Unique photography heads to Sydney

Australia’s largest photography festival returns in full flight this year, with over 200 events to be sprawled across the city.

Now in its fourth year, Head On Photo Festival will showcase work from over 900 Australian and international photographers from May 17 to June 23 at venues across Sydney.

Moshe Rosenzveig, the creative force behind the festival, has worked in Visual Arts and Media for over 30 years.

“The festival started almost accidentally after a seminar we held to explain how to submit digital entries to the Head On Portrait Prize,” said Mr Rosenzveig. “Expecting a few galleries to join in, we had almost 70 in the first year. Now it’s the second-biggest photo festival in the world.”

All genres of photography will be on display at the variety of venues, including parks, galleries, cafes, museums and building illuminations.

“Head On brings together all types of photography and photographers – there’s something for everyone and something by everyone,” said Mr Rosenzveig. “The program is diverse, exciting and full of surprises.”

Mobile phones and plastic cameras will be among the lenses exploring topics like Hollywood stars and convict life.

Mr Rosenzveig said it is more important than ever to support photography.

“Taking pictures is now such an everyday activity for many people, whether it’s your meal, your friends, your environment or yourself. At the same time, photographers continue to push boundaries to create the extraordinary,” he said.

“In this context, it’s more important than ever to have a place to step back, reflect on the power of the image and celebrate photography excellence and innovation.”

Head On will this year include a collection of 116 images of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Elizabeth Taylor, and on film sets by photographers from the Magnum Agency.

Mr Rosenzveig said: “Two of the most striking entries come from two very different international trailblazers: New York’s Ben Lowy’s iPhone photos of Afghanistan at [the]State Library, who had the first ever iPhone photo chosen as a TIME magazine cover and photography master, [and] Shahidul Alam’s moving show on extrajudicial killings at Muse Gallery that the Bangladeshi Government tried to ban.”

Sydney-based photographer Belinda Mason has created a personal insight into the viewpoints of Aboriginal people around Australia.

“The project expresses a strong voice that shows on many levels Aboriginal people still feel disenfranchised, misunderstood and misrepresented, with or without the intervention policy effecting their life,” said Ms Mason. “It enables the wider community to have a personal insight into the viewpoint of Aboriginal people living in regional, remote and urban communities.”

Ms Mason has been practicing photography for 13 years and has showcased exhibitions internationally. “Photography allows us to enter intimate worlds and places we may never see ourselves and invites us to learn about the lives outside our own,” she said.

“Photographers are often solitary creatures, and Head On enables us to take our eyes away from the lens and passionately engage with other photographers, and be inspired by their work. It pays tribute to the dedication of photographers and the enormous amount of talent that Australia has.”