's Project Family series, depicting a candid moment of family life in a Japanese home, capturing an ordinary yet unique scene.
Daifu’s photographic approach is characterized by a keen observation of his immediate surroundings. He seeks out moments where the ordinary subtly shifts, where the unusual peeks through the mundane. It’s in these “off” or “odd” instances, even within the seemingly routine, that he finds his photographic subjects. He sees the home as a “hidden place,” sparking curiosity and inviting viewers to look closer at the often-overlooked aspects of domesticity. This perspective allows him to capture humorous family photos not in staged poses, but in the genuine, unscripted moments of daily life.
A photograph from Motoyuki Daifu's Project Family series, showing a family member in a brightly lit Japanese home interior, highlighting the unique aesthetic of everyday life.
Interestingly, Daifu’s family doesn’t perceive his photography as intrusive. For them, it’s become as commonplace as watching television. His presence with a camera is normalized, allowing him access to their private and intimate spaces without disrupting their natural behavior. This candidness is key to the humorous and authentic feel of his family portraits. While Daifu admits his family wasn’t always close-knit, photography has become an unexpected bridge. It has fostered communication and brought them closer, even as he playfully “exposes” their lives through his art. The thought of his family becoming globally recognized through his work does give him a humorous sense of apprehension.
A photograph from Motoyuki Daifu's Project Family series, portraying a family member in a typical Japanese home setting, emphasizing the normalcy and peculiarity of family life.
While some might view Daifu’s family as peculiar, he sees them as representative of many families across Japan, each with their own unique “truth.” He acknowledges the existence of picture-perfect homes but chooses to focus on the beauty and humor in the “special” angle of his own family’s everyday reality. This relatability, despite the apparent particularities, is what makes his humorous family photos resonate.
A photograph from Motoyuki Daifu's Project Family series, showing a family member in a brightly lit Japanese home, highlighting the candid and humorous aspects of family portraiture.
The collaboration with The Gould Collection to pair his work with poems by Michel Houellebecq was a serendipitous decision. Daifu feels a strong resonance between his visual narratives and Houellebecq’s poetry, finding that the combination enhances the impact of his humorous family photos.
A photograph from Motoyuki Daifu's Project Family series, showing a family member in a Japanese home with a unique interior, highlighting the humor and intimacy in family photography.
For those inspired to explore photography, Daifu offers a simple “Good luck!” He remains open to feedback, suggesting a continuous learning process in the art of capturing life, and perhaps, its inherent humor, through a lens. Motoyuki Daifu’s work ultimately encourages us to find the humor and extraordinary within our own ordinary family moments, proving that the most compelling photographs often come from simply observing life unfold.
