Head On gets the heads up from judges

By Jasmine McLennan

The winners of the inaugural photographic portraiture competition, Head On Portrait Prize, were announced last Wednesday at the Australian Centre of Photography (ACP) to a crowd of over 900 people.
The exhibition was officially opened by the Mayor of Sydney, Clover Moore, who presented the prizes to the three equal winners, Richard Kendall for his image ‘Leonard & William at Alfred Hospital’, Brendan Esposito for his image ‘Sweet Dreams’ and Tobias Titz for his image ‘Ginger Bob’. The ‘Critic’s Choice’ award was presented to Montalbetti & Campbell for their image ‘Hazel & Ken Kelly’.
Over $32,000 worth of prizes were shared by the four winners.
Now in it’s fifth year, Head On is regarded as one of the most important photographic portrait prizes in Australia.
It showcases work by both emerging and established photographers, and photographic practices that vary from the new to the traditional: two-dimensional photomedia, digital and darkroom. The portraits themselves range in style from documentary to staged.
Displayed in the foyer and front exhibition room of the ACP, the show features 42 finalists who were selected from over 2400 submissions, by Byron McMahon Gallery director Sandra Byron, multi award-winning photographer Stephen Dupont, and Head On founder and curator Moshe Rosenzveig.
The Critics Choice was selected by The Sydney Morning Herald photography critic Robert McFarlane.
In addition to the 42 photos displayed, 130 other images are selected from the large number of submissions and exhibited in a slideshow.
Head On: alternative photography is open until 7 June at the Australian Centre for Photography, 257 Oxford St, Paddington.