The Father Figure project by Zun Lee (@zunleephoto) confronts stereotypes and shows the reality of life for everyday African-American dads. “There’s a lot of focus in the media on the stereotype of the absent, deadbeat dad that doesn’t care,” says Zun. “You see that every day. There’s not enough focus on the men that are actually there.” Zun, a Toronto-based healthcare consultant by trade, discovered that through photography he is able to access the lives of strangers and document real stories. “On the one hand, you have the negative stereotypes, and on the other hand, what is proposed as a counter-image is usually the perfect magical African-American father,” Zun explains, referring to TV personalities or celebrity dads. “You have to wonder, if you are an African-American father, or father period, how realistic is it for you to have to aspire to those unattainable role models? That’s not really ever going to be your situation.” Photo by @zunleephoto