[1] The son of naval officer, lawyer, and collector John Sanford Barnes, he was born at Annapolis, Maryland on September 19, 1866.
After his graduation, Barnes served on the staff of Scribner's Magazine and as assistant editor of Harper's Weekly.
Early in 1914, Barnes conducted a photographic expedition across Africa from the Indian Ocean to the mouth of the Congo River, under the auspices of the American Museum of Natural History.
He was head of the photographic division of the army and was sent to France, as commander of the United States School of Aërial Photography, to organize that work at the front.
From 1918 until his death, Barnes served as president of the Naval History Society, and on its Board of Managers.