Mitsuya Okumura was born in 1951 and raised primarily in Tokyo except a few years in Paris and London. He lived in Japan until 1973. He studied visual communication design at Musashino Art University where he received his Bachelor of Arts degree, then moved to California to attend the San Francisco Art Institute graduate program in fine art photography. He worked with Linda Conner and Jack Fulton, and received a Master of Fine Arts degree in photography in 1975.

In 1978 he moved to New York City and began his career in commercial and editorial photography, in addition to pursuing his passion for fine art.

In 1983 he was invited to Photo Gallery International in Tokyo, Japan, by recommendation of Yasuhiro Ishimoto, who remained a close friend and mentor throughout his life.

Mitsuya also had a show at Fairleigh Dickinson University, in Madison, New Jersey, in 2000 where he became acquainted with Dr. James Fraser.

The world of photography has changed drastically since the year 2000 from film to digital. Mitsuya switched mediums to one hundred percent digital in 2011 following a trip to Jordan. Though he was known as a black & white photographer until then, he has since begun to show his work in color also. He enjoys the total control of the both worlds even though manipulation of his images by the digital tools is never his intension. He just wants to show what he sees.

He opened his website, mitsuyaokumura.com, in 2008.

Mitsuya Okumura

08/2026