The big picture: an 18th birthday haircut for a Russian orphan
Dmitry Markov’s tender image suggests a sharp coming of age in store for the teenager
From 2005 to 2012, Dmitry Markov photographed the daily lives of Russian children and teenagers in one of Russia’s many orphanages for neglected children in a village near Pskov, close to the border with Estonia. Working there as a volunteer, he began shooting on an iPhone after his camera was stolen from his room.
A former street kid and heroin addict himself, Markov also works as a journalist, blogger, activist and street photographer. His images, posted daily on Instagram (@dcim.ru), have garnered him 369,000 followers and led to several awards.