HONDA Joe

HONDA Joe ジョー・ホンダ (1939.12.8– ) Tokyo. Real name JOZUKA Nobuyuki (定塚 信行). Motorsport photographer since the 1966. Active until 2011. No relation to Honda Motor Co.

Studied photography at Nihon University's Department of Fine Art, graduated in 1961. While in college, apprenticed under fashion photographer Hayata Yuji (早田雄二). Worked as a freelance photographer for publisher Gakken. Considered becoming a war photographer, but his passion for motor racing led him to motorsport photography.

His first motorsport gig was at Fuji Speedway race in Shizuoka, Japan. There, he met a few British racing stars which put him on track for an illustrious career in motorsport photography. Created his simple professional name "Joe Honda" so that people could easily remember it.

In 1967, aiming to become a motorsport photographer, he traveled to Europe with little money and started shooting races there. Eventually established himself as he went around the world to shoot major races including the F1 Grand Prix, Paris-Dakar Rallies, and NASCAR in the US. While photographing major racer drivers, he made motorsport photography artistic and exhibited at photo galleries in Tokyo.

His career and images are returning to the public spotlight through a series of recent exhibitions and online articles as of 2023.

Exhibitions and publications: https://www.joehonda.com/exhibitions-publications

Sample photos: https://www.joehonda.com/

CNN article: https://edition.cnn.com/style/article/formula-one-japanese-photographer-joe-honda/

Website: https://www.joehonda.com/