Head On Photo Festival

Venue: Various locations. See website for details.
Location: Sydney
1 May - 31 May, 2015
Web: http://www.headon.com.au

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.

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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April

Fit to Print: Defining Moments from the Fairfax Photo Archive

Canberra: 27 Feb until 20 July 2025. The National Library has invited renowned Australian photojournalist Mike Bowers to select some of his favourite images from the Fairfax Photo Archive.

Parkes Place West, Parkes Canberra The National Library | 1 Apr - 20 Jul, 2025

New Light: Photography Now + Then

Brisbane: Until 13 July 2025. Amateur Brisbane photographer Alfred Henrie Elliott (1870-1954) extraordinary images lay dormant for decades until they were discovered only recently. This exhibition is curated by seven Brisbane photographers.

Level 3, Brisbane City Hall King George Square, Brisbane 4000 Museum of Brisbane. Level 3 City Hall. | 1 Apr - 13 Jul, 2025

PIX – The magazine that changed everything (1938-1972)

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.

1 Shakespeare Place, Sydney State Library of NSW | 1 Apr - 31 Dec, 2025

May

Wildlife Photographer of the Year

Sydney: 15 May – 19 October. Showcasing 100 incredible images, this remarkable exhibition offers a window into the astonishing variety of life on our planet – and the critical importance of preserving it.

2 Murray St Darling Harbour, Sydney Australian National Maritime Museum | 15 May - 19 Oct, 2025

Sam Contis: Moving Landscape

Perth: From 31 May – 28 Sept 2025. Featuring 85 works from three major series – Deep Springs, Overpass, and Cross Country – the exhibition spans twelve years of Contis’s evolving photographic practice.

Perth Cultural Centre, WA 6000 The Art Gallery of Western Australia (AGWA) | 31 May - 28 Sep, 2025