Head On Photo Festival

© George Fetting
© George Fetting

During the month of May, Sydney will become a veritable orgy of photography courtesy of the Head On Photo Festival, turning the city into a living exhibition. Beside the various competition exhibitions, across the city, hundreds of other exhibition will be on show as part of the festival.

From the central festival hub in Lower Town Hall all the way to the Blue Mountains, Head On Photo Festival presents a cross-section of all the best and most cutting-edge photography on offer internationally. This year, just some of the stars include Michael Robinson Chavez of The LA Times and prominent Iranian photo artist, Gohar Dashti. The festival will also present a number of workshops including Creating & packaging your visual story, Movie Making for Photographers - Photoshop, Lightroom and Premier Pro and Plastic Camera Magic.

If you only visit one spot this year, head to the Festival Hub at Sydney Lower Town Hall. With 9 incredible exhibitions hand picked by festival director Moshe Rosenzveig from across the globe, the Festival Hub captures the photographic world at its most diverse. The Hub runs from 1 – 10 May.

Besides a number of exhibitons around the Sydney region, two major highlights of the festival this year include a masterclass and portfolio review. Click here for the full program.

Masterclass: For Inception to Publication - Creating and Packaging your Visual Story
Head On’s biggest workshop to date will be led by Getty photographer Benjamin Lowy, LA Times Chief Photographer Michael Robinson Chávez and Facebook Pages Picture Editor Marvi Lacar. Drawing together creative, commercial, freelance, photojournalistic, editorial and marketing perspectives gained from a combined 40 years in the industry. 

© Georges Pacheco
© Georges Pacheco

Portfolio reviews
Head On’s annual Portfolio Review pulls together a panel of industry experts from across the globe to review your portfolio and provide tips on how to break into the area of the industry you are working towards. Choose your preferred industry leaders from a list including gallery directors, curators, photojournalists and editors from institutions including The LA Times, NewsDay, Fairfax, Stills Gallery, Magnum Photography and The Brownbill Effect.
More info...

 

© Davide Monteleone/VII 
ROMA - GENNAIO 2006, PAPA BENEDETTO XVI
© Davide Monteleone/VII ROMA - GENNAIO 2006, PAPA BENEDETTO XVI


 

  • Organised by: Head On

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July

Sydney: Until 31 Dec 2025. PIX, Australia’s first pictorial news weekly, is brought to life in this exhibition, showcasing its archived images and stories for the very first time.

September

Canberra: 11 – 23 November. Step into the heart of Canberra through the eyes of local photographers. Essence of Canberra marks 80 years of creativity, community, and the unique perspectives of Canberra Photographic Society (CPS) members.

November

Canberra: Until 1 March 2026. Women photographers 1853–2018 highlights the transformative impact of women artists on the history of photography.

Canberra: Until 6 Sept 2026. Trent Parke’s photographic series The Christmas tree bucket 2006–09 is a tender and darkly humorous portrayal of his extended family coming together to celebrate Christmas.

Sydney: 7–30 November. The festival transforms Sydney into a photography haven with major exhibitions at Bondi Pavilion Gallery and outdoor displays throughout Paddington Reservoir Gardens and along Bondi Beach.

Sydney: Until 30 Nov 2025. Infranatura reveals the hidden beauty of Australia’s flora, exposing both its resilience and vulnerability, and exploring how light and perception shape our connection to nature today.

Sydney: 13 Nov – 20 Nov. Mushroom Ocean is an exhibition of culinary mushroom photos by Kate Ireland running as part of the Head On Photo Festival Open Program.

Sydney: Until 27 Nov. As part of the 2025 Head On Photo Festival, Sydney-based photographer Tony Maniaty is showing his latest monochrome work from recent trips to Japan, in an exhibition curated by Japan arts expert Kathryn Hunyor.

Sydney: 17 Nov – 23 Nov 2025. This collection of photographs offers a glimpse into the lives of the community of Varanasi, capturing the spirit of its people and the beauty often found in ordinary moments.

Melbourne: 28 Nov 2025 – 26 May 2026. The exhibition celebrates the wide-ranging photographic practices of more than eighty women artists working between 1900 and 1975.