Irina Werning

©Irina Werning from the series, Dear Long Hair

June’s featured photographer is Irina Werning

Irina Werning is a freelance photojournalist who focuses on personal long-term projects. She is based in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Werning has a bachelor’s degree in economics, a master’s degree in history (Buenos Aires) and a master’s in photojournalism (London).

©Irina Werning from the series, Dear Long Hair

She won the Ian Parry Scholarship (The Sunday Times Magazine and Getty) in 2006, the Emerging Photographer Fund – Burn Magazine (Magnum Foundation) in 2012, and a first-place Sony World Photography Award for portraiture in 2012.

Werning was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the nine Argentinian photographers you need to follow in 2015 and her book Back to the Future was chosen by Time Magazine as one of the best photobooks of 2014. In 2020, she was awarded the Emergency Covid Grant (National Geographic) and a Pulitzer Reporting Grant in 2021. She won the Story Category of South America World Press Photo 2022.

Dear Long Hair

I search for them everywhere, I travel to forgotten towns

I put up signs

I organise long hair competitions

Until I find them

And I always ask them: why do you have long hair?

“because I like it, cause my dad looks after it…”

but the true reason is invisible

and passes from generation to generation

its the culture of Latin America,

where our ancestors believed that cutting hair was cutting life, that hair is the physical manifestation of our thoughts and our souls. 

©Irina Werning from the series, Dear Long Hair
©Irina Werning from the series, Dear Long Hair
Antonella goes up to her terrace to wash clothes and enjoy the sun every day. The disruption to routines, education, recreation, as well as concern for family income and health is leaving Antonella feeling afraid, anxious and concerned for her future. Antonella washed a black faux fur blanket the family has on top of her parents’ bed. She poses for her portrait in front of the fur and asks me to take a picture of her hair to celebrate it because it means so much NOTE: The portrait was taken with the explicit consent and in full cooperation with the subject’s mother. Both the parents and the subject were adequately informed of the nature, purpose and distribution of the project. ©Irina Werning from the series, Dear Long Hair
Antonella’s mother (Felicitas) and sister (Carolina) dry, comb and rub her hair with rosemary oil. Even if basic technological requirements are met, children without family assistance have a learning disadvantage when compared with students who have parental assistance. NOTE: The portrait was taken with the explicit consent and in full cooperation with the subject’s mother. Both the parents and the subject were adequately informed of the nature, purpose and distribution of the project. Antonella always lies on her bunk bed after showering and usually her mother and sister comb and dry her hair. It’s a very intimate bonding moment of the family. ©Irina Werning from the series, Dear Long Hair
©Irina Werning from the series, Dear Long Hair
©Irina Werning from the series, Dear Long Hair
©Irina Werning from the series, Dear Long Hair

To see more Irina’s works, here

La fotógrafa del mes de junio es Irina Werning

Irina Werning es una fotoperiodista independiente que se enfoca en proyectos personales a largo plazo. Actualmente reside en Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Werning tiene una Licenciatura en Economía, una Maestría en Historia (Argentina) y una Maestría en fotoperiodismo (Reino Unido).

©Irina Werning from the series, Dear Long Hair

Ganó la Beca Ian Parry (The Sunday Times Magazine y Getty) en 2006, el Emerging Photographer Fund – Burn Magazine (Magnum Foundation) en 2012 y el primer premio Sony World Photography Award por retratos en 2012.

Werning fue elegida por la revista Time como una de las nueve fotógrafas argentinas a las que debes seguir en el 2015 y su libro Regreso al futuro fue elegido por la revista Time como uno de los mejores fotolibros del 2014. En 2020, recibió la Beca Emergencia Covid (National Geographic) y Pulitzer Reporting Grant en 2021. Recientemente ganó la categoría de historia de South America World Press Photo 2022.

Dear Long Hair (Querido Pelo Largo)

Las busco por todos lados, 

viajo a pueblitos perdidos en las montañas, 

pego carteles, 

organizo competencias de pelo largo hasta encontrarlas 

y siempre les pregunto: “porqué tenes el pelo tan largo?” “porque me gusta, porque me lo cuida mi papá…” 

pero la verdadera razón es invisible 

y pasa de generación en generación 

es la cultura de Latinoamérica…donde nuestros ancestros creían que cortar el pelo era cortar la vida, que el pelo es la manifestación física de nuestros pensamientos y una extensión de nosotros mismos

Para ver más de los trabajos de Irina, aquí