Head On ran the first Head On Heads Out photo-meet with 15 photographers from across New South Wales at various stages of their practice. The event featured presentations by Judith Crispin and Murray Fredericks with surprise guest speaker Grahame Howe. 

At the photo meeting, attendees had lively conversations about ideas, experiences, and techniques and shared their work. The event was a real celebration of Australian photography! 

Moshe Rosenzveig OAM opened the photo-meet discussing major influences in landscape photography. Cementa’s Creative Director, Alex Wisser, introduced us to the town of Kandos and its biannual arts festival, Cementa. 

During our visit to Capertee National Park, Murray demonstrated his still photography and time-lapse techniques. He also shared insights about his upcoming project, BLAZE, and discussed the challenges of landscape photography. 

Grahame showcased British photographer E. O. Hoppé’s journey through depression-era Australia in the 1930s, capturing the nation’s ‘true spirit.‘ It is one of Australia’s most comprehensive national portraits taken by a single photographer in any era. 

Judith inspired everyone to experiment with photography and connect with the land more deeply. She demonstrated her chromatography process and guided us through making our first chromagraphs. 

On the second day, participants had an opportunity to showcase their photographic prowess by presenting a portfolio and receiving feedback from their peers. It was a great opportunity to learn from each other and improve skills. 

If you would like to receive information about our next Head On Heads Out in Regional NSW, please sign up for our newsletter below. 

Head On Foundation has organised and subsidised this event in collaboration with Cementa with support from Create NSW. 

Head On Foundation has organised and subsidised this event in collaboration with Cementa with support from Create NSW.

McFarlane remains one of Australia’s most distinguished documentary photographers due to his keen eye, which could recognize a defining moment quicker than anyone else. Some of his most iconic shots include images of The Beatles arriving in Australia and a young Indigenous activist named Charles Perkins. From Bob Hawke to Cate Blanchett, Robert sought to capture ordinary moments that became extraordinary through the connections made between his lens and his monumental subjects.

Robert not only shaped Australian photography but also shaped Australian photographers as practitioners and as individuals. The extent of his impact was easily recognisable through the multitude of online posts that poured in to commemorate a life well photographed.

Here are thoughts and memories collected for our friend, Robert.

There will be a memorial for Robert hosted by Warren at High Res in Mascot, 12:30pm 14 August. Please RSVP to attend

RSVP.

I met Robert at the Australian Centre for Photography in the 90s, and we became great friends.

He was an outstanding photographer who captured the essence of life and a great storyteller visually, in person and in writing.

In 2004, I invited him to help select the work for the very first Head On Alternative Portraits, as it was called at the time at the late Michael’ Nagy’s Gallery.
As we went through the submitted pictures, Roger Scott turned up with some fresh prints of ‘Bea’; Robert’s face lit up as he recalled taking the picture.
Over the years, I spent many hours listening to his fascinating stories about other pictures, but his most precious memories were always about his son Morgan’s and his other son Billy’s adventures.

Robert loved people, life and nurturing new talent. He was also always very supportive of other photographers. He was one-of -a kind and we will all miss him dearly. 

Robert McFarlane was an esteemed Australian photographer and mentor with a talent for giving helpful feedback. He was known for his eloquent writing and erudite conversations and believed photography’s true power lay in its ability to speak to all levels of life. 

I remember when I gave my partner at the time Michael Snelling a book of portraits I have taken of him for his birthday. At the party, Robert was sitting in a big armchair, and he looked quietly at my book and then with gravitas told me he thought I had the makings of a good photographer. His words stayed with me always. 

It was a great honour for me as a young artist, to have the esteemed photographer, critic, mentor and leader in the art photography world review the show. I can’t say I agreed with all his comments though, especially when he complained “there is minimal evidence of the joy of constant, tactile monitoring that accompanies pregnancy and no evidence of the fathers”. It certainly is not constant joy Robert, which was one of the main points of my portraits! But his review, along with great media coverage on all platforms – print, tv, radio (pre-internet days), helped bring in huge audiences and turned out to be a huge success at Stills’ Elizabeth Street, Paddington gallery, and put my feminist photography on the map! 

His memorable images over his career are so important, providing a significant archive for our country. And his regularly SMH column was missed for much too long. Such a sensitive voice contributing to Australia’s photographic community. 

This accompanied image is of a group of ‘snappers’ taken (not sure what year or who took it) held on one of the gatherings on Anthony Browell’s tugboat Valiant Star. And such a slice of photographic history here as well, with Robert enthusiastically acknowledging in the midst of some illustrious photographers. Now sadly joining Lewis Morley and David Potts, all departed, but still surely practicing their skills ‘on the other side’.  

Robert’s passing has the memories rising, the most striking occasion was when he offered to drive me to hospital for an unavoidable surgery. It was a very early appointed time so I was concerned that Rob could rise early enough to get me there on time, but as a man of his word he drove from Bondi Junction to pick me up in Annandale and delivered me to the door of Royal Women’s Hospital in Randwick. After the surgery he visited me daily in hospital arriving with an Iku sago pudding and a big smile and great conversations. He continued to visit me regularly with treats throughout my recovery.

We had developed a great working relationship over a few years, I assisted Robert with trying to organise his archive and general organising and tidying up. There was always a wonderful story to accompany the beautiful black and white portraits on vintage prints. He sometimes went out whilst I whizzed about and on his return he said ‘An angel has been here’. I will miss our conversations, his support and thoughtfulness to always enquire about my children. He was very devoted to his own.

I met Robert through Sandy Edwards, we were at an Artists house in Surry Hills where Robert was staying, and I took this photo in 2011 during that visit. He was so kind with his feedback regarding my photos and I was so in awe of him. We kept in touch through birthday wishes on Facebook and he sent me gifts of his beautiful bird photography. I am indebted to Robert for his gentle and generous soul, I am deeply saddened by his passing.

Robert McFarlane was a photographer who emerged in the seventies like many of us at a time in Australia when photography was coming into its own as an art form.  As a photojournalist he covered social and political issues as well as the arts, mainly film and theatre. His photographs are quiet, but they strike human chords, he was not one for grandiose statements. He became a photographic critic published in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Australian. This is probably his greatest achievement, he became a voice for photography where nothing existed before.

I took this photo of him at his survey exhibition Still Point at the Western Sydney University in 2017. He is talking under a projection of his son Morgan. The Still Point is also the title of a documentary made about his work. Robert’s personal life was full of sadness, Morgan died as a teenager while travelling in India, and in his late life, Robert was confined to a wheelchair. This lack of movement must have been frustrating for him, but he still took photos, was cheerful and bore it all with good grace. Vale Robert McFarlane. 

Robert was a photographic institution in Sydney as I was finding my way as a young photographer. Not only was he a perceptive and poetic photographer, he was also an astute critic of the medium for publications such as The Sydney Morning Herald, in which he eloquently composed several very perceptive and greatly appreciated reviews of my exhibitions. Thank you for all you did for our medium, Robert. You have left a hole in photography as large as your heart. 

Robert taught me to take my time with an image, and truly think about what it is saying. Understand its visual language and how each image can talk to each other to create an overall narrative within a space or book. I learnt so much from Robert, more than any formal qualification could give you. Without him, I personally don’t feel Australian photography would be where it is today. 

There will be a memorial for Robert hosted by Warren at High Res in Mascot, 12:30pm 14 August. Please RSVP to attend

RSVP.

Please add your comments below of your memories and farewells to Robert McFarlane. If you have any images or stories of how Robert impacted or inspired your photography, please email them to us at [email protected] so that we can continue to add to this testemony for a man who helped shape Australian photography.

As seasoned organisers of the world-renowned Head On Photo Awards (Est 2004), we have long been answering people’s questions about whether entering photo contests are worth it. And we think we have narrowed down the main reasons why a photographer should invest their time, energy and work into a photo competition.

So, whether you’re a beginner photographer or a grizzled seasoned pro, read on to learn why we think you should enter a photo contest!

Okay, let’s start with the obvious – PRIZES. But remember, not all prizes are born equal. Some contests offer monetary awards, others high-quality gear, and some, simply prestige. Head On Photo Awards offers all three, boasting a prize pool of over $70,000, including $30,000 in cash prizes, cameras and other gear, subscriptions, and a one-of-a-kind exhibition. So, make sure you check what prizes a certain competition is actually offering, and don’t assume that all have a cash element! Prizes of cash and gear are a great return in your investment into a competition since they feed directly back into your photography career and help fund your future projects.

The exhibition of photography competitions is, in our humble opinion, the real prize. These types of exhibitions are often extremely popular, as photographers and the general public alike, want to see what a winning image looks like. As proven by the Head On Portrait, Landscape and Student Awards finalist exhibitions at Bondi Beach and Paddington Reservoir Gardens which receive tens of thousands of visitors each year. These exhibitions are an instant injection of acclaim into a photographer’s reputation!

Have you reviewed your photography work lately? As photographers, we tend to put on blinders – focusing on the enjoyable side of taking photos and choosing the best one for our daily Instagram post. However, we often need a reminder that our photography doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and though you might ‘get it’, others may not.

Even if your photos are not chosen as the overall winner, participating in a photo contest can still be beneficial. Placing your images within a competitive context, while scary, can help you gain new insight into your own work and practice. Listen to the judges, look at other finalists’ work, not to compare yourself to others but to see your own work for what it is. It will allow you to see what makes your work unique, which you can only do when it’s put next to someone else’s.

Now we know this sounds cheesy, but being cheesy doesn’t make it any less true!

Submitting your work to a photo contest is an extremely nerve-racking experience, and leaves you, as a creator, vulnerable to criticism (some helpful, some maybe not so much). Being open to feedback takes practice, and it not only gets easier to stomach the more you do it, but the more you do it, the more confident you become in sifting through the opinions and perspectives you receive and find the insights that will actually be helpful to you. Not to mention, if your photos are selected, it means that other people have recognized and validated your talent and skill.

If you are selected as a Finalist – in the Head On Photo Awards, we select 40 Finalists for the Portrait and Landscape Awards, and 20 Finalists for the Student and Environmental Awards – your photos will gain widespread exposure, being featured on the contest website, social media, digital media, and in print publications. This can help you attract new clients and buyers, and can act as substantial and transactional additions to your portfolio and growing brand.

Photographers are often solitary creatures. We prefer the satisfying click of a shutter, to a discussion of the weather. But the great thing about photo competitions is that you all already have something in common. The announcement of the winners for the Head On Photo Awards is a celebratory night filled with discussion, food and drink, where we come together to admire the breadth and diversity of the photography on display that year. It is a microcosm of photographic insight, and the conditions are perfect to make valuable connections. Skip the small talk, discuss your photography with others, admireother people’s efforts and build a network based on solidarity.

The trick is to be open and honest with yourself about what your goals are at this very moment. Do you want more exposure? Are you looking to build your portfolio? Do you think you need a win on your CV? Are you just in it for the money? (Hey, no shame in that!) 

While we believe photo contests are definitely worth it (though we may be a little biased), we understand that competition isn’t for everyone. Be real with yourself, understand what you are getting into, and see the value beyond the chance of winning.  

If that’s too much self-reflection for you, then what the hell!, enter the Head On Photo Awards – who knows, maybe you’ll win 😉 

Known for his symmetrical compositions, vibrant colour palettes, and meticulous attention to detail, Anderson creates whimsical and visually captivating worlds in his films. It’s what we call the Wes Anderson aesthetic – which is equal parts; tea at grandmas, manic pixie dream girl, and uniform passport photo.

If you’re eager to infuse your own photography with the charming essence of Wes Anderson, look no further. And to help you achieve this elaborate vision we have culminated past Head On Photo Awards finalists and Head On Photo Festival exhibitors that nailed the Anderson-look.

Symmetry is a hallmark of Wes Anderson’s visual style. Aim for balanced compositions, with centered or evenly distributed subjects. Pay attention to the lines and structures within your frame, such as architecture, landscapes, or even props, and utilize them to create a sense of harmony and order. Consider using a tripod to ensure precise alignment and maintain a consistent aesthetic throughout your photos.

Colour palettes in Wes Anderson’s films are often vibrant and carefully curated, contributing to the overall whimsical atmosphere. Experiment with bold, complementary colour combinations that catch the eye. Pastel hues, vintage tones, and pops of primary colors can help evoke the Anderson aesthetic. Think about how different colours interact within your frame and how they can enhance the mood or story you want to convey. Use colours as big bold signifiers – Hotel? Make it pastel pink. Sky? Make it pure robin’s egg blue. A suit? Make it a dirty suede orange.

Wes Anderson’s films are known for their intricate set designs and meticulously arranged props. Nothing is lived in and nothing is touched! If something is in disarray – it’s the most meticulous disaster you’ve ever seen! To achieve a similar level of detail in your photos, focus on incorporating whimsical and quirky elements. Select props and objects with interesting textures and shapes that add visual interest to your composition that hint at a hidden narrative. Take your time to arrange the elements within your frame to create a cohesive and visually pleasing narrative.

Anderson often utilizes unique aspect ratios, such as the boxy 1.85:1 or the even more square 1.37:1, to frame his scenes. This adds to the viscerally manufactured feeling – that is so Anderson. That we are witnessing a highly choregraphed farce. While aspect ratios can be adjusted during post-processing, consider experimenting with different aspect ratios in-camera to achieve a more authentic Anderson look. These unconventional ratios can add an extra layer of visual storytelling and give your photos a cinematic feel.

Anderson’s films are well lit. If you’re familiar with his work, you will notice that every detail in each scene is always highly visible, even for night scenes and even super zoomed-out scenes. Other than adjusting the brightness and exposure of your photo, you can reduce the contrast and highlights to make it dreamlike and emulate vintage photography.

Got the Anderson look? Why not enter the Head On Photo Awards?

The Head On Environmental Awards by Australia Geographic is a unique bracket within the roster of Head On Photo Awards categories (Portrait, Landscape and Student), that will support visual storytellers to explore the issues and challenges affecting the wellbeing of our environment. These include, but are not limited to, human-induced climate change, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, unsustainable development, feral invasive species, pollution, ocean acidification and climate-change-induced extreme weather events.

The following photographers look beyond the landscape to see the world as an active agent – wishing to capture, raise awareness and drive positive change for the planet and the ways it is being impacted. There were so many brilliant photographers who do just this, that we had to split the list into two! So, if you haven’t already – go read Part 1!

Photographer Cristina Mittermeier dedicates her life to creating images that help us understand the urgent need to protect wild places. Born in Mexico, Cristina first discovered her insatiable passion for the natural world, both above and below the surface, as a marine biologist working in the Gulf of California and Yucátan Peninsula. Specializing in conservation issues surrounding the ocean and indigenous cultures, Mittermeier has worked in more than 100 countries on every continent in the world.

Sebastião Salgado is a renowned documentary photographer and photojournalist with a deep love and respect for nature while also sensitive to the socio-economic conditions that impact human beings. He has traveled to over 120 countries for his projects. He is perhaps most known for his long-term social documentary projects. Among them: Migrations (2000), a tribute to mass migration driven by hunger, natural disasters, environmental disaster and population explosion.

Dr Judith Nangala Crispin is a poet and visual artist and a proud descendent of the Bpangerang people. She uses photographic technologies in unexpected ways to explore her connection to Country.

Judith takes a micro approach to enviro-photography. Rather than attempting to capture “the whole picture” of the climate crisis, Judith captures the seemingly insignificant in an attempt to make the climate crisis unnervingly intimate.

“[I] devote my practice to elevating the importance of the small casualties of human ecocide. If we can begin to see the life of a finch as having the same importance as the life of a Prime Minister or celebrity, then we will pay more attention to the environments we destroy.”

Read more here…

Sydney-based multi-award-winning photographer Chris Round primarily investigates our ever-changing relationship with our 21st-century environment, documenting landscapes and exploring ideas of place. Chris Round’s series The grand scheme deals with the Snowy Hydro Scheme. It is the most ambitious hydroelectric project in Australian history, often called a world wonder.

Frank Hurley was an Australian photographer and adventurer known for his pioneering work documenting several famous expeditions, most notably his collaboration with Sir Ernest Shackleton on the Imperial Trans-Antarctic Expedition of 1914-1917. Despite facing extreme conditions, Hurley’s photographs captured the harsh beauty and relentless challenges of the Antarctic environment, showcasing his mastery of composition and technical skill. His iconic images, such as the hauntingly preserved shipwrecked “Endurance” and the stark icy landscapes, continue to inspire awe and fascination.

Australian photographer Murray Fredericks through his landscape photography creates spiritually minded encounters with the hyper-real. Capturing the climate crisis is not the meaning of Murray’s work, it’s the context. To capture a landscape without considering climate change is to disconnect the natural world from its fundamental condition.

“I’m not a documentary photographer. I think those people fulfil probably the most important role in this area, but as an art Photographer – it’s got to be more than just recording. What I do is a long-term body of work, a different type of contemplation.”

Murray doesn’t make climate change visible; he underscores its invisibility through prolonged attention to the natural world, pushing us to consider how enormous its impacts are.

Read more here…

Ansel Adams is widely regarded as one of the greatest landscape photographers of all time. His black–and–white photographs of the American West, particularly Yosemite National Park, are instantly recognisable and have gone a long way in shaping how we see and talk about landscape photography today. His ability to create compositions that simultaneously focused on abstract details while still capturing the wide branching majesty of sweeping landscapes taught us how to re-see our environments through new eyes.

Tasmania based, self-taught, and travel-hungry Hoelen has lived a diverse career over his two decades as an image-maker with a consistent focus on humanitarian and conservation-based projects.

Born in Warsaw, New York, in 1969, Justine Kurland is a prolific photographer that uses varying environments as an insightful mirror into developing adolescence. Her series Girl Pictures, captures teenagers in different environments, playing, exploring, destroying, and growing. Her images are not only a lyrical testament to how young girls find themselves in nature and learn things they simply could not elsewhere, her images also cast a critical lens on the value of untouched wilderness and how our treatment of nature is directly linked to the legacy of our children.

Edward Burtynsky explores landscapes that have been transformed by human enterprise, what he calls the “indelible human signature” on the planet. Burtynsky’s large-scale aerial photographs reference the often surreal qualities of human-altered landscapes. Chronicling the major themes of terraforming and extraction, urbanisation and deforestation, Burtynsky conveys the unsettling reality of sweeping resource depletion and extinction. 

Ami Vitale is an American photojournalist, documentary filmmaker, educator and speaker. She is well-known for her 2018 photo book titled Panda Love which captures pandas within captivity and being released into the wild and the people who go to extroadinary lengths to care for them- dawning Panda-onesies to put the creatures at ease.

Want to get back to nature? Enter the Head On Environmental Awards!

Warning: this article contains war and conflict imagery that some readers may find confronting.

TM: What’s the difference between covering ISIS in Iraq and covering Ukraine?

IP: Ukraine is a much higher level of risk. War zones like Mosul were dangerous for sure, you could get into quite difficult situations going in with assaulting units, but you were with a much better-armed side, and with American planes overhead. I felt much more comfortable covering Mosul than I do in the Ukraine conflict. It’s a brutal war with two very well-armed forces going up against each other. That makes it entirely different from anything my generation of conflict photographers has covered in the last 20 or 30 years. Plus, we’re on the less well-armed side, which makes it really tricky on the frontline.

TM: Does it take any readjustment in thinking about how you get the shots?

IP: It comes down to the same things you’re looking for, but I’d say it’s harder to get to that critical point on the frontline where you can see the fighting going on, or seeing the effect the war is having on civilians in places like Bakhmut, where it’s just too dangerous to go in. Your decision-making as a war photographer is always limited by access and security.

TM: What was your first reaction when you heard the Russians had invaded Ukraine? Was it, ‘Great, here’s another story I can do’, or ‘Oh god, here we go again, more war…’

IP: I wasn’t that taken aback by the invasion. There’d already been a lot going on in eastern Ukraine in the previous six months or so before. And as an organisation (The New York Times) we were already accredited with the military and poised to go. I was ready to go in. I didn’t know what to expect, I don’t think anyone knew to what extent the Russians were going to invade. But it became quickly apparent it was a full-scale invasion. I was going somewhere I hadn’t worked before, so I was more nervous than I’d been for a while. Wading into an armed conflict in its first few days is unnerving. There’s always an exodus of people going out, and you’re going in, so it’s very disconcerting.

TM: What about your kit? What did you take into this war, other than the usual?

IP: For Ukraine, I basically had everything I needed and ready to go for a couple of weeks. The usual Canon 5D’s of course. Plus, I bought a few pairs of warmer socks! Made sure I had a lot of batteries and charges because the electricity supply could have been an issue. And a lot of dried food because we didn’t know what was going to happen, if there might be a siege-type situation in Kiev for example.

TM: And getting the images out to New York, is that difficult?

IP: If there’s no wi-fi in your hotel you can still hook up a hot spot to your cell phone and use that to send pictures. The connectivity has stayed pretty good, which is remarkable.

TM: Being with The New York Times, which is editorially pro-Ukraine in this conflict, are you in any way trying to show a side of the war that promotes Ukraine’s position?

IP: Inevitably I think we’re going to be aiding Ukraine by covering the war on their side. We have some people still working in Russia, but largely that’s gone. I would love to be covering this from the Russian side, I think it’s important if you can access things from both sides of the story. But that would be fraught, and difficult, and probably controlled, and your work would end up being propaganda. Of course, you can worry about that happening too with the Ukrainians. People in all wars complain about not getting access to the frontline, but when you get it, good luck – because you’re probably going to shit your pants! Access feels to me like you’re being forced into getting propaganda, whether you’re willingly doing it or not, because that’s what can happen in conflict reporting. Western militaries do this too, they show you only what they want you to see, and that doesn’t give the full picture. But I never feel like that’s really happening in Ukraine.

TM: There’s a strong civilian side to the Ukrainian story. Has anyone ever tried to stop you working in that civilian environment, maybe suggesting you’re a spy?

IP: Yeah, I’ve had that situation, especially in the beginning. There was a lot more paranoia, uncertainty, and there were Russian saboteurs running around in Kiev.

TM: Now that you’re in almost constant contact with your office in New York, as compared say to those reporting and photographing the war in Vietnam in the 1960s – do you feel you can still be free to make your own decisions about where to go, what stories to cover, how to operate?

IP: We don’t get much direction from editors in The Times’ photo department. But the correspondents are more involved in directing coverage and coming up with the stories we’ll photograph. This war in Ukraine has been different for us as photographers in that there’s been constant updating on The Times’ website, and there’s obviously an endless need for content for that. So, as well as working on bigger stories which I want to do and have been able to do, we’re also being asked to file on a daily basis for live briefings, and that’s completely different from any big story I’ve worked on before with The New York Times. In Mosul I was on my own and I was writing, and I’d do the pictures and go off the grid for two or three weeks while I was working on my story, and then I would come back and say to New York, ‘I think I’ve got something,’ and then I’d put it all together.

TM: Did you ever think you’d be doing this work when you were studying photography in Newport, Wales? Is that what you wanted to do? Did you have war photographer heroes like Don McCullin?

IP: At the start in Dublin I was pretty raw and green. Once I began to study photography, I realised my interest was in conflict, not so much as a war photojournalist but more about the covering of the aftermath. And that’s where I went – to Serbia, Croatia – working with displaced people, and gradually I started to get closer to the actual conflict. And then in 2007 when the Arab Spring started and I was based in Beirut, it was just automatic. That’s when I started covering actual conflict.

TM: Your first real taste of war was in Libya. How did it feel being shot at?

IP: [Laughs] Looking back, crazy – driving down a highway with a ragtag group of rebels who’d started the uprising, and we were on the poorly armed side going up against a fully mechanised army. In the middle of the desert in open ground, we were getting shot at by tanks and planes. There was a degree of naivety in not understanding the dangers involved. Maybe that helps when you’re younger, I was only 27 then. But it’s the sort of bravery that’s not healthy.

TM: What’s your formula for ‘when to stay, and when to pull out.’? Has it changed?

IP: It’s changing all the time. The frontline is changing, and the risks are changing, the level of fighting is changing, so you have to remain very capable of pivoting and reassessing everything on a daily basis. It’s always a team decision, with the photographer and the correspondent, the fixers and drivers – everyone has to be comfortable with being where you want to be to get the images. The main thing is letting everyone know that they have a voice, they can speak up and say ‘I’m not comfortable here.’ That’s really important because there’s a tendency to be scared to speak up because you don’t want to be the one to say you’re afraid and then feel like you’re ruining the job for everyone else. That doesn’t matter – because if you’re not sure and you’re nervous, that will cause you to make bad decisions. You always have to be switched on, to be ready, you’ve got to be up for it.

TM: You’ve covered a lot of conflict. What do you think it’s doing to you as a person?

IP: I think about it more the older I get and realise it’s taking something from me. And I’m constantly trying to keep an eye on that because I don’t want it to take away my chance at having a normal life, whatever that means. I do have a pretty normal life when I come off the story. I don’t have any children but I have a partner, and I have a really close relationship with my family and sisters back in Ireland, they’re incredibly supportive but they know the dangers involved and worry about me a lot. And I think that helps because if you don’t have contact with your family or they don’t give a shit about you, then there’s nothing to keep you in check. And that’s when people can go too far. I’ve definitely moved to the cautious end of the spectrum – having my family and my partner worrying about me, that helps keep me in check.

TM: The fact that Ukraine’s a war of attrition makes it hard to keep up not only your energy levels but also public interest in your work. Is there already a loss of interest?

IP: Yes, I’m sure there is, and I worry about that. It’s definitely getting harder to come up with new stories to tell, we’re left waiting for new breakthroughs, new areas to be liberated, and it’s very hard to time that, I don’t have much choice in where and when to go. I’ve found it getting more repetitive from a personal point of view, and if I start to feel that, as someone who’s engaged and interested in the story, then I know it’s ten times worse for the public.

TM: What about your view of humanity? It must be depressing to think this cycle of war you’ve covering is never going to end…

IP: It is depressing, and hard to maintain hope for us as a race. At the same time, you do see those moments of humanity, and maybe you hang on to them more than you would in other situations. With Ukraine for example, I’ve hated every moment of it because it’s such a stupid war and you want it to be over, but at the same time, I realise it’s again opened up this whole new place for me that I didn’t know. It’s an incredible country. As with any conflict, you get to see the worst and best in people. The Ukrainians are incredibly tough, there’s so much potential there, and that gives me hope. If they can get through this, I believe Ukraine is going to be a powerful country in the region, and in Europe.

TM: Do you have a plan for the future, beyond covering war? Or is it just one conflict after another?

IP: You go into the warzone for six weeks or two months and then you come home, and you don’t want to do anything else, to be honest for a month or so until you go back again. I’ve given it all my energy and attention, and I think it will be that way for the foreseeable. I’m not just a war photographer, I’ve always said that. I’m essentially concerned with human life, stories about people, the environment, I can throw myself into anything. I want to be involved in covering the biggest stories we’re facing. I hope it’s not only that I’ll be covering conflict and jumping from one conflict to the other.

The Head On Environmental Awards by Australia Geographic is a unique bracket within the roster of Head On Photo Awards categories (Portrait, Landscape and Student), that will support visual storytellers to explore the issues and challenges affecting the wellbeing of our environment. These include, but are not limited to, human-induced climate change, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, unsustainable development, feral invasive species, pollution, ocean acidification and climate-change-induced extreme weather events.

The following photographers look beyond the landscape to see the world as an active agent – wishing to capture, raise awareness and drive positive change for the planet and the ways it is being impacted.

Art Wolfe is known for his stunning images of wildlife and natural landscapes from around the world. His work is often characterized by its focus on the relationship between humans and the natural world. Wolfe married landscape photography with conservation, working to care and conserve the flora and fauna he captures in his imagery.

Nadav Kander is renowned for his uncompromising and evocative images which cut to the heart of the human condition. Nadav Kander is a contemporary British-Israeli photographer known for his images of cities and landscapes, as in his photobooks Yangtze—The Long River (2010) and Dust (2012). Kander’s work often focuses on changes in society by capturing abandoned structures or those still being built.

As photographer on board the Bob Barker during the Sea Shepherd’s most successful Antartic Campaign, Glenn Lockitch was rammed by a harpoon ship and trailed by albatrosses. He hid hard drives from the AFP and helped save helped save 528 whales. The series he captured spread around the globe via AAP, Reuters, AFP and Getty Images. On May 17, Whale Wars arrives at Darlinghurst’s TAP Gallery as part of the Head On Photo Festival. Glenn will also speak over the seminar weekend on his extensive work photographing for NGOs including Greenpeace, The Wilderness Society, Old Growth Forest Preservation Society, The Greens and the Aboriginal Tent Embassy.

Ream more here…

Trained as a botanist, Anna Atkins developed an interest in photography as a means of recording botanical specimens for a scientific reference book, British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions. This publication was one of the first uses of light-sensitive materials to illustrate a book. Instead of traditional letterpress printing, the book’s handwritten text and illustrations were created by the cyanotype method. Atkins printed and published Part I of British Algae in 1843 and in doing so established photography as an accurate medium for scientific illustration.

James Whitlow Delano is an American, now Japan-based, photojournalist. Initially, James never sought to document Climate Change, but, as he explains, there’s no avoiding it;

“I never intended to show the consequences of the climate crisis, but I could not ignore it in my early travels in Asia, travelling through hours of environmental destruction to arrive at a small oasis…I would photograph the national park or the remote community just beyond the reach of resource extractors. At some point, I realised the ailing environment, en route, was the story.”

James is now the go-to photographer for global publications covering the climate crisis. In 2015, James created @EverydayClimateChange, an Instagram page that documents the effects of Climate Change across the globe. The page now has 137k followers. James exhibited an EverydayClimateChange project at Head On Photo Festival 2017.

Read more here…

Peter Dombrovskis was an Australian photographer known for his expansive scenes of beautiful and wild Tasmania. In 2003, he was posthumously inducted into the International Photography Hall of Fame, the first Australian photographer to achieve that honour.

Jamey Stillings (born in 1955) is an American photographer and artist known primarily for his aerial photography of renewable energy projects around the world, documenting the human impact on the environment

Shoufay Derz is an Australian artist of both German and Taiwanese ancestry. They use nature to lament the transience of life and the celebration of its mystery. Recently, Derz’s work harnesses the life-cycle of silk moths, glass and pure indigo pigment.

The themes in Nick Brandt’s photographic series always relate to the destructive impact that humankind is having on both the natural world and now humans themselves too. After directing Michael Jackson’s ‘Earth Song’ video in Kenya and Tanzania, Brandt was compelled to present a complex and deep portrait of African wildlife. A mix of awe, beauty and sympathy, his large scale soft-sepia photographs show the grandness of the wild combined with personal humility.

Evan’s photographic expression derives from his interest in exploring cultures, places, people and the natural environment. His series Light.Ash.White, exhibited at Head On Photo Festival 2022, is a black and white photographic narrative that captures the partial re-birthing amongst a landscape that still holds on to hectares of remnant white carcasses. The series marks the tenth anniversary of Black Saturday, Victoria, 2009. The imagery explores the impression of the environment’s current identity. It captures the acute changes created by the individual characteristics of the ferocious firestorm of the Kinglake, Marysville and the Lake Mountain regions.

Peter Essick is a photographer, teacher, and editor with 30 years of experience working with National Geographic Magazine. He specializes in nature and environmental themes. His goal is to make photographs that move beyond documentation to reveal in careful compositions the human impact of development as well as the enduring power of the land.

Joyce Tenneson is an American photographer who has been capturing the beauty of the natural world for over four decades. Her landscape images often feature ethereal and dreamlike qualities, with soft, muted colours and blurred edges. Her work boldly attempts to boil nature down to symbols, creating an all-encompassing iconography of the natural world. She asks, how do we create natural archetypes? Her work is a meditation of the mythology that surrounds the natural world.

Want to get back to nature? Enter the Head On Environmental Awards!

Born in 1923, Avedon began his career as a photographer in the fashion industry, working for magazines such as Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue. His distinctive style challenged the norms of fashion photography by capturing movement, spontaneity, and a sense of personality. Avedon’s images often showcased his subjects against plain backgrounds, allowing their individuality and expressions to take centre stage.

Avedon’s portraits are renowned for their raw and revealing nature. He had a unique ability to establish a deep connection with his subjects, capturing their vulnerabilities and inner emotions – which made him an invaluable commodity when it came to celebrity photographs. Avedon became so prolific, that it was no longer a privilege for Avedon to photograph a celebrity, but the other way around.

His portraits ranged from iconic images of celebrities and political figures to intimate portraits of everyday people. Avedon’s work was characterized by its minimalist aesthetic and his skill in creating a sense of intimacy, even though, deep down his audiences know how staged they are – but that didn’t matter, each of his shots feel like he was just lucky to get it. His photographs transcended the boundaries of traditional portraiture, offering glimpses into the human psyche and challenging the notion of surface appearances.

Beyond his fashion and portrait work, Avedon also delved into social and political commentary through his photography. He documented significant historical events such as the Civil Rights Movement and the Vietnam War, capturing the human impact of these conflicts with a deeply empathetic lens. Avedon’s photographs often conveyed a sense of urgency and social awareness, shedding light on the injustices and struggles of marginalized communities. His ability to combine artistic excellence with a strong social conscience solidified his place as a master photographer.

Richard Avedon’s legacy extends far beyond his captivating images. He revolutionized the field of fashion photography, redefining the genre and elevating it to an art form. His ability to capture the essence of his subjects, whether in the world of fashion or in his socio-political work, demonstrated his profound understanding of human nature. Avedon’s impact on photography continues to resonate, inspiring photographers to explore the depths of their subjects and challenge the conventions of the medium. His body of work stands as a testament to his unparalleled talent and his unwavering dedication to pushing the boundaries of photography as a form of artistic expression.

His images are celebrated for their ability to capture fleeting moments of human life with impeccable timing and composition. Before Cartier-Bresson, time flowed; after him, time became a staggering series of bracketed moments, that could be caught – if you were looking hard enough. 

Cartier-Bresson pioneered the concept of the “decisive moment,” he defined this philosophy: “To me, photography is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as of a precise organization of forms which gave that event its proper expression.” 

Cartier-Bresson famously said, “your first 10,000 photographs are your worst”, and this incessant attitude echoed in all aspects of his life. Cartier-Bresson was drafted into the French army in 1940. He was taken prisoner by the Germans but escaped on his third attempt and joined the French Resistance. In 1946, he assisted in the preparation of a “posthumous” show of his work organized by the Museum of Modern Art in New York in the mistaken belief that he had been killed in the war. The following year he founded the Magnum photo agency with Robert Capa (1913–1954), David “Chim” Seymour (1911–1956), and others, and spent the next twenty years on assignment, documenting the great upheavals in India and China, and also travelling to the Soviet Union, Cuba, Canada, Japan, and Mexico.

While predominately focused on capturing ‘the moment’, his photographs often showcased the human condition, depicting both the ordinary and extraordinary moments of people’s lives. Cartier-Bresson’s images exuded a sense of spontaneity and authenticity, capturing the essence of a moment in time, shedding the weight of linearity.

Cartier-Bresson’s photographic style was characterised by his use of a small, discreet Leica camera, which allowed him to blend into the surroundings and capture candid shots – now seen as a must for any street photographer. He was a keen observer of the world around him, with a keen eye for geometry and composition. His photographs often featured strong lines, interesting juxtapositions, and an innate sense of contrapposto. Cartier-Bresson’s approach to photography went beyond mere documentation; he aimed to capture the underlying emotions and narratives within a single frame, creating images that resonated with viewers on a deep level.

Henri Cartier-Bresson’s work continues to inspire generations of photographers and remains influential in the world of photography today. His ability to freeze a moment in time and reveal the beauty in the ordinary has left an indelible mark on the art form. His photographs serve as a testament to the power of observation and the profound impact that a well-composed image can have. Cartier-Bresson’s dedication to capturing the decisive moment and his unwavering commitment to authenticity haa solidified his place as a true master of photography.

But the following photographers have mastered the art of casting their discerning eye on the hard, fast, changing worlds that surround them. From neon city lights to small country-town cafes, these photographers transform these liminal structures into their subject, proving that every building is more than it seems.

In this article, we will explore the works of 13 exceptionally talented urban landscape photographers who use photography to investigate how these environments encompass us, and how in turn we encompass them. Through their unique perspectives, technical mastery, and artistic visions, they reveal the beauty, complexity, and human element within urban environments. 

Edward Burtynsky‘s work explores the intersection of nature and industry within urban landscapes. His large-format photographs capture the environmental impact of human activities, presenting a thought-provoking commentary on the delicate balance between progress and sustainability.

Michael Kenna’s ethereal black and white photographs transform cityscapes into serene and poetic landscapes. With his minimalist approach, he captures the essence of urban environments by emphasizing light, shadow, and form, creating a sense of calm and contemplation.

Known for his large-scale, highly detailed photographs, Andreas Gursky creates mesmerizing compositions that depict the grandeur and complexity of modern urban life. His images, often featuring vast cityscapes and crowded spaces, provide a unique perspective on the relationship between humans and their built environments.

Sugimoto’s long-exposure photographs of city skylines and architectural landmarks are infused with a sense of timelessness. By capturing these urban icons in their most serene and ethereal states, he invites viewers to contemplate the ever-changing nature of cities and the passage of time.

Gail Albert Halaban is a New York-based photographer who is known for her images of urban landscapes and the people who inhabit them. Her photographs often feature staged scenes that play with ideas of voyeurism and surveillance, offering a unique perspective on urban life, investigating how our created landscapes impact our experience of being human, both together and in isolation.

Camilo José Vergara’s documentary-style photographs chronicle the transformation and decay of urban landscapes over time. Through his long-term projects, he captures the social, cultural, and architectural changes that shape cities, offering a unique insight into the evolving nature of urban environments.

Benjamin Lowy is a celebrated photojournalist and iPhone photographer based in New York. There’s an Instagram filter named after him and his iPhone photos have graced the cover of TIME magazine. A selection of his work will be exhibited at the Apple Store, Sydney. Lowy has travelled to some of the world’s most remote locations and captured his surrounds using his iPhone to produce images that are both creative and candid.

Bernhard “Bernd” Becher and Hilla Becher, were German conceptual artists and photographers working as a collaborative duo. They are best known for their extensive series of photographic images, or typologies, of industrial buildings and structures, often organised in grids. As the founders of what has come to be known as the ‘Becher school’ or the Düsseldorf School of Photography, they influenced generations of documentary photographers and artists in Germany and abroad.

Matthias Heiderich’s vibrant and geometric compositions celebrate the colorful facades and architectural patterns found in cities. His visually striking images evoke a sense of playfulness and joy, showcasing the harmonious relationship between urban landscapes and bold design elements.

Brett Leigh Dicks shares his time between the United States and Australia. Brett primarily investigates the landscape and its fragile ties with human history. His photographic endeavours have led him to explore the world’s natural and urban landscapes, with the resulting imagery spanning Australia, North America and Europe.

Julia Fullerton-Batten is a worldwide acclaimed and exhibited fine-art photographer. Julia’s use of unusual locations, highly creative settings, street-cast models, accented with cinematic lighting are hallmarks of her very distinctive style of photography. She insinuates visual tensions into her images through the tension between her models and the large-scale sets that encompass them.

Michael Wolf’s work delves into the intricacies of densely populated urban environments, particularly in mega-cities like Hong Kong. His photographs, often taken from high vantage points, depict the overwhelming scale and repetitive patterns of urban architecture, highlighting the anonymity and individuality that coexist within such spaces.

David Schalliol is an associate professor of sociology at St. Olaf College who is interested in the relationship between community, social structure, and place. His work has been supported by institutions including the Graham Foundation, the Driehaus Foundation, and the European Union and been featured in publications including the Journal of Urban History, MAS Context, and The New York Times. His series Isolated Building Studies was featured in Head On Photo Festival 2022.

Ready to share your urban landscape photographs? Enter the Head On Photo Awards!

In this article, we will explore the works of 10 incredibly inspiring street photographers who have left an indelible mark on the genre. Each of these artists has a distinct style, a unique vision, and an extraordinary ability to capture the human experience in its rawest form. Let’s delve into the world of these talented individuals and discover the inspiration they bring to the realm of street photography. 

Considered the father of modern photography, Cartier-Bresson’s iconic photographs are a testament to his extraordinary ability to capture decisive moments. His work embodies the concept of “the decisive moment” and continues to inspire generations of street photographers. 

Josef Koudelka (born 1938) is a Czech-born French Magnum photographer. He is among the most important humanist photographers in the world. He is known for his dramatic black-and-white images which address a variety of social and political issues.

Though lesser known than some of his Western contemporaries, Fan Ho was one of the most important street photographers of the 20th century, the remarkable images he captured of Hong Kong during the 1950s and 60s assert the zeitgeist of the time and continue to influence and inspire today. His images evoke a dramatic sense of scale, light and composition. 

Diane Arbus (1923-1971) was an American photographer known for her portraits of people on the fringes of society, such as carnival performers, drag performers and nudists. Arbus typically gave her subjects the opportunity to present themselves as they saw fit. Arbus sought to find the beauty in adversity. She typically avoided cropping her photographs for emphasis, and instead printed the entire negative, a choice registered by irregular black borders surrounding the image. “For me the subject of the picture is always more important than the picture,” she said. “And more complicated.”

Alex Webb, Magnum photographer, is a master of capturing incredible layers of depth, with his works often having multiple private narratives contained within one image. He has an unrivalled knack for capturing serendipitous moments in full-blown technicolour.  

Known for her empathetic approach, Mark’s photographs capture the lives of individuals on the fringes of society. Her ability to establish a profound connection with her subjects has become iconic; She got to know the subjects she photographed very well, and she was able to convey who they were and how they lived, as well as a sense of their interior lives.

Jesse Marlow is a Melbourne-based photographer, who for the last 20 years has worked for a range of local and international magazines, newspapers and commercial clients. Exploring the urban environment and inspired by the banality of modern-day existence, Jesse Marlow’s work is a sweeping study of suburbia, abandonment and daily rituals.

Vivian Maier’s work became a posthumous sensation, discovered only after her death. Her images, often capturing candid moments of ordinary people, showcase her unparalleled eye for composition and an ability to encapsulate the soul of the streets, the way only an ignored person can.

Nikos Economopoulos (born 1953) is a Greek photographer known for his photography of the Balkans and of Greece in particular. He has worked as a member of Magnum since 1990. His famous series In the Balkans, speak not only of village life but also of conflicts and borders, migration and displacement, and nationalism – all seen through his unique compositional eye.

Bruce Gilden (born 1946) is an American street photographer. He is best known for his candid close-up photographs of people on the streets of New York City, using a flashgun. He has had various books of his work published, has received the European Publishers Award for Photography and is a Guggenheim Fellow. Gilden has been a member of Magnum Photos since 1998. He was born in Brooklyn, New York.

Walker Evans (born 1903) was a pioneer of the documentary style of photography. He was known for his work for the Farm Security Administration, and his black-and-white images documenting the impact of the Great Depression.  

William Klein (born 1928) is an American-born French photographer and filmmaker noted for his ironic approach to both media and his extensive use of unusual photographic techniques in the context of photojournalism and fashion photography. Klein was a ‘wrong place, wrong time’ photographer who basked in the inopportune.  

Julia Coddington is based in Australia and has pioneered a unique style of street photography thats colourful, chaotic and close. She uses her invisibility to insert herself into a scene, getting as close as possible to her subjects to capture the intimacy of gestures, movement and interactions, and to become one with the scene.

Ready to hit the streets? Enter the Head On Photo Awards!

Australian Geographic celebrates Australia through compelling stories of its people, places, flora and fauna. They seek to inspire Australians to love and care for our country, and through the support of the Australian Geographic Society, they help empower individuals and organisations to tackle environmental challenges and find innovative solutions to the many threats faced by our natural world. Australian Geographic donates 100% of its profits to the Australian Geographic Society’s conservation and sustainability programs. 

In line with Australian Geographic’s mission statement, this brand-new awards category will be a celebration of the power of photography to inspire action and drive positive change for our planet.

The Head On Environmental Awards by Australia Geographic is a unique bracket within the roster of Head On Photo Awards categories (Portrait, Landscape and Student), that will support visual storytellers to explore the issues and challenges affecting the wellbeing of our environment. These include, but are not limited to, human-induced climate change, biodiversity loss, habitat destruction, unsustainable development, feral invasive species, pollution, ocean acidification and climate-change-induced extreme weather events.

We hope that photographers will harness their passion, curiosity, talent and creativity to capture images that address today’s most urgent environmental issues and by doing so, foster greater awareness, encourage action, and ultimately bring about change.  We are seeking images that highlight problems, document solutions and shine a light on sustainable practices.  

An illustrious judging panel of environmental photography pioneers will expertly select finalists who will have their work exhibited in a major public installation as part of Head On Photo Festival 2023. The overall award winner will receive a cash prize of $10,000 (AUD). Furthermore, all finalists will also have the chance to be selected for future publications in Australian Geographic and Head On Interactional Magazine.

So, now that your initial excitement has settled, you are probably asking yourself ‘okay, but… what is environmental photography?’ Valid question. Allow us to answer all the pressing questions you may have about our new Awards category!

First of all, what is the difference between environmental and landscape photography?

Environmental photography is both more broad and more specific than you first think.

Environmental photography adopts a specific point of view distinct from landscape photography. Landscape photography is generally concerned with establishing a sense of place and space through aesthetic strategy – whether that be sweeping mountains or city car parks. In landscape photography the onus is placed upon the photographer to create an image out of what they see beyond them, to create some sense of subjective meaning amidst the expanse.

In environmental photography, on the other hand, the environment is the active agent. Environmental photography views the world as a self-possessed subject, focusing on what we know, what we don’t know, its impacts, its triumphs and its threats, therefore it is often used to raise awareness of environmental issues like climate change, pollution, and deforestation.

In fact, the general dictionary definitions of the terms might be the best framework for considering their difference.

Landscape: “all the visible features of an area of land, often considered in terms of their aesthetic appeal.”

Environment: “the natural world, as a whole or in a particular geographical area, especially as affected by human activity.”

Can my picture fit in both the environmental and landscape categories?

Yes, of course!

Landscape and environmental photography can have some overlap. For instance, a photographer might capture an image of a forest in danger due to deforestation. This not only showcases the forest’s expansive beauty but also brings attention to the issue of deforestation. If you feel your image has a strong justification for being in both categories, then you are probably right!

In fact, all of the pictures included in this article are from past Landscape and Portrait Awards finalists, which just goes to show how diverse environmental photography can be.

Environmental photography is still feeling a bit broad – got anything more specific?

The Head On Environmental Awards by Australian Geographic seeks to reward exceptional photography of ‘the environment and anything impacting it’, including:

• Wildlife
• Aquatic environments
• Flora
• Eco-systems
• Micro-diversity
• Scientific pursuit
• Outdoor activity
• Environmental destruction
• Anthropological insights
• Conservation
• And more

But above all, the judges of this Awards category will consider timely images that capture the incredibly diverse nature of our planet as more than a subject and provoke reflection on our world and our place in it. So, if your image falls outside of these categories but still reflects these core values then it is definitely still relevant!

Is environmental photography only in documentary style?

The Head On Environmental Awards by Australian Geographic is open internationally to photographers of all levels and welcomes exceptional photography across all styles and genres. It will celebrate photographers who seek to shed light on significant elements of the natural world no matter what style that message comes in.

Environmental photography doesn’t need to be in a documentary style to comment on the conditions of our natural world. We welcome and encourage artistic interpretations and interruptions into this category.

Does that mean it’s all doom and gloom? Can I photograph positive things impacting our environment?

Yes! Please do – environmental photography, like the environment itself, is a delicate eco-system that relies on a balance of opposing forces.

We need to focus on the good and the bad. While there are a lot of threats facing our environment, many people are trying to make positive strives to combat these systems which deserve to be documented.

Can I take a picture of my cat?

I swear, we could be talking about anything, and someone would still ask this question.

Look, if the picture of your cat makes a meaningful statement about environmental impacts – then yes, yes you can.

We and our friends at Australian Geographic are beyond excited about the Head On Environmental Awards by Australian Geographic and all of the amazing photographic opportunities this will open!

Enter the Head On Environmental Awards by Australian Geographic today!

There are of course benefits to buying a brand-new device; no wear-and-tear, no pre-configured settings, and well, just the fact that no one has used it before. But the list of benefits of buying second-hand is equally as compelling; unrivalled savings, access to models no longer in production and sometimes tips and tricks from past owners. 

Photography is not a cheap hobby, so we have compiled a list of the best second-hand cameras for a plethora of price points and uses. 

Fujifilm X-T3

The X-T3 — now an older model after the release of the Fujifilm X-T4 — is endearingly referred to as the ‘do-everything camera’. This model is readily available on the used market for some very attractive prices.

The X-T3 boasts considerable upgrades from its predecessor X-T2, including improved, faster autofocus, up to 11 fps (mechanical) or 30 fps (electronic) continuous shooting, a powerful 4K video-creation tool, sharp, fluid EVF, usability improvements to buttons and dials, and great-quality images right out of the camera.

As with Fuji’s other cameras, the X-T3 is rooted in a retro-looking, weatherproof design that’s meant to give it the reassuring feel of an analog film camera.

This is a strong choice for photographers working in street and event photography. Autofocus in the X-T3 is noticeably superior to that of Fujifilm’s other X-Series cameras, locking onto and tracking subjects in continuous mode with a kind of confidence that wasn’t there before. It also performs superbly in low light, able to focus down to -3EV versus -1EV in the X-T2.

Canon 5D Mark IV

Canon 5D Mark IV was the fourth iteration of the company’s popular full-frame DSLR camera originally launched in 2005. It was the first Canon 5D to shoot 4K video, and it was also the first 5D to come with Wi-Fi connectivity and a touchscreen. It was the high-tech model Canon fans were waiting for, and it lived up to expectations. Brand new, this baby will run you around $4000 (AUD), but on the second-hand market, you can grab it for usually a grand cheaper.

People love this model for its adaptability and compact usability. Boasting exceptional low-light performance and blistering 7 frames per second continuous shooting.

A 61-point AF system is on board to help you to pinpoint your subject with remarkable ease, making it fantastic option for sports, documentary and action photography as well as a competitive model for wedding, nature, portrait, landscape and product photography.

Sony RX100 III

The Sony RX100 III is often referred to as the world’s best pocketable camera. If you are after a small point-and-shoot camera, it doesn’t get much better than the Sony RX100 III. All models prior to the RX 100V have been discontinued, but the RX100 III and IV can routinely be found at exceptionally low prices on the used market, consistently selling for less than $500 (AUD). While the RX100 and RX100 II can be sourced for even less money, the advancement in features like a tilting LCD and pop-up OLED EVF, along with substantially improved shooting and video specs, make the third and fourth generation models the best value by a considerable margin.

The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-RX100 series has been around since 2012 and all have featured a 20.2-megapixel 1-inch type sensor (2.7x crop factor) and a very similar, tiny, take-anywhere body design, both of which have received accolades.

Sony marketed this model as the do-anything go-anywhere camera, and they weren’t lying. This is a great entry-level camera that won’t weigh you down.

Canon A-1

Launched in 1978, the flagship model in Canon’s A-series that began with the AE-1 was the first SLR to offer programmed automation, it also pushed four other exposure modes: manual, shutter priority, aperture priority and stopped down AE. Using a microprocessor rather than input from the photographer, the camera is capable of choosing a shutter speed and aperture setting that will result in a perfectly exposed image. Today this feature can be found in virtually every camera in production, but the very first to include it was the A-1. Because of this, this camera has gained a cult following and you will find an array of models on second-hand markets for less than $350 (AUD)

Offered in only black, it’s among the most modern-looking cameras to come out of the 1970s. While simple in style, the A-1 looks and feels wonderfully substantial – it’s a no-nonsense photo-taking machine.

While this camera is advanced for its time, this is definitely still a vintage model and has all the quirks and idiosyncrasies that come with that, but these can quickly become advantageous to your photography if you know how to use them.

Hasselblad 500CM

The Hasselblad 500 series began with the revolutionary 500C, one of the most iconic cameras in photographic history. Modified throughout the years, the 500 series cameras represent the pinnacle of Victor Hasselblad’s V System. Officially launched in 1970, the 500C was a marvel that still remains a classic in today’s modern age. The camera featured an easily interchangeable focusing screen and an optional prism viewfinder with a built-in light meter. Besides these modifications, the 500CM still retained the modular design along with the leaf shutter design and the A12 film back that produces 12 6×6 negative on 120 roll film.

The Hasselblad 500 CM is the perfect studio camera, and it made a name for itself in professional indoor photography. However, despite the larger body, it is light enough to be carried around.

The Hasselblad 500CM is not a camera that you’d go for just because you want to try out film photography, on the second-hand market you can find these beauties for around $1400. A medium format camera requires some deep pockets, and good skills to work with, but if you are up to it, you can’t go wrong with a classic.

Women do not comfortably fit the traditional view of the hyper-masculine hardcore outdoor adventurer that we usually associate with the great landscape photographer. But the women listed below, subvert this stereotype and prove there is more than one way to see the world.

The extent to which the landscape has been framed through the male gaze is difficult to come to terms with, until you see it through someone else’s perspective. 

We have culminated a list of women landscape photographers who have trained their eye on the world around them and used their practice to reflect upon their place within it. Their photography illuminates a different, much-needed, perspective on the natural and human-made world that won’t be ignored – expanding our understanding of landscape photography. 

For the past decade, Marilyn Bridges has combined photography with her passion for flying in order to preserve what she refers to as “the messages of humankind.” Bridges is renowned for her black-and-white aerial photographs that document historical sights: from ancient ruins, to rural America. She is the first artist to have made such an expansive and elegant aerial study of civilization and landscapes across the world

Dolorès Marat is known for her unique photographic style, which through colour and compositions manages to capture the aura and feelings of environments. Having been acquainted with Fresson’s printing process in her previous career, Dolores Marat knew she would use this form of expression, a technique invented in the 19th century for pictorialist photographers and adapted to colour printing in the mid-20th century. From her first signed print in 1983, she has been faithful to a process rendering a velvety softness that loses the spectator somewhere between photography and painting.

New York-based artist Zoe Leonard balances rigorous conceptualism with a distinctly personal vision in her work, which merges photography, sculpture, and installation. By employing strategies of repetition, shifting perspectives, and a multitude of printing processes, Leonard’s practice probes the politics of representation and display. More than its focus on any particular subject, however, Leonard’s work encourages the viewer to reconsider the act of looking itself, drawing attention to observation as a complex, ongoing process.  

Australian-born, Iceland-based Serena Dzenis tells stories about science, conservation, environmental issues and the future of humankind through her lens-based art. Her series entitled 2021 ± II: utopia broadcasting (exhibited at the Head On Photo Festival 2022) encapsulates everything about human construction: consumerism, the wonders and dangers of science, and sheer curiosity. The project aims to utilise existing structures within the Icelandic landscape to transport the viewer’s imagination to another world that exists beyond time through our present. 

Pipilotti Rist does more than capture landscapes – she creates them. Over the past 30 years, Rist has achieved international acclaim as one of the pioneers of experimental video art and multimedia installations. Incorporating video and sculpture, her dazzling environments plunge viewers into colourful kaleidoscopic projections which explore the relationship between nature, the body and technology. 

Known more for the feminist undertones of her work, Ana Mendieta photographs have always been predisposed to capturing nature. Her Siluetas series, shows human-shaped indents within micro and macro landscapes, alluding to the world swallowing her up and the cyclical nature of life and death. Her landscape photographs engaged the senses, focussing on heitening the presense of the earthly elements; the fire was hot, the ice cold, the water wet.

German-born Australian photographer Katrin Koenning is emerging as an influential voice in landscape photography art. Her work often explores our connections to place and belonging. The peripatetic artist takes her camera everywhere, creating an elusive, emotional, poetic and prolific body of photography which she uses to create connective series. She uses fragmented images of landscapes placed in a thematic or sequential order to express meanings that are more familial than literal. 

Lynn Davis is an American photographer who is best known for her expressive large-format images of landscapes, particularly those of the Arctic and the Himalayas – places we are only used to seeing in a documentary sense. Davis’ images contemplate the sublime, but instead of looking to warm horizons, she turns her attention to the cold depths. Her minimalist vision meditates on the aesthetic and symbolic power of the natural and man–made world around us. 

Trained as a botanist, Anna Atkins developed an interest in photography as a means of recording botanical specimens for a scientific reference book, British Algae: Cyanotype Impressions. This publication was one of the first uses of light-sensitive materials to illustrate a book. Instead of traditional letterpress printing, the book’s handwritten text and illustrations were created by the cyanotype method. Atkins printed and published Part I of British Algae in 1843 and in doing so established photography as an accurate medium for scientific illustration. 

Polixeni Papapetrou was a celebrated Australian photo-media artist whose work explores the relationship between environment, history, contemporary culture and identity. While her work depicted luscious natural landscapes, she managed to create an air of the artificial in each frame. Turning these wide landscapes into theatrical settings for her models, and at times absurd characters, to play in. At once creating a sense of in-place and out-of-place.  

Seeing the world through new eyes? Keep an eye out for the opening for the Head On Landscape Awards!

This list of portraitists, both old and new, represents artists who have pushed the portrait medium beyond conventions and used the format to say something new.

Think your portraits have something new to say? Enter the Head On Portrait Award for 2023!

President of Magnum, photographer Susan Meiselas has won countless awards for her intense images that are as much at home in newspapers and magazines as they are on museum walls. Meiselas has dedicated her career to capturing the often-unseen stories of people facing adversity, from Carnival strippers in New England to the Sandinista revolution in Nicaragua.

Minhyun Woo is the new big name in fashion photography, but what Minhyun most enjoys is capturing the feeling of a cool Korean summer. His gentle, colour-soaked photos feature old and new friends tenderly contemplative while surrounded by nature and bodies of water. His portraits manage to feel extremely fresh while oozing nostalgia. 

Markéta Luskačová (born 1944) is a Czech photographer known for her series of photographs taken in Slovakia, Britain and elsewhere. Throughout her career, she has continued to capture the traces of traditions threatened by the communist regime and the faces of people whose paths she crossed during her urban wanderings.

Nancy Goldin is an American photographer and activist. Her work often explores LGBT subcultures, moments of intimacy, the HIV/AIDS crisis, and the opioid epidemic. Her most notable work is The Ballad of Sexual Dependency (1986). The monograph documents the post-Stonewall, gay subculture and includes Goldin’s family and friends.

Louis Draper was born in Virginia in 1935 and moved to Harlem, New York in 1957 where he enrolled at the New York Institute of Photography, studying under W. Eugene Smith. Draper became a pioneering figure in black photography and was an ambassador for the empathetic perspective. His photography aimed to “create the kind of images of our communities that spoke of the truth we’d witnessed and that countered the untruths we’d all seen in mainline publications.”

Atong Atem uses photography and video to explore migrant stories and post-colonial practices in the African diaspora. She has an ongoing interest in photography and portraiture as a vehicle to express culture and identity. She is known for her striking use of bright colours through her spectacular makeup, costumes and elaborate settings. 

Ricky Maynard has built a career photographing and documenting the histories of Indigenous communities, primarily in and around his home in Tasmania. His distinctive style is categorised by extreme close-ups and plain white backgrounds, creating a hyper-focus upon the faces of the First Nations people he captures. Maynard has made a career by subverting indigenous representation, taking back a medium that sought to subjugate them. 

Yuki Kihara is an interdisciplinary artist of Japanese and Sāmoan descent whose work seeks to challenge dominant and singular historical narratives by exploring the intersectionality between identity politics, decolonization and ecology through visual arts, dance, and curatorial practice. Her highly stylistic portrait photography celebrates her unique perspective as a Fa’afafine. Her portraits always seek to capture the beauty of the pacific while challenging the colonial gaze

Mary Ellen Mark made a name for herself through her innate ability to communicate a person’s story through a picture. She photographed travelling circuses in India, before turning to social inequality in the USA, where she examined issues such as young people working in the drugs trade, prostitution in Seattle, and child homelessness. 

Brenda L. Croft works closely with family, friends and Indigenous community members in Sydney to create her images. Contrary to the usual media depictions of this area, Croft presents a positive image of urban Indigenous communities in her strongly individual photographs of people and place, taken from an insider’s viewpoint. ‘By placing myself behind the camera I am taking control of my self image and images of ourselves. I cannot, do not, take sole responsibility but challenge and attempt to reverse the expected.’ 

Rineke Dijkstra began her career as a magazine photographer, taking portraits of people from the worlds of art and politics. She has since developed a signature style of stark and systematic large-format portraits that show the full length of her subjects. Her work delves into the individuality and fragility of human bodies.  

Christian Thompson’s photographic portraits explore indigenous identity, cultural hybridity and history. Often using himself as his subjects, Thompson seeks to use photography to confront and unpack the historical facets that has shaped his life. Thompson made history when he became the first Aboriginal Australian to be admitted to the University of Oxford in 2010.

Shirin Neshat is an Iranian artist who uses video and photography to question the role of women and the cultural tensions in her mother country. Her work, which has never been shown in Iran, essentially declares the female presence in a male–dominated culture. In her films and photographs, the female gaze becomes a powerful and dangerous instrument for communication. 

Vanessa Winship is a British photographer who works on long term projects of portrait, landscape, reportage and documentary photography. These personal projects have predominantly been in Eastern Europe but also the USA. Winship’s books include Schwarzes Meer (2007), Sweet Nothings (2008) and She Dances on Jackson (2013). She is known for her black-and-white photographs that exhibit a bare full-frontal honesty, that are at once intimate and mysterious. 

Heinz Held was a pioneer of photographic discourse, and through his several publications would carefully consider the ethical and aesthetic implications of picture taking. While he and Henri Cartier-Bresson met on several occassions, Heinz exhibited very different views on street photography, which is clear through his quiet portraits. He did not pursue the ‘decisive moment’, but instead looked for the less dramatic, sometimes melacholy human expression that is found in unspectacular everyday situations and actions.

Do your photographs turn portraiture on it’s head? Enter the 2023 Head On Portrait Awards!

Since the beginning of photography, there have been portraits. In fact, the ability to capture a person in perfect likeness was one of the most exciting attractions of the new technology. And this excitement only grew.

We use photographs of people to remember them, adore them, idolise them, and even to question them- and these are the people that did it the best.

The following list comprises photographers that revolutionised how we picture and therefore see people, providing a new perspective on a familiar form.

Annie Leibovitz is an American photographer known for her celebrity portraits and editorial work for magazines like Vanity Fair and Rolling Stone. Her iconic images of famous figures have not only become part of popular culture they have shaped popular culture, creating a visual lexicon of how we imagine the rich and famous. Also, one of the rare few to convince Henri Cartier-Bresson to stand in front of the lens for once.

Richard Avedon (1923-2004) was an American photographer known for his portraits of celebrities and fashion models. His minimalist, high-contrast style has had a profound and last impact on fashion photography. He photographed pop icons and models, musicians and writers, soldiers and political activists, as well as members of his family. Fascinated by photography’s power to suggest personality, Avedon’s images register poses, hairstyles, and clothing as vital elements of an image by bending the rules of photographic composition, both in the street and in the studio, to a particular stylistic and narrative purpose.

Filmmaker and photographer Tracey Moffatt is one of Australia’s most nationally and internationally successful artists, having held around 100 solo exhibitions of her work in Europe, the United States and Australia. Tracey Moffatt is known as a powerful visual storyteller, and many of her works have achieved iconic status around the world. She approaches all her work with a film director’s eye for setting and narrative, and her photographs play with a dynamic array of printing processes. Her oeuvre is dedicated to Aboriginal culture and addressing social issues facing indigenous communities.

Irving Penn photographed for Vogue and commercial clients in America and abroad for nearly 70 years. Whether an innovative fashion image or striking portrait each of Penn’s pictures bears his trademark style of elegant aesthetic simplicity. Ever the overachiever, Penn was also a master printmaker. Beginning in 1964, he pioneered a complex technique for making platinum-palladium prints, a 19th century print process to which he applied 20th century materials.

Diane Arbus (1923-1971) was an American photographer known for her portraits of people on the fringes of society, such as carnival performers, drag performers and nudists. Arbus typically gave her subjects the opportunity to present themselves as they saw fit. Arbus sought to find the beauty in adversity. She typically avoided cropping her photographs for emphasis, and instead printed the entire negative, a choice registered by irregular black borders surrounding the image. “For me the subject of the picture is always more important than the picture,” she said. “And more complicated.”

Yousuf Karsh (1908-2002) was an Armenian-Canadian photographer known for his portraits of politicians, artists, and celebrities. His images are characterized by the intense stripped-back focus on his subjects. Yousuf Karsh belongs to that small elite group of artists whose work has not only affected our perception of people and ideas but has also helped to influence the course of history. The publication of his famous photograph of Churchill on the cover of Life magazine in 1942 is generally accepted as having played a large part in diverting the attention of the American public to the plight of Britain and convincing them of their fighting spirit and determination to survive.

Cindy Sherman is an American photographer known for her self-portraits that explore gender roles and cultural identity. Her images often feature her in various disguises and personas, challenging viewers’ assumptions and the prevalence of the male gaze. She is among the most significant artists of the Pictures Generation—a group that also includes Richard Prince, Louise Lawler, Sherrie Levine, and Robert Longo—who came of age in the 1970s and responded to the mass media landscape surrounding them with both humor and criticism, appropriating images from advertising, film, television, and magazines for their art.

As a photographer of celebrities, Herb Ritts became a celebrity in his own right. He is known for his portraits of celebrities that feel intimate and genuine, demystifying the allure of an icon while still framing them as unattainable. Ritts rose to fame when his portraits of Richard Gere, taken at a California gas station while waiting to change a flat tire, wound up in Vogue, Esquire, and Mademoiselle.

Although she would become one of Victorian Britain’s most famous photographers, Julia Margaret Cameron started taking pictures relatively late in life, at 48 years old. Cameron is best known today for her moving and sensitive portraits of eminent Victorians, such as Sir John F. W. Herschel. Her soft-focus style, ridiculed by many critics and photographers of the period who were devoted to sharp precision in photography, gives Herschel a timeless quality and emphasizes the essence of the man instead of transitory details.

Arnold Newman (1918-2006) is widely renowned for pioneering and popularising the environmental portrait. With his method of portraiture, he placed his sitters in surroundings representative of their professions, aiming to capture the essence of an individual’s life and work. While he specialized in photographing artists, Newman captured the likeness of a vast range of figures, from athletes and actors to presidents and politicians. 

Over several decades, June Newton a.k.a Alice Springs, created an extensive œuvre of important portraits. She left the overtly sexual and provocative productions to her husband, the prominent Helmut Newton. Her own creations bear witness to her remarkable ability to enter into dialogue with her protagonists and make them appear completely natural. Newton revolutionised the fashion/advertisement aesthetic, emboldening her models to have fun in front of the camera and create sexual situations rather than be victims to them.

August Sander (1876-1964) was a German photographer known for his portraits of ‘everyday’ people in Germany during the early 20th century. His work documents the diversity of human experience during a pivotal period in history. As a practitioner of New Objectivity, an avant-garde art movement that sought to depart from abstraction and artifice and return to realism, Sander wanted his photographs to expose truths. “Pure photography allows us to create portraits which render their subjects with absolute truth,” he said. “If we can create portraits of subjects that are true, we thereby in effect create a mirror of the times.”

Over the course of his prolific career, Philippe Halsman produced reportage and covers for most major American magazines, including a staggering 101 covers for Life magazine. His assignments brought him face-to-face with many of the century’s leading personalities, such Alfred Hitchcock, Barabara Streisand, JFK, Grace Kelly and of course his long and fruitful collaboration with Salvador Dali (and his moustache). 

Chinese-Australian photographer, William Yang is principally known as a photographer exploring issues of cultural and sexual identity, integrating this practice with writing, performance and film. Yang has devoted his career to creating an archive of Sydney’s gay history and happenings. Later in his career, Yang began to explore his Chinese heritage, and his photographic themes expanded to include landscapes and Chinese people living in Australia.

Ready to join their ranks? Enter the Head On Portrait Award here!

Open any art history book, and you’re bound to encounter depictions of motherhood. Indeed, the very first rendition of Madonna and Child dates back to the 13th century. It has since been repeated countless times by the likes of Da Vinci, Raphael, Botticelli, and Caravaggio – just to name a few. 

Fast forward to the 21st century, and you’d think that artists have exhausted all representations of motherhood. Well, not quite.  

The names associated with these famous depictions of motherhood are those of men – ironically, their artworks are a distinctly male perspective of a uniquely female experience. Conveniently, these highly idealised visualisations of motherhood gloss over the physical and mental toll it takes on women. And so, the usual stereotypes persisted: a mother should be passive and tend only to her children, her partner, and domestic affairs.

It is no surprise then that women artists, especially in the second half of the 20th century, felt compelled to take ownership of their own experiences of motherhood and carve out their own space into art history books. 

Their tool of choice? The camera. 

The camera was a reliable witness to motherhood – the good and the bad. So, many women took to the medium of photography to record the reality of their private lives and capture the temporality of motherhood. Working during the force of the women’s liberation movement of the 1960s and 70s, French photographer Claude Batho (1935 – 1981) used photography to diarise the melancholic moments of motherhood. In her first portfolio, Portraits d’enfants (1975), Batho transforms seemingly trivial subject matter – a saucepan on a table, a sponge by the bathtub – into a non-figurative visualisation of the relationship between herself and her two daughters. 

While I’ve pointed to the mid-late 1900s as a poignant time for women photographers representing motherhood, it is important to acknowledge their forerunners. Gertrude Käsebier (1852-1934) was an American photographer well-established in the early 20^th century Pictorialist movement, which elevated photography as a legitimate art form. As a fiercely independent woman exploring her potential beyond what Victorian society had prescribed her, Käsebier had to find a way to make her artwork ‘palatable’ in order to make a living. The subject of motherhood thus became a constant theme throughout Käsebier’s career as her tender images of mothers with their young children appeased conservatives. Despite this seeming compliance to her society’s taste, Käsebier’s provocative spirit never wavered. She subtly challenged traditional illustrations by reversing the mother’s role as the conventional carer. When the Sands are Running Low (c.1901) affectionately conveys the late stages of motherhood in which a child will often tend to their mother. 

For the thousands of stories omitted from the art history books, there are still thousands of stories to be told. No two stories of motherhood are the same, and contemporary women photographers continue to expand our understanding of a mother’s role. Last year’s Head On Portrait Awards finalists are just a few examples of this expansive subject. 

Seeking to make the invisible aspects of motherhood visible, Australian photographer Amy Woodward embraces the camera as a medium to give reverence to the experience in all its stages. Her candid portrait of a mother, Lily, breastfeeding her youngest daughter speaks to French novelist Marguerite Duras’ claim that “Motherhood means a woman gives her body over to her child.” By focusing the frame on Lily and not her latched daughter, Woodward avoids making a spectacle out of the act of breastfeeding and affords Lily a presence in a moment of self-sacrifice. The photograph unveils one of the many contradictions of motherhood; a mother should be self-sacrificing yet fulfilled. 

Mikaela Martin is an Australian photographer who uses the camera, much like a mirror, to confront her fragility as a mother. When motherhood left Martin feeling estranged from her own self, she turned to photography to reconnect with herself and better understand her experience of motherhood. Martin’s self-portrait Mother, ten years exposes the tired and absurd aspects of being a mother. Posed naked, Martin is at once defiant and vulnerable, her expression suffused with the trials and tribulations of motherhood. By sharing the internal struggles accompanying motherhood, Martin hopes that other mothers see themselves in her photographs and, in doing so, feel seen in an experience that is so often isolating. 

Photography’s unique ability to capture a subject’s humanity made it a fitting medium for Dutch photographer Ingeborg Everaerd when she sought to document the bond between herself and her son. Unconditional love and trust is an intimate insight into Everaerd’s relationship with her son, who left the family home at age 21 to live in an assisted home. Despite the literal and figurative distance between the two, Everaerd’s tender portrait honours their unshakeable bond. 

Taking themselves, their children, and their homelife as their inspiring muses, these women photographers have triumphantly reimagined representations of motherhood. Using the camera to reclaim their experiences, their images reject the highly romanticised visions of motherhood and instead celebrate their maternal power. Finally, though long overdue, the names commonly associated with depictions of motherhood are those of women.