A different portrait of black fatherhood Published duration 6 March 2018

Zun Lee was raised in Germany by Korean parents - but as an adult he discovered his real father was a black American with whom his mother had had a brief affair.

image copyright Zun Lee

After this discovery, he began to explore fatherhood among black Americans.

Lee says the US media mainly portrays black fathers in one of two ways:

the absent father, often portrayed as a "deadbeat"

the traditional family patriarch, as seen in TV programmes such as The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

And his project, on display at the Bronx Documentary Centre, in New York, aims for a more balanced and nuanced portrayal.

image copyright Zun Lee

image copyright Zun Lee

In 2011, Lee began to photograph families from all walks of life across the US, finding his subjects through social media, referrals from friends, or simply approaching them in the street.

Over time, he became friends with a number of black fathers

And, by immersing himself in their daily lives, he gradually gained access to intimate family moments, "scenarios that are fleeting and often hidden from the public realm but nonetheless meaningful".

"Few of the men I met were in traditional relationships, but they were loving, present and responsible fathers nonetheless," he says.

image copyright Zun Lee

image copyright ZUN LEE

image copyright Zun Lee

By undertaking this project, Lee was able to work through some of the issues he had around his own upbringing.

And it is this emotional connection to the work that he believes makes it so powerful.

image copyright ZUN LEE

image copyright ZUN LEE