Harry Barnes and his two adult sons John and Michael were photographed on the bank of the Thames. The river holds particular meaning for Harry, who has studied it in detail ā from source to sea ā and associates it with family and the feeling of coming home. For all three of them, this is not simply a backdrop. It is a place that belongs to them.
To me, the Barnes family represents three layers ā three strata that together make up the history of a family and their lives in London. Harry, John and Michael are distinct men, different in age and temperament, and yet what runs between them is unmistakable.
Their own words say it best. Harry: "I am at my happiest when we are together. I feel complete." Michael describes a relationship that feels like "both friends and family in one." John speaks of "looking after each other with love, support and guidance ā whilst having great laughs together along the way."
All three of them, independently, mentioned laughter. That feels like the Barnes family in a single word.
John, Harry and Michael. 2026
The Barnes family, Blackfriars. 2026
John - "Looking after each other with love support and guidance to achieve our ambitions in life whilst having great laughs together along the way"
Harry - "I am At my Happiest when we are together, I feel Complete and Iām proud of them every single day"
Michael - "Having a relationship that feels like both friends and family in one. We can have a laugh but will always support and love each other"
John, Harry and Michael. 2026
Barnes family, Blackfriars. 2026
Harry.
Michael.
John.
I took these on my fathers Yashica 124G twin lens. It felt like a connection to me, with my father, taking these photographs.
'Laugther' is a word they each mentioned.
Harry, John and Michael. 2026
Harry John and Michael. 2026