Dads is a new book coming out at the end of this month that focuses on gay fathers and their families. It’s the work of Belgian-born, New York-based photographer Bart Heynen.
For Heynen, who received a Master of Arts degree at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel and studied
photography at the International Center of Photography in New York City, the subject matter is close to home: he lives in NYC with his husband, Rob Heyvaert, and their 10-year-old twin boys.
The two men met when they shared an elevator ride in their building in Antwerp and have been together 25 years. The book includes images of the family (below).
Dads features 40 different families, drawn from across the United States and shot over five years. The men featured used different methods to create their families, including adoption and surrogacy. Some are single fathers while others are couples.
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Several images are more in the style of formal portraiture, while others present captured moments of family life.
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“I felt a little bit lonely as a gay dad — although there are two of us — but lonely in the sense that all the other families I knew were straight parents,” Heynen told CNN about the thought process behing the book. “I also thought it was important for (my kids) to see other families with gay dads.”
Check out some more of the images below.
Dads is out June 29 via powerHouse Books. All images © Bart Heynen.
Kangol2
Beautiful images! Happy Fathers’ Day!
dre23222
So lovely! I want love like this. Congrats and happy Father’s Day to the amazing dads.
Openminded
Being a father myself, I can attest to the fact that there ain’t no love like the love between parent and child. I just thought I loved my dog before having kids and then realizing what real love is all about. Multiply the love you feel for your pet by about 1000 and you will have an idea of how deep it is. Parenthood is not for everyone and I totally respect that, but for anyone who wants kids, I highly recommend the journey. If you are happy without kids, ain’t nothing wrong with that either.
Kevan1
Beautiful images of unconditional support and love.