Photographer Bart Heynen travelled across the US to take these intimate pictures of homosexual men and their children
Photography Bart HeynenTxema and Pablo and their newborn son
Txema and Pablo and their newborn son on the morning of his birth (Monticello, Minnesota)
“I photographed Txema and Pablo in their hospital room next to the room of the surrogate who had just given birth to their son. The photograph included their heads but I decided to crop it and focus on the chest, hands, and the baby. No distractions – an in your face kind of photograph. No chance of misinterpreting the content. The touching of the hands and hair on the chest confirms it all. These are two dads holding their baby. I usually never crop my images but this photograph grows on me over time. I love the white skin versus the pink skin; the baby hair versus the chest hair” – Bart Heynen
Photography Bart HeynenJon and Oswaldo with their second son, Owen
Jon and Oswaldo with their second son Owen, at home (Upper West Side, New York City)
“This almost monochromatic image has three layers to it – the two big protective fathers, the vulnerable baby, and the view of Central Park covered with snow. A modern version of the nativity scene taken from a different point of view. The men are older but not less caring. The juxtaposition between the baldness and grey hair of the fathers and the leafless trees covered with snow is subtle” – Bart Heynen
Photography Bart HeynenEli and David with their twins
“Eli and David invited me to a party at their house with nothing but gay men. For them, it is important to keep on living the same social life as before they became gay fathers. All these men take have taken care of their babies at one point – it takes ‘the’ village to raise a child. I chose this photograph because of the repetition of the groups of men in the foreground and the background, and their focus on the children and not each other” – Bart Heynen
Photography Bart HeynenDimitry and Robert with Maxim and MIla
Dimitry and Robert with Maxim and MIla (New York City)
“This image has won several awards and I am very proud of it. The expressions of the faces are strong. ‘A mixture of pride and curiosity’, as Martin Parr noted. I built my edit around this photograph. It was the first one to make the edit” – Bart Heynen
Photography Bart HeynenHarrison and Christopher with their daughter Genhi
Harrison and Christopher with their daughter Genhi (Brooklyn, New York)
“Genhi looks with so much ease and confidence into the lens as if parenthood by two men with different skin colour is the most natural thing since the beginning of mankind. To me, this photograph makes you forget that gay parents need to go through adoption or surrogacy. The colour of her skin helps this impression” – Bart Heynen
Photography Bart HeynenUma with her fathers, aunt, and grandmother
Uma with her fathers, aunt, and grandmother (Omaha, Nebraska)
“This is the bravest family of all the families I photographed. Not having the financial means to work with a surrogate and egg donor, they decided to create their family within their own. Elliot and Michael became the fathers of Uma through the help of Matthew’s mother and Elliot’s sister. At the age of 60, Michael’s mum carried her grandson and Elliot’s sister donated her egg. It was one of the funnest shoots I have ever done. They were joking away throughout the shoot and there was so much love in the room” – Bart Heynen
Photography Bart HeynenCharles and DaRel with their son Brawden
Charles and DaRel with their son Brawden at their home (Mitchelville, Maryland)
“I like that the boy is not standing straight but is standing a bit whimsical between the two dads. The checkered shirts help the image to become stronger. I never gave any advice on what to wear, sometimes you get lucky. It was very hard to find Black gay fathers in New York City for this project. I was thrilled when Charles and DaRel invited me to their home in Mitchelville” – Bart Heynen
Photography Bart HeynenMe and Rob with Ethan and Noah
Me and Rob with Ethan and Noah at 6:30 am (Antwerp, Belgium)
“This is my family. It is a photograph from my previous book Slapers (2016) where I shot people while they were sleeping. We built a bridge above their beds and mounted a camera, strobe, and timer. Every 30 minutes there was a photograph taken. I used this photograph to convince families to participate in Dads.
“Everybody thinks that I am the biological father of Ethan (embracing me) and that Noah is the biological child of Rob. But, no they are both my husband's biological children and I was the adoptive father before they were even born. There is absolutely no difference in the amount of love you have for your children whether they are adopted or have your genes. I was surprised to learn during the making of the book that many dads are reluctant to share who the biological father is” – Bart Heynen
Photography Bart HeynenPatrick and John with Mila
Patrick and John with their daughter Mila, at home (New York City)
“Gay men are known for their stylish interiors and love of art. The presence of a child in a matching high chair in the midst of it, underneath a fine print and eye-catching chandelier, makes me think of her as a collectable which she of course is not. She is yawning totally oblivious to the formality the rest of the image exudes” – Bart Heynen
Photography Bart HeynenArt and Jim with their son Ethan and his fiancee Rose
Art and Jim with their son Ethan and his fiancee Rose (Providence, Rhode Island)
“A clear statement in the back of the book: kids growing up with gay parents do not make them gay” – Bart Heynen