Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize: Hair, Tenderness and Tradition

The Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize’s latest selection has drawn attention not only for technical excellence but for the intimate ways hair, ritual and tenderness appear across contemporary portraiture. From almost 6,000 submissions the judges shortlisted four striking images and awarded the prize to Martina Holmberg’s portrait titled Mel. The series invites reflection on how hair functions as identity, a cultural signifier and a compositional element in modern portrait photography.

What the shortlist tells us about portraiture today

Contemporary portrait photography is increasingly interested in quiet, everyday gestures rather than theatrical statements. The Taylor Wessing shortlist is notable for its focus on domestic intimacy and cultural continuity — scenes where hair becomes a subject in itself, whether through care, ceremony or casual presence. Photographs that feature hair so prominently often do more than depict appearance: they register histories, relationships and care practices.

For editors and readers of beauty and hair culture, the prize highlights several meaningful trends:

• Portraits foregrounding hair as narrative: hair styles, textures and grooming rituals are used to tell personal stories rather than simply to showcase fashion.
• A turn to tenderness and everyday care: images that capture hands tending hair, the aftermath of a haircut or familial hair rituals resonate strongly with audiences.
• Diversity of subject and technique: both emerging photographers and established practitioners explore traditional themes through contemporary framing and lighting.

Why hair matters in photographic storytelling

Hair occupies a unique space in portraiture. It is mutable, rich with cultural meaning and intimately tied to identity. In photography, hair can serve several narrative and aesthetic functions:

• Symbolic: hairstyles can indicate cultural belonging, age, status or rebellion.
• Textural: the movement and texture of hair provide visual contrast and depth within a frame.
• Relational: hair rituals—braiding, cutting, washing—act as moments of connection between people.

Martina Holmberg’s winning portrait, described in coverage of the prize, is a case in point: the composition uses hair as an element of intimacy and character, inviting viewers to consider the subject beyond surface appearance. Portraits like these can shift conversations about beauty away from commercial ideals and toward lived, everyday aesthetics.

Practical takeaways for stylists and photographers

For photographers, stylists and creative directors working in hair and beauty, the Taylor Wessing selections offer practical inspiration:

• Prioritise candid moments: capture the gestures and rituals around hair to convey relationship and emotion.
• Use texture and natural light: softer, directional light often reveals detail in hair that hard studio lighting can flatten.
• Collaborate on storyboards: let subjects inform styling so hair choices feel personal and authentic rather than purely aesthetic.
• Consider cultural context: hair practices have histories — acknowledging them gives portraits greater depth and respect.

How this shapes hair culture conversations

Exhibitions and prizes that elevate portraits centred on hair help broaden public conversations about grooming, identity and care. As images circulate — in galleries, press and online — they influence how consumers, stylists and young photographers think about representation. Rather than reducing hair to a trend cycle, the Taylor Wessing selection underscores hair’s role in documenting social life and intergenerational continuity.

Takeaway

The Taylor Wessing Photo Portrait Prize this year reminds us that hair is more than style: it’s a storytelling device. Photographs that centre hair — through scenes of care, cultural tradition or tender domesticity — invite richer conversations about identity and representation. For anyone working in hair, beauty or visual storytelling, these images are a prompt to value authenticity and everyday ritual as much as glamour.