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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May

Rehearsing the City exhibition

Melbourne: Until March 2027. Rehearsing the City presents archival photographs from Victoria’s government collections, alongside new work by contemporary street photographers.

99 Shiel Street, North Melbourne VIC, Australia Victorian Archives Centre and Gallery | 21 May, 2026 - 31 Mar, 2027

June

Mervyn Bishop: Close Up

Sydney: Until 7 Feb 2027. From his archive of more than 200,000 images, Close Up celebrates the historic moments and pivotal people he famously captured.

1 Shakespeare Place Sydney NSW 2000 State Library of NSW | 1 Jun, 2026 - 7 Feb, 2027

Trent Parke: The Christmas tree bucket

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.

National Gallery of Australia (NGA) Parkes Place East, Parkes ACT 2600 | 1 Jun - 6 Sep, 2026

Brook Andrew | Rollercoaster: Winhangadurinya in motion

Melbourne: 6 June – 20 August 2026. Brook Andrew is an artist whose conceptual practice shifts across photography, performance, moving image, installation, public space and research, often through deep collaboration with artists, communities and friends.

860 Ferntree Gully Road Wheelers Hill Victoria 3150 Museum of Australian Photography | 6 Jun - 30 Aug, 2026

Through Muninjali eyes: photojournalist Wayne Coolwell

Brisbane: until 18 October 2026. Known affectionately as the ‘Cool Cat of journalism’ Wayne moved effortlessly among the greats, between the media and community, treating every encounter as part of his day’s work behind the lens.

Stanley Place, South Brisbane, QLD 4101 State Library of Queensland | 17 Jun - 18 Oct, 2026

July

Hydrangea Transitions

Melbourne: Until 30 Spetember 2026. Melbourne photographer Stefanie Wendler-Canning is inviting visitors to see one of the garden's most familiar flowers from an entirely different perspective in her new exhibition.

148 Drummond Street, Oakleigh, Vic, 3166 Oakleigh Library | 27 Jul - 30 Sep, 2026