Bluesky Social

Bluesky Social is a new, rapidly growing social media platform. Photographers who join now can stay ahead of the curve, becoming amongst the first to develop serious followings. Its chronological timeline remedies the algorithmic manipulation plaguing other social media platforms, allowing your work to reach the right people. This app gives users a greater say over the content they see, allowing them to select their feed topic. In Bluesky, photography related feeds are highly trending, such as street photography and portrait photography.

Follow Head On at @headonphoto.bsky.social

Instagram

Instagram is well known as an essential app for photographers. With a user base of over 2 billion active monthly users, it is a clear choice for reaching a wide audience. This social media is visually driven, displaying posts in a clear grid, allowing you to build an online portfolio. It also provides creator accounts with the ability to access analytics, to understand more about which photographic posts are reaching audiences and why.

Follow Head On at @headonphotofest

Facebook

Facebook is a vital app for photographers, due to its diverse features. Its groups feature allows photographers to directly relate to the communities that would be most interested in their photography, ensuring they can reach the right audiences. On top of this, its events feature allows photographers to create or to attend photography-related workshops, allowing them to build or to monetize their skills. With over 3 billion users, this platform has the highest user base in the world.

Follow Head On at @HeadOnPhotoFestival

Pinterest

Pinterest stands out as an app for photographers. On this app, images are the central focus, over chats, videos, or other distracting functions. As soon as an image is posted, it will always be recommended with similar content, ensuring quality images aren’t lost in a feed. Sharing to Pinterest will mean your photographs appear in google search image results for wider reach. On top of this, audiences can be immediately linked to your website through any individual photograph, creating a direct channel.

Follow Head On at @headonfoundation

Wix

Wix is an excellent website host for photographers. Its image centric features include galleries, sliders, and lightboxes, which allow for the creation of a website that can attract audiences through its aesthetic appeal. Its affordable pricing rivals that of other website hosts.

https://www.wix.com/

Squarespace

For a website host, photographers should look no further than Squarespace. It offers a wide range of customizable templates and modern designs specifically tailored to showcase photography. It allows photographers to display their photography in a range of different image qualities, depending on their preferences.

https://www.squarespace.com/

WordPress

For those with deeper technical knowledge, WordPress is another great website host for greater customization of features.

https://wpengine.com/au/wordpress

This year, we journeyed through the lens of countless talented artists, immersing ourselves in their unique perspectives and inspiring stories. We welcomed visiting artists from Canada, Spain, Portugal, New Zealand, Germany, USA, UK, and around Australia.

From breathtaking exhibitions to thought-provoking discussions, every moment highlighted the power of photography to connect, inspire, and challenge.

Last year, we indicated that organising this year’s Festival would be challenging, and unfortunately, we were right. By reducing staff, we managed this year. However, we witnessed many arts and cultural organisations closing down or cancelling festivals throughout the year.

This year’s Festival was made possible only through the dedication and personal sacrifices of the Head On Team, along with contributions from members of our vibrant Australian and international photo community’s support.
You contributed directly to the Head On Photo Festival’s ongoing sustainability when you:

• Submitted work to the Festival, Photo Awards, or AddOn
• Bought a ticket to the Festival Launch and other events
• Volunteered
• Visited an exhibition
• Made a donation
• Bought merchandise

Head On: Your Festival, Your Vision.

LAUNCH PARTY

The night was a huge success; thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate our artists and their photography.

CONVERSATIONS AND SOCIALS

Over the Festival’s opening weekend, we hosted a series of discussions on current topics to challenge, inform, and inspire. Experts and photographers spoke about breaking through and getting noticed in the industry, as well as their personal styles and stories.

MAKING PHOTOGRAPHIC EXHIBITIONS ACCESSIBLE

Outdoor photographic exhibitions are a unique and accessible way for the public and a broader audience to experience the power of photography without visiting a ‘gallery.’

It’s especially delightful to see families looking at the work together and talking about important social issues presented.

EXHIBITION OPENINGS ACROSS SYDNEY

Exhibition openings are not only just a chance to view art. They’re vibrant social events where artists, curators, and the public connect, exchange ideas and create inspiration. By hosting a diverse range of exhibition openings, Head On Photo Festival is crucial in building a strong and engaged community of photographers and photography enthusiasts, supporting emerging talent, and promoting the significance of visual arts.

Artist in Conversation WITH THE ART GALLERY OF NEW SOUTH WALES SOCIETY

Tell us about your favourite moment of the Festival, or leave us a testimonial.

To revisit Head On Photo Festival 2024, you can view the 2024 exhibitions online here.

We couldn’t be more grateful to everyone who participated, attended, volunteered and helped us deliver this Festival.

The scope of Head On Photo Festival 2025 is still up in the air, but we will be looking for diverse, engaging, quality work in all genres across still photography, multi-media, and video art for the 2025 program. So, make sure to sign up for our mailing list to be the first to know when submissions open!

 And finally… we still need your support.

2025 will also be extremely challenging as inadequate public funding, decreased commercial sponsorship and increased costs all contribute to significant uncertainty about the viability of Head On Photo Festival in the future.

If you can support the Festival so we can continue to do great things in the future, donate now and spread the word if you want to keep the Festival going as it is. Donations over $2 are tax deductible for Australian taxpayers.

Donate

In an age where digital storage has become the dominant form of organising images, it can be tempting to eschew photobooks as a thing of the past. However, they are not remnants of a bygone era; instead, thanks to print-on-demand, they are valuable tools that should be used alongside digital portfolio systems and larger print runs to help maximise your photographic business.

Dummy to publish your own book

When trying to get a book published, convincing publishers to invest in your work as a photographer can be challenging. One way to improve your chances of achieving a print run is to have a dummy copy of your book. A single, on-demand copy of what the work may look like gives a physical sense of the photographs in a book format, how they would look on paper, and how they work together as a cohesive series. Having a dummy book further demonstrates your professional nature to potential publishers. It will make you stand out amongst a sea of other lens-based practitioners trying to get their work into a large print run.

Creating a physical portfolio

Physical copies of your work aren’t only useful for dummy runs. Having a physical copy of your work is an indescribably useful tool for professional photographers. Alongside any digital portfolio, it is crucial to have a physical copy of your work to show to potential clients interested in your craft. Being able to showcase your physical portfolio to clients gives a better understanding of how your work will translate onto paper. It easily allows the full range of your work to be perused at any one time, highlighting the versatility and range of your skills as a practitioner. The versatility of on-demand photobooks allows you to customise any portfolio to your specific requirements, dividing your work into whatever genres or categories are crucial to your work. From commercial to fine art, family to architecture, a physical portfolio is the best way to show off your work.

Have a small print run

Alongside this, the one-off nature of on-demand photobooks means your printing has more flexibility. Say you are doing a small exhibition of your work at an independent gallery and want to offer visitors who want to buy it but can’t afford it something to take home with them. A photobook is the perfect option, with high-quality prints at an affordable price point for public audiences; they can be the perfect way for people to engage with your work. However, offset print runs often come in batches of 500 or more, making them unrealistic for many photographers to sell. This is where on-demand photobooks can be so useful; the ability to control the quantity of work published allows you to have a small and sustainable print run of your work without the risk of ending up with boxes of unsold stock collecting dust.

Experimentation

Furthermore, when doing an offset print run, it can be a daunting experience to create a large series of books you may not have ever seen fully completed. The lack of confidence surrounding how each image will turn out, or if you made the right choice with your paper and finish type, can be incredibly stressful, and it only gets worse if it turns out you chose wrong. On-demand photobooks increasingly offer an incredibly versatile range of paper types and finishes. The flexibility to customise your work to your dimensions at an affordable cost allows for photographers to experiment with finish types and paper models. It is a sensible and cost-effective method to experiment with print types and establish the perfect setup for your photobook before embarking on an offset print run.

Personal memories

Finally, on-demand photobooks offer the perfect opportunity to showcase your life’s most important personal memories. Consider a wedding, for example. After getting married, you are left with thousands of event photos. Sitting down and creating a personalised photobook of the event allows you to relive the moment once more, deciding which images you want and curating the story of the event you want to tell. The same is true for significant milestones such as birthdays, cherished moments with family and more; they are an essential physical memento of your most treasured moments. There’s something special about flipping through pages filled with personal stories and images, offering a lasting keepsake to showcase to the people most important in your life.

On-demand photobooks are an incredibly versatile and essential tool for contemporary photographers. They help establish your brand, experiment and execute ideas, increase your professional appearance, and improve audience engagement with your work. To help elevate your brand and take your photography to the next level, they are not to be missed.

For the best quality on-demand photobooks, Photobook Australia has you covered. With a wide range of book styles and sizes, fast turnaround times and many personalisation options, they offer excellent value and choice at every price point. Explore their range now

Check Head On’s selection of great self-published books 

International runner up

Hadas Motro – Invaders in the sky

The image depicts a troubling phenomenon spreading worldwide: the infestation of monk parakeets. These colourful, exotic birds have become unwelcome guests, threatening the delicate balance of nature. Originally brought in as exotic pets, monk parakeets have rapidly multiplied, displacing native species, damaging agricultural fields and infrastructure, and altering the ecological fabric. This image serves as a wake-up call: we must act swiftly to curb the spread of these feathered invaders and protect our rich biological diversity.

Australian Runner up

Sarah Cusack – PPE Conflict Portraits – Overlay B&W

“Digital Photograms of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) similar to those worn by healthcare and aid workers in recent conflict zones. Violence against workers or obstruction of healthcare reported in conflict zones reached record high. Detailing arrests, kidnappings, killing of workers and damage to or destruction of health facilities. PPE provides protection from infectious particles but not from these dangers and varying psycho emotional states suffered over time.

Using a digital process also allows for an inverse of luminosity and colour while maintaining a likeness to medical imaging.”

Winner

Antonio Denti – NOTES FROM THE EDGE OF A PRIMORDIAL FUTURE.Nightfall at Sea.

Kids from the generation alpha – rightly called so as they really are growing in a world exponentially different from anything known by their predecessors – play with technology while night falls in a primordial stretch of coast by Mount Etna’s volcano, on the Mediterranean sea.

Discover the other 37 photos selected as Finalists in this year’s Head On Exposure Awards

See the finalists

International runner up

Tony Mcateer – From Sand

Al Ain, UAE. From my series ’From Sand’ which looks at the unprecedented urbanisation that has taken place in the Middle East over the last few decades.

Australian runner up

Frances Suter – Cheer in the Chill

Kinga Wrona

Found view of the house in la Palma (Spanish Canary Island) after the eruption of volcano Cumbre Vieja. La Palma, only exists because of volcanic eruption built this land long time ago, forming the archipelago known as the Canary Islands. In 2021, during 85 days the volcano Cumbre Vieja on La Palma has been active. The eruption was the longest in the history of the island and the most destructive of last century in Europe. Photographs comes from project ”85”.

Discover the other 37 photos selected as Finalists in this year’s Head On Landscape Awards

See the finalists

International runner up

Melinda Blauvelt – Yvon & Yvette, Brantville

This portrait was made in the Acadian fishing village of Brantville NB Canada.

Australian runner up

Nathan Dyer– Anne (2023)

Anne Clarke is a young Miriwoong woman from far north Western Australia. She grew up on a small farm with her mum and sister, just outside the remote town of Kununurra. This portrait shows Anne in spurs and a LeBron James basketball singlet. A complex mix of the past and present. Anne’s dream to work in the pastoral industry reflects a long tradition of Aboriginal stockwomen; her LeBron James singlet a nod to the growing influence of American culture. Both have good and bad aspects. Nothing is ever black and white.

Winner

Drew Gardner – Deanne Stanford Walz descendant of Harriet Tubman

Deanne Stanford Walz descendant of Harriet Tubman, former slave turned activist, sits to recreate a recently discovered photograph of Tubman. The image was a culmination of 3 years research to recreate photos of civil war participants with their descendants. Costume was specially made, the set was painstakingly reconstructed using as many original items as possible. Photo was taken in a daylight studio in New York, the sitter had to stay still for the 40 second exposure supported by period body rests to help her keep still. The photo was taken on a 5×7 inch TinType camera from the 19th century.

Discover the other 37 photos selected as Finalists in this year’s Head On Portrait Awards

See the finalists

Inspired to showcase your work in 2025?

Let us know if you are interested, and we will notify you when submissions are open.

Max Pam (1959-) has always viewed the world as an outsider. Growing up in a repressive post-war Melbourne, Pam was drawn towards surfing as a method of counter-cultural rebellion. His first forays with photography were through National Geographic and Surfer Magazine, using the images to escape from his environs. However, Pam quickly moved away from these traditional methods of photojournalism, instead using his camera to dissect the world before him. Pam never photographs what is directly in front of him; instead, he gets under the surface of his subjects, breaking down the world into its composite parts to unravel the hidden narratives from everyday objects.

Pam became cemented into the Australian photographic consciousness through his distinctive and captivating travel photography. Travelling through much of Asia in his early 20s, Pam reimagined what photography could be. He sought not to capture the splendour of his travels but rather the complex worlds he walked through. Eschewing grandiose depictions of power and wealth, Pam instead documents the Asian interior. Figures are found at work in dimly lit shops, travelling in overcrowded trains, or washing off in an early morning bath. The world of Max Pam is one of the banal and the mundane, made beautiful by the rich tapestries of livelihood that cross his camera lens.

The buildings and people of Pam’s images are not vibrant, idealised, or beautiful. Instead, they become complex, multilayered mosaics of identity. Often captured in situ, Pam’s figures find themselves almost constantly in a liminal state of being. Caught in the instant of awkward self-awareness of their being photographed, they are neither truly engaged in their natural activities nor afforded the time to adopt the mask of calm pervasive through all staged works.

Pam’s work has an instantly striking softness; the light hits the lens with a subtlety and depth that ingrains an almost ethereal quality into his photos. Each ray is illuminated with the deftness of a master painter at his easel. His proverbial brushstrokes capture the relationship between subject and photographer, audience and place. They become palimpsests into another world containing within them the experiences of a man who spent twenty years in countries he didn’t call home.

Often, Pam’s photographs are as much narratives of his own journey as of the people he captures. Prevalent throughout his work are images of him on the move; trains, cars, and buses are abundant, and movement is a constant. Pam’s reality is not one of sitting still; frenetic energy is contained within his pieces, which connects a threat across his decades of journeying. It is evident through the images that Pam is often viewed as an outsider; he is not photographing within the culture, but rather, as othered from it, lifting the tarpaulin of identity to glimpse worlds he cannot call home.

Though an Australian native, Pam’s visage of the Australian landscape echoes the same ‘othered’ voice prevalent throughout his Asian photos. Through Pam’s camera, Australia becomes alienated, broken down, and stripped of its surroundings. Backwater sheds become venerable skyscrapers, imposing dominance upon the surrounding countryside; industrial machinery becomes spacecraft on inhospitable terrain. Trees and scrubland take on the feeling of dead ghosts in Asphodel. There is an undeniable unease present within Pam’s early Australian landscapes, the lack of movement, and the softness of the black and white camera; it is a place where the viewer could disappear and never be seen again. His landscapes have become a defining symbol of the Australian Gothic alongside contemporaries such as Peter Weir, confronting the malice bubbling beneath the surface of the Australian outback. There is an ever-present edge to Pam’s Australia, a double-sided blade that reflects the turbulent history of Australia’s violent past.

Focusing on documenting Asia, Pam strives to illuminate an innate humanity that transcends any cultural bounds, with his work moving audiences across the globe. He had major career surveys in Australia, Japan, and Paris, and his work is held in institutions nationwide with sizeable collections in the Art Gallery of New South Wales (AGNSW) and the Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA).

Pam’s influence is undeniable, paving the way for Australian photographers to come. The soft movement, drawn focus, and timeless energy of his works can be found twenty years later in the work of Trent Parke and other acclaimed Australian photographers. His vision of Australia contrasted that of Dupain and Cazneaux, supplanting the modernist heroes of Australian photography and creating a different photographic paradigm within the contemporary zeitgeist.

Join Max Pam as he presents at the Head On Photo Festival on 10 November. Get tickets now 

When is street photography not quite street photography?

When it’s as cool, concentrated, and colourful as the 68 sublime images in Mikko Takkunen’s new photobook, Hong Kong, captured during the year that Covid swept the world. Here you won’t find the quirky randomness of Garry Winogrand’s sidewalk confrontations, or Lee Friedlander’s sweeps through a crowded humanity.

‘I wanted everything very sharp and very straight,’ says Takkunen. ‘I like to control the frame, I’m after precise composition. Hong Kong is chaotic but I was seeking something more claustrophobic rather than trying to capture the cacophony of the place. I usually find a scene to photograph, then wait for someone or something to appear.’

This measured approach fits the man. ‘I’m from a very small Finnish town of 2,000 people – one main street and a couple of shops – so I have a fascination with big cities,’ he says. After studying international relations and photojournalism, Takkunen worked briefly as a photographer in London. ‘I stopped when I decided that I really wanted to be the best photo editor I could be.’ That ambition took him first to Time magazine, then to The New York Times to advance his growing reputation in the largely unseen but critical task of editing images. In 2015, with his Venezuelan wife, also a photo editor, he was posted to Hong Kong to supervise the photographic output for The Times across 25 countries, including Australia and New Zealand.

‘I started taking photographs from the tram, on my way to work, formal compositions. These were the exact opposite of iconic street photography, and obviously unlike the news images I was dealing with at the desk. And then Covid hit. Working from home, I couldn’t leave the apartment, so I began taking photographs from our window on the 19th floor, spying on people below. Ultimately things opened up and I went back to the streets with my camera. We were stuck in Hong Kong for an extra year, which gave me enough images for a book.’

How many images? A staggering number. ‘When I started putting the book together, I went through my RAW files. Around 6,000 images. I began editing and my precise target was 83 images, the same number as in Robert Frank’s classic book The Americans!’ His wife intervened, citing a dozen images that needed to come out. ‘And,’ says Takkunen wistfully, ‘I took out nearly all the ones she identified…’

After sequencing the images, the next step was to find a publisher. A proposal went to more than 60 worldwide: five replied. Three were negative, one maybe, and one – Kehrer, based in Heidelberg – said yes. Takkunen flew to Germany for the printing, which he says was ‘top notch.’ He would miraculously match that with the text. ‘I was a big fan of the English writer Geoff Dyer, especially his book on Garry Winogrand. I emailed him cold at University of Southern California where he was working. Getting him on board was a dream come true.’

Dyer’s essay captures beautifully the essence of Takkunen’s work. The images that Takkunen works with professionally, Dyer observes – ‘teeming with information, stuff going on’ – contrast vividly with his private work in Hong Kong, where it seems ‘almost nothing is happening’, yet where ‘neon blazes with perpetual promise.’ In this work, he notes, Takkunen conducts an ‘entirely benign surveillance’ that makes us ‘conscious and curious about sources.’ The singular Hong Kong that Takkunen has created, Dyer suggests, ‘quietly insists on itself: not nowhere but now, here. For now at least.’

Leaving Hong Kong, where Takkunen’s two daughters were born, was a wrench, but returning to New York was the payoff. His operational zones as a photo editor based in New York include Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He assigns photographers, stays close to them during assignments, receives their images and edits them to editorial needs. ‘You need a good eye for images, a good understanding of the issues you’re dealing with and the subject matter, and you need integrity and sensitivity. You get a striking image – but is it appropriate to use it, is it too graphic?’ Especially in high danger zones, Takkunen gives photographers the support they need, keeping in daily contact. ‘I like to be collaborative, but don’t give them veto over the images,’ he says. ‘Ultimately it’s my job, my responsibility, to get the edit right.’

At his desk in Times Square, Takkunen works with experienced shooters and those on their way up. ‘I’m using more local photographers and more women photographers, in Africa especially, but it’s important to do it in a way that’s not virtue signalling.’ On his file are some outstanding Australians. ‘We did great work with Matthew Abbott on the 2019 bushfires, Adam Ferguson’s photo essay on the Outback was terrific, and Ashley Gilbertson, who was assigned to the January 6 protest at the US Capitol, gave us the absolute iconic image of that day.’

On the streets below, Manhattan beckons. Any ambitions to photograph those mean streets? ‘Very much so,’ Takkunen says. ‘As soon as we got here, I started taking photos. It’s probably the most photographed city in the world, and you’re always fighting against the clichés and stereotypes of New York City. Eventually I’d like to do the trilogy – Hong Kong, New York, and Los Angeles. For me, LA is the mythical city.’

Hong Kong: Photographs by Mikko Takkunen, essay by Geoff Dyer
(Kehrer Verlag, 2024)

Join Tony Maniaty in April 2025 as he leads a photography study tour of Paris for the Art Gallery Society of NSW. See details.

This year, once again, Head On Photo Festival showcased the work of 70 photographers at the Pingyao International Photography Festival, China’s largest photo festival. This week-long celebration transformed the ancient city of Pingyao into a vibrant hub for photography, featuring exceptional pieces from over 50 countries.

The festival’s open-air temples and historic courtyards served as a dynamic backdrop, blending traditional architecture with contemporary photography. More than 250,000 attendees explored a maze of pathways, encountering stunning works by established and emerging artists from China and worldwide.

For 2024, Head On presented a selection of work from two prestigious exhibitions, the 2023 Head On Portrait Awards and the Head On Landscape Awards. In two of Head On’s staple exhibitions, this showcase brought a selection of the best that contemporary portrait and landscape photography has to offer, highlighting the diverse array of subjects and photography types in present lens-based practice.

Head On founder and Director Moshe Rosenzveig OAM journeyed to the ancient city of Pingyao to present the exhibitions, participate in the festivities and engage with an enthusiastic audience during a talk about Head On Photo Festival.

Head On first showcased work at the 2013 Pingyao International Photography Festival. In that time, we brought hundreds of photographs from across the globe to a large audience through the festival in Pingyao. It is a phenomenal opportunity that helps us promote excellent photography and support photographers. We encourage everyone to mark their calendars for next year’s festival; it’s an event you won’t want to miss!

A central line bisects the work, glowing and transient, like a roman pillar holding up the sky. Branching off it, lines seem to fork and arc out from a central spine, thin spindly spider-trails snake off into infinity. There is something encapsulating about the image; one’s eye cannot help tracing their way along the page, from one side to another, darting back and forth as new details become revealed. Like a pulsating nervous system, Sugimoto appears to have captured the image in a moment of immaculate conception, a split-second instance where the apparent strike lights up the darkness completely. There is beauty found, not just in the work, but in marvelling at the process through which it was photographed.

With all that in mind, it is ironic that Lightning Fields 225 by legendary Japanese photographer Hiroshi Sugimoto is not a photo of lightning. Indeed, it is not a photograph at all. But more on that later.

Hiroshi Sugimoto has spent his illustrious 50-year career as an artist and photographer pushing the bounds of reality. His work time and time again prods the nature of time, meaning, and reality within contemporary society. In the artistry of Sugimoto nothing is ever as it seems. He is one of the great tricksters of the photographic world, constantly warping the perceptions of the audience to play with their understanding of space and time. Sugimoto’s artistry is one of respect and reverence for the craft that he works within. Each individual piece is part of a greater series, a developmental step in a process that is much about the journey as the destination. Key themes of time, identity, and truth emerge and re-emerge throughout his works, creating cosmic threads that string his works together.

All of this is on display in Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine. The largest ever survey of Sugimoto’s work, this exhibition showcases over 100 works across 5 decades of practice in the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia. Contained with the exhibition is a stunningly diverse and intricately detailed mix of his most iconic pieces. Seascapes, theatres, architecture and waxworks all co-mingle in a veritable explosion of Sugimoto’s talent and style.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine is a much-needed revelation for a gallery that has had some turbulent moments in the post-COVID years. The works are vibrant and full of life, with a brilliant interplay between series that beautifully elevates Sugimoto’s work. Details abound in each room, and it is easy to spend hours being pulled in by one piece after another. The curation is well-structured and cohesive, balancing his many years of practice masterfully whilst leaving room for each work to breathe on its own. It is a tour de force of an exhibition, and not one to be missed.

To give you a bit of a taste of the exhibition, we have highlighted some key works from Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine for your enjoyment.

Lightning Fields 225 (2009)

At his heart, Sugimoto functions more like a scientist than a photographer. He meticulously captures work again and again, documenting, analysing and recreating pieces repeatedly. Each work becomes a part of a greater experiment, a cog in Sugimoto’s conceptual machine. Consider the aforementioned Lightning Fields 225. The work looks to confront the audience’s perceptions of time and reality through the role of the photograph.

In the present day and age, it takes less than a second to capture an image. Improvements in chemical processes, the development of digital cameras and the advent of the iPhone have rendered image-making as the easiest and most accessible form of memory-making ever. The photo as an object holds within it a single moment of time, a slice of reality, kept perfectly still. However, this instantaneous ability has the power to showcase the world in different ways. Before the digital camera, it would have been almost impossible to see a complete lightning strike, it would certainly be impossible to examine it in the detail that we can on an image. A photograph of a lightning strike holds within it a single moment of reality that can never be captured again. It is this liminal space that fascinates Sugimoto. Playing with the role of the photograph, Sugimoto looks to artificially create this instant of time.

Sugimoto created his Lightning Fields series by applying a 400-000-volt charge from a Vann Der Graff generator directly onto camera film. The result were electric charges which were directly burnt into the negative. In doing so, Sugimoto condenses time, space and technique, creating the image of a lightning strike that wasn’t there. He creates art that fools audiences, presenting a ‘false photo’ and creating an image of a moment that didn’t exist. His work, putting in hours of manual, laborious effort, to create a product that looks like it was made instantly. In Lightning Fields, Sugimoto condenses histories and times and realities into a single subversive moment.

UA Playhouse, New York (1978)

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Sugimoto played with the flattening effects of time. One of his most iconic series, Theatres, explored the idea of condensing reality, compressing whole swathes of time into a single image. In Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine this can be seen in UA Playhouse, New York (1978). In the image, a darkened theatre is lit by a glowing iridescent screen. Light explodes over the old stage, catching grand furnishings and intricate carvings. The photo is taken from the back of the theatre, presenting an empty auditorium, lit by the ghostly afterglow of a faded image. However, contained within the work is an entire film, hours of story captured and recorded in a single image.

Throughout his Theatres series, Sugimoto would go to cinemas and take a single extended exposure of an entire film. The pure white of the cinema screen is the result of too much content, light overexposing the camera and blinding the audience. The ghostly effects of the glowing light create ethereal, surreal images, the fingerprints of a film pressed too hard onto the page. The works hold within them a ghostly past, entire stories taken out of time, haunting the dilapidated buildings where grand stories once occurred.

Diana, Princess of Wales (1999)

At the same time, Sugimoto often plays with the reality that he is capturing. It may be a reasonable question to ask why his work Diana, Princess of Wales has received such prominent advertising surrounding the exhibition in Sydney when, at first glance, it appears so similar to a standard portrait of a famous figure. With MONA’s headline exhibition NAMEDROPPING opening in Tasmania a few months ago, one may reasonably question if it is nothing more than a tactic to generate public intrigue through a famous face.

However, if you take a closer look at the image you will notice a certain eerie quality to the work. Her skin looks too smooth, her eyes are strangely reflective, her face appears almost taught, as if pulled by a wire. Perhaps most interestingly, Sugimoto took this image in 1999, two years after his subjects’ death.

In reality, Diana, Princess of Wales is the portrait of a waxwork, made by Madam Tussaud’s two years after the princess’ death in 1997. In capturing such a work, Sugimoto looks to investigate the disjunct between celebrities and their image. Even though Diana is not the subject of the work, the image is still an iconic symbol of her status. The posture, outfit, and smile all accentuate the public persona of Diana. To Sugimoto this is the truest form of Diana as celebrity, a caricatured symbol of her best traits, a reflection of her relationship to the rest of the world. It does not matter that Diana Spencer the woman is dead, Diana Princess of Wales lives on in memory, in wax, and, most importantly, in photo.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine closes 27 October. Find out more.

Fine art photography reshapes our perceptions and deepens our connection to the world around us. This genre goes beyond representation; it explores the intent and significance behind each image, placing photographs within a broader societal context. Through layers of hidden meanings and intentional motifs, fine art photographers weave narratives that encourage viewers to uncover subtle details and emotions.

These artists craft staged and surreal environments, each with their own unique vision. Their work evokes potent feelings and invites us to experience their individual creativity. In this blog, we celebrate some remarkable photographers whose unique visions have inspired us and left a lasting impact on the art community. Join us as we delve into their stories and discover the creativity and emotional depth that fine art photography has to offer. You might just find yourself inspired along the way!

The developer of the eponymous “Ballenesque” style, Roger Ballen is one of the key photographers of his generation. He describes this style as an aesthetic viewpoint into the human condition, mediated through his own eyes. This Ballenesque style draws on surrealism and a break with reality. Often featuring windowless walls and animalistic imagery, his subjects become carnival rats, trapped in a madhouse with no way out. There is a disturbing tension found within much of his work, a hazy veil of madness that descends over people, trapping, disconcerting, and dehumanising them. To Ballen, this visual language becomes a critical re-evaluation of the human condition. The grotesque mask of Roger the Rat becomes a metaphor for individuals trapped in desperate situations. The scratched, scribbled, and disturbed walls echo the screams of people pushing at the edges of a society that has thrown them to the curb. Darkly intriguing and at times deeply disturbing, Ballen’s work offers an important lens into the underbelly of our contemporary existence.

Want to know more? Check out this interview by Head On in 2021.

Bill Henson is the lightning rod of Australian photography. His first showcase, at the age of 19, emerged as photography began gaining recognition in Australia as an art form. He became the first photographer to represent Australia at the Venice Biennale and has gone on to inspire a subsequent generation of prominent Australian photographers. His use of chiaroscuro and sublime themes allowed for the creation of viscerally dark and engaging works of photography. In many ways, Henson’s work is almost painterly. The skin of his subjects is mottled, a complex overlay of marbled blues and saturated purples. Works made well into the 21st century take on the character of Caravaggio’s paintings or Michelangelo’s sculptures.

Henson’s world is dark and brooding, containing haunting storylines and fairytale figures. His subjects rise above the mundane, achieving a mythic brilliance that holds within it an enduring humanity. Crucial to Henson’s work is the tenderness within which his subjects reside. Their ethereal beauty and dark surrounds are offset by the compassion and longing held within their gazes. In “Untitled” (2000-2001), Henson’s subject soars above a dark cityscape. The grime of her dress and arms contrasts with the ethereal calmness of her poise and the delicate statuesque nature of her form. She is unwrapped before us, baring her soul to the world, flying like an angel through the night.

Samantha Everton’s worlds are imbued with a sense of childlike wonder, contrasted against a prism of nostalgia and yearning. Her work engages with the joy of childhood and the fun that comes with it. Colours are heightened, gravity is optional, and the rules of reality don’t seem to apply. In “Spring Passing” (2011), a figure is seen to be blown completely horizontal by the wind, while in “Narathorn” (2014), a young boy with wings tames a tiger.

However, there is an undercurrent of sadness and loss contained within these works. In “Bewitching Hour” (2009), just as one child gleefully flies away on a wooden flamingo, another stays firmly rooted to the ground, dreaming of take-off. This second child becomes a figure for the current audience, dreaming of breaking through a mundane barrier of existence but never achieving it. The girl, her face caught in meditative dreaming, embodies the yearning to recapture what was once had but is now lost. The imagination, the freedom from the world around us, is trapped behind a pane of glass that cannot be broken.

Samatha Everton was the winner of the 2005 Head On Portrait Prize, and her series Collected Works was part of the 2012 Head On Photo Festival. See more of her work here

A pioneering surrealist artist, Man Ray was one of the key figures in the development of fine art photography as we know it today. His photography played with formal style and perception, both within the works themselves and the society he produced them in. Drawn into the Dadaesque and the surreal, Ray sought to reject normative society by turning to dreams and the subconscious to create his works.

One of his key works, “Le Violon d’Ingres” (1924), exemplifies this approach. In it, Ray playfully reimagines the idea of a ‘waist,’ inserting the f-holes from a violin onto the waist of a female model. He transforms the woman from an actual figure into a dream-like state, a mythic being that couldn’t exist in the physical world. Additionally, he pokes fun at the ideas of fine art in French society. The title, meaning ‘a hobby,’ lends a sense of incredulity towards the status of the violin, the opera, and high-echelon pieces of music of the period.
The dreamlike state of his works helped formalise the visual language of fine art photography and was instrumental in the development of contemporary photographic practice.

Petrina Hicks explores convention, feminine identity, and narrative throughout her work. The Australian photographer captures individuals against block backgrounds, drawing them out of society and placing them in a liminal space where stillness is overpowering. However, her works often convey a narrative tension; the absence of any background offers the possibility of limitless worlds, with vast interacting folklore tales happening just out of view.
Hicks’ work often steps into the mythological. Her figures take on a smooth, statuesque quality that blurs the line between reality and myth. They become caricatures, figurines in a play happening just out of sight. In “Lambswool” (2008), a young girl is shown petting a wolf. The wolf is seen pulling at a lambswool jumper, a nod to its role as a hunter and predator. Yet, the girl appears to take on the form of Artemis, the maiden goddess of the hunt. She becomes the wolf-tamer, a deadly figure despite her appearance.

Further, the wolf also bears connections to Lupa, the she-wolf that raised Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome. Thus, the subject becomes a great warrior, capable of founding an empire. Hicks intentionally subverts the idea of the female form as small and defenceless, building up a mythic story around a figure who controls beasts and raises an empire.

Lambswool was exhibited as part of the Head On Photo Festival 2019.

Hiroshi Sugimoto has always been fascinated with the idea of time. Within his work, Sugimoto pushes the boundaries of human consciousness, examining how we interact with the world around us. To this end, photography is the ideal medium. Capturing a single moment, photographs hold contained and undamaged pasts, an exact record of events that even memory cannot fully grasp. In the eyes of Sugimoto, photographs are temporal anomalies. As memory breaks down, the past changes in the consciousness of those who remember it, and the world captured in Sugimoto’s photographs ceases to exist.

This is best exemplified in his series “Theatres.” In these works, Sugimoto would enter old, extravagant playhouses-cum-cinemas and take a single, long-exposure photograph of various movies. Though the result was a blank screen, captured within the work was an entire movie, compressed, overexposed, and reduced to blank space. In many ways, these spaces become metaphors for the memory that Sugimoto investigates. Grand, dilapidated, and empty, the images that were once so clear have faded into the distant past, along with the memories of time.

Hiroshi Sugimoto: Time Machine is showing at the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia until 27 October 2024. Find out more.

Gohar Dashti is a photographer deeply embedded in her cultural context. Her images engage with the suffering and trauma experienced during the Iran-Iraq war and its subsequent impact. Rather than documenting the suffering directly, her works take on an ethereal quality, creating staged landscapes and uncanny domestic scenes. Dashti’s series “Today’s Life and War” (2008) and “Iran Untitled” (2013) best evoke this.

The first series presents the domestic interior of Iranian civilians, showcasing couples getting married, celebrating birthdays, hanging out the washing, and more. However, this domesticity is juxtaposed with the setting of a war zone. The couple’s marriage car is a burnt-out wreck, and the washing line is made of barbed wire. In some images, soldiers run through the background, engaged in military operations. Yet, the civilians maintain completely composed expressions, calm and meditative in the face of extreme conflict.

For Dashti, this disjunction represents the crisis endured by Iranian civilians, thrown into a position of incredible peril against their will. With no way to escape, they are forced to continue living as normal, enduring extreme trauma behind closed doors. Her works offer a seminal commentary on the destructive nature of war and its impact on those most affected.

Banner image: Gohar Dashti, Untitled #5, (2008)

Though ostensibly, the goal of the camera is to document the world around us, it offers the ability to do much more. This is the edge on which Murray Fredericks’ work operates. Not content to capture the landscape, Fredericks creates ethereal and timeless images of the desolate Australian bush, evoking the sheer awe and isolation found in the outback. Fredericks regularly embarks on long solo adventures, staying up to five weeks in remote Australia without contact with anyone else.

His series “Blaze” engages with themes of isolation and beauty. Taking on an almost surreal aspect, Fredericks draws the drowned trees he photographs out of time. Carefully arranging fire strips along the branches of dead trees, he lights them for mere moments to ensure that nothing catches ablaze. The result is ethereal works where dead trees are aflame with life, lit by a fire that does not touch them. The trees appear caught in an instant of chrysalis, a glorious birth without yet suffering any damage.

Fredericks creates works separated from time—a lone piece of dead wood caught in the act of catching flame. In the violence and drama of the act, there is also deep serenity, a peace and calm that emerge from solitude in the face of danger. The tree is alive, the tree is burning, the tree is unharmed.

Murray Fredericks was awarded 2nd place in the 2015 Head On Landscape Awards. In 2022 Head On presented the premier of his film “Blaze”, documenting the process of his journey to create the photographic series. Find out more.

Moffatt’s work engages in a hyper-vivid storytelling of reality. In it, her figures become caricatures, dolls through which she can interrogate the violence and oppression towards minority groups by the Australian government. In particular, she draws on her own Indigenous heritage to highlight the abuse inflicted on Indigenous Australians by colonial invasion.

Tracey Moffatt rose to international acclaim with her work “Something More,” commissioned by the Murray Art Museum Albury in 1989. Its vivid, saturated colours became emblematic of the Australian Gothic style in which Moffatt works. Through nine panels, Moffatt depicts a young, mixed-race woman following her dream to go to the big city. In the works, violence is constant and stress is all-consuming. Forced to care for a family in a small house with no protection, the figure is shown alone and frightened before eventually deciding to leave.

The hyper-vivid colours of the earlier narrative images contrast sharply with the final panel. In stark black and white, the figure is found dead in the middle of the road, 300 km away from Brisbane. Through these scenes, Moffatt tells a story of the struggle for women to achieve identity, forced into domestic servitude, with the threat of violence or death ever-present should they wish to leave. The road to Brisbane becomes a metaphorical gate, a pipe dream to selfhood barred by the threat of violence. She further engages with the oppression and murder of Indigenous Australians who have suffered generations of abuse and suppression at colonial hands.

Cindy Sherman is deeply interested in the idea of the self-portrait. It is an idea that she explores, probes, dissects, and reconstructs regularly. How does one show themselves? What is included? What is left out? What do we want to say? How do we reflect an individual’s interior? In exploring these themes, Sherman constructed various characters for herself. In her works, she would take on roles such as the heroine, the damsel, and the villain, just to name a few. Her self-portraits became endless reflections of the different possibilities that a person could embody. Ostensibly documenting herself, her works become a canvas for examining the role of the individual within contemporary society. Everyone is staged; we are all participating in a collective culture, playing parts to fit into society.

Commenting on her work, Sherman stated, “When I’m shooting, I’m trying to get to a point where I’m basically not recognising myself. That’s often what it’s about.” In recent years, Sherman has begun abstracting her work, playing with form. Her most recent series, shown earlier this year, depicts Sherman in an almost surreal state, with facial features contorted at odd angles and unusual colours emerging out of black-and-white images. Sherman’s skin looks aged and wrinkled in colour, contrasting with the smoothness of the black-and-white image. Here, she becomes a collage of her past selves, fractured into place as her internal thoughts clash with her external being. Colour and black-and-white photography fight for dominance, with beauty and ageing in constant conflict.

Her work elucidates how broad a self-portrait can be and how far it can separate from a documented image.

Joseph McGlennon works with the Australian landscape to create photographic collages reminiscent of colonial eras. Within his practice, McGlennon may take hundreds of photos of his subjects before delicately assembling them, piece by piece, into a final composition. This creates vibrant composite images, akin to paintings, where every element is painstakingly constructed and arranged. In his works, everything is held in sharp focus, with his landscapes as important as the subjects he captures.

His series “The Hunt” draws inspiration from Dutch hunting scenes of the 16th century and beyond. Traditionally, these paintings would depict foxhounds and hunting dogs graphically tearing into wild boar across the snowy tundra of Middle Ages Europe. In McGlennon’s work, however, the scene is reimagined for a colonial Australian context. The foxhounds are substituted with sheepdogs, shaggy mastiffs on the lookout for escaped animals. In the background, a kangaroo is framed against the skyline, made small by perspective but also indicative of its status as a prey animal, taking over from the boar.

At the bottom of the work, we see the skull and the butterfly, emblematic of the Dutch vanitas, still present. This serves as a nod to the heritage from which the work comes.

Joseph McGlennon’s work “Bombay Wall” was a finalist in the 2011 Head On Portrait Prize.
Read more about it here

The abstracted photography of Wolfgang Tillmans attempts to capture the emotions drawn from key events in the photographer’s life. Beginning as a documentary photographer, Tillmans became a seminal figure during the AIDS crisis, intimately capturing the parties and events where his friends lived, loved, and died. As his body of work developed, he continued to evoke the power and emotion felt through queer freedom in nightlife. However, his work shifted away from literal documentation, instead capturing streaks of light and colour that represented these moments for him. Reds and blues become flashing neon signs, and long black streaks become light trails across a drunken iris.

There is a sense of freedom and fluidity in his works. The movement invites audiences to let go of themselves, be drawn into the moment of a dance, and escape from the rigid confines of the gallery space to soar through shapes and colours, only to leave with a faint memory of what occurred. His works become an allegory for queer joy and the freedom found in nightlife and among other people. At the same time, they are works of memory, echoing the brief snapshots and faint traces of lights and disco balls that are recalled once the night is finally over.

There is a dark absurdism contained within the work of pioneering photographer Mary Ellen Mark. A unique portrait photographer, she looks to capture outcasts, individuals left on the fringe of society. She captures these images by making connections, becoming friends with her subjects, and getting permission to photograph them in an intimate and personal manner. The works are disarming and intimate, presenting the vulnerabilities of people who have been discarded, swept away by society. These images are often surreal, presenting a complex combination of contrasts that juxtapose joy and hardship.

In “Amanda and her Cousin Amy, Valdese, North Carolina” (1990), two young girls are shown sitting in a paddle pool, a classic moment of youth and growing up. However, the subject, Amanda, is shown smoking a cigarette, with one arm crossed and the other resting on it. The pose recalls the grace and decorum of a 1920s noblewoman, a clever and charismatic figure found in upper-class society. The contrasts between action, pose, and individual create a surreal image that comments on the struggle of living in poverty. The cigarette becomes a symbol of hardship and struggle, while the pose symbolises ageing and knowledge. Both elements exist in disjunction with the age of the subject, a young girl forced to grow up far too fast.

That’s it! you’ve made it to the end of the list. There are so many great fine-art photographers that we missed, so keep your eyes peeled for part 2.

If you have any favourites you want to see why not send them to us? or, better yet, show us your own work.

Enter your work into AddOn, a non-competitive showcase of photography displayed as part of the Head On photo Festival, we would love to see what you have to offer.

to fid out more, click here.

Photojournalism has the power to change the world. It brings the world to audiences, showcasing tragedies and holding countries to account. It serves as a document of history, a record of the past and of humanity, a document to those who will come after. The best photojournalism changes the way we see the world, and how history is remembered. In honour of its power, we have complied a list of the best images captured by photojournalists across the globe.

Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima (1945)

The best photography leaves a mark upon the world, it embeds itself into the culture and becomes a symbol for generations to come. That is exactly the case for Joe Rosenthal’s iconic image, Raising the Flag of Iwo Jima (1945). This image of six soldiers desperately working to hoist an American flag became a symbol of struggle and perseverance against adversity. It decries hope, struggle and success, banding together as a community to achieve feats that wouldn’t be possible on your own. The powerful imagery of the photo captured the imagination of the US, becoming embedded in the American psyche. Rosenthal’s photo is held in such regard it was the basis for the United States Marine Corps War Memorial.

The Burning Monk (1963)

The Vietnam War was a turning point in photojournalism. Called the ‘first television war’ the media were able to show uncensored and unbiased coverage of the conflict in Vietnam. As such, Western audiences were exposed to some of the most emotional and confronting images of war ever seen. One of the most iconic of these, was The Burning Monk by Michael Browne. This photo depicted one of the first acts of self-immolation by a Vietnamese monk, an act of extreme protest against the US-backed Vietnamese government. A photo defined by juxtaposition, the frenetic energy of the surrounding scene is contrasted by the absolute calm of the flaming monk. The disjunct presented by a flaming man in total calm creates an image that is shocking and arresting in equal measure.

Blue Man (2003)

Ben Lowy startling image Blue Man captures the moment an Iraqi man jumped off a lamp post and into the Tigris River in Baghdad. The photo, captured on 13 May 2003, less than a month after the US occupation of Iraq, holds a unique place in the conflict. Focusing not on fighting, but on civilians, Lowy is able to capture a rare moment of enjoyment within the midst of a horrific conflict. The figure appears silhouetted against a blue sea, tranquil, and meditative in nature, a spot of calm in a thunderstorm. His suspended body appears almost to defy gravity, seeming to transcend the reality of his dire situation. It is a deeply symbolic work that offers an insight into moments of peace within war zones, even if they are only for the briefest of moments.

Lowy showcased this image as part of the Head On Photo Festival in 2014.

Abdullatif

Cairns-based photographer Brian Cassey has spent his career focusing on the livelihoods of people in the Oceanic region, documenting grief, struggle, and joy in Papua New Guinea, Indonesia, Thailand, Myanmar and his own Australia just to name a few. He explores narratives of resilience, looking at how individuals and communities respond to conflict and change.

Iraqi asylum seeker Abdullatif Almoftaji, shows the scars of a beating by Manus Island PNG security guards and police. Abdullatif was 17 when incarcerated on Manus Island by Australia in 2012. He was later allowed to work in PNG in the city of Lae. There he was beaten by locals, paid little and feared for his life. He returned to Manus preferring the perceived relative safety of the detention centre and other asylum seekers.

However, following a drunken escapade on the local brew ‘steam’, Abdullatif was arrested, beaten and thrown into a Manus police cell where I found him wearing just torn shorts. Abdullatif faced several charges and was soon deported back to Iraq by
Australian authorities. “I still keep in touch with Abdullatif. When I last heard he was back in war torn Basra Iraq, an experience he described as “living in hell”. “There is nothing in Basra, only destruction, problems and killing for everything.” he said

This work was exhibited as part of the Head On Photo Festival (2020). Find out more about his exhibition.

The Terror of War (1972)

The most powerful images of war focus, not on the battlefield itself, but on the civilians affected by conflict. Perhaps the most well-known image of this is Nick Ut’s 1972 photograph The Terror of War. In it, Ut documents a group of people running away from a napalm strike. In the centre, a naked 9-year-old girl stands screaming from the pain of the burns. This image was incredibly shocking, a young girl, who had no relation to the conflict, was being murdered by it. More shocking, was that Ut’s photograph was documenting an event caused by the US. It struck and confronted North American audiences, causing many to rethink their perceptions of the United States foreign policy, and highlighting the extremes of the catastrophe at hand.

Panama (1989)

The work of Ron Haviv has left an indelible mark on the history of photojournalism. His unflinching examinations of war, conflict, and peril have shone light onto some of the darkest points in human history. In 1989 whilst documenting the political instability in Panama, Haviv captured an image of then Vice President Guillermo Ford being attacked by supporters of Manual Noreiga. The graphic image shows Ford, covered in blood, as he attempts to evade the blade being swung at him. The image was published on the cover of Newsweek around the world, shocking global audiences. Indeed, it was so extreme that then US President Bush cited it as one of the reasons for the later 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States of America.

Ron Haviv’s series Lost Rolls showed at the Head On Photo Festival in 2015

Lunch atop a Skyscraper (1932)

Captured during the great depression as a publicity stunt for the skyscraper being built, Lunch atop a Skyscraper is perhaps the most well-known meal break in the world. Depicting a series of construction workers on a beam, silhouetted against the New York skyline, the image has become one of the most viewed, reproduced, and reinterpreted pieces of media in modern history. There is a humorous quality to the photo, playfully contrasting the extreme danger of the fall against the mundane enjoyment of having lunch. It has become an acknowledgement of the fun inherent in humanity, a celebration of friendships, and of the joy that can be found in even the most boring of actions.

Falling Soldier (1936)

Robert Capa’s Falling Soldier is a brutal confrontation of war and tragedy. It captures a soldier in the moment of his death, falling backwards as a bullet hits his head. It has been lorded as one of the most iconic and evocative depictions of the horrors of war, showcasing firsthand the violence of murder. Another reason for its extreme prominence can be attributed towards the controversy surrounding its authenticity. In the 1970s, disputes about whether the photo was genuine or not began to occur. Some accused the photographer of staging the shot for effect, as was common in the period. Though fiercely contentious as a topic, it has only helped to heighten the image as the ultimate evocation of war.

9/11 (2001)

On September 11, 2001, some New Yorkers gathered in a Brooklyn park across the river from the World Trade Centre. Though the group didn’t know it, they were about to become etched into the American psyche. As the Twin Towers fell, photographer Thomas Hoepker documented the group in conversation, in a world utterly separated from the carnage behind them. In many ways it has become the definitive symbol of 9/11; its vague nature and separation from the physical event offers the audience a metaphorical reflection upon the event itself. On one level, there emerges a callousness of the subjects to sit and talk whilst tragedy unfurls. On another, there is a sense of helplessness, the bystanders are too far away to do anything but watch. Hoepker’s shot encapsulates, not just the event, but the feelings of the onlookers; it allows audiences to insert themselves back into the tragedy in their own eyes, to contemplate disaster as bystanders who could do nothing but watch.

Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear (2018)

American photojournalist Paula Bronstein has documented Afghanistan over 15 years of war and conflict. Focusing on the impacts the fighting has had on families, Bronstein seeks to capture the humanity within those who are caught in the crossfire of armed forces. One such example of this is her work from Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear (2018) in which a mother cradles her child on a hospital bed. The anguish that she so clearly holds is emblematic of the trauma caused by conflict. She simultaneously clutches herself and her child, trying to keep her life going in the face of the potential death of one of the most important parts of her life.

Paula Bronstein showcased Afghanistan: Between Hope and Fear at the 2018 Head On Photo Festival.

Lee Miller in Hitlers bath (1945)

In 1945, David Scherman documented fellow photographer Lee Miller having a bath. Though, at first, this seems like an ordinary image, the truth is anything but. Consider, for example, that the pair were US war photographers, documenting the front line of the American occupation of Germany, that the photo was taken on the same day Hitler committed suicide, and that the aforementioned Nazi leader is in a framed photograph next to said bath. This results in one of the most powerful images of the second world war, a symbol of American victory against Germany, and of triumph over fascism. Miller is covering Hitler’s most private space in the muck and grime of the United States push into Berlin, she is declaring herself as triumphant.

Kate Geraghty is one of Australia’s most acclaimed photojournalists. Having won 5 Walkley awards, she has documented war and conflict across the globe for over 20 years. Her photography is both shocking and deeply human in equal measure, providing the space for civilian narratives and the effect that conflict has upon bystanders. This human-centered approach can be seen in her image of Abdulrahman, a young boy in a hospital bed. Lying still, covered in casts and with gauze over the face, his figure takes on an almost statuesque quality. The extent of their trauma has rendered them unrecognisable, distant, kept apart from us by a silvery veil. The image conjures up iconography of death and the ‘veil of life’, the life of the civilian shattered by the destruction of war.

Kate Geraghty’s work has been a finalist multiple times in the Head On Photo Awards, most recently in 2023. Find out more now.

Korengal Valley (2008)

One of the most respected war photographers of the modern era, Lynsey Addario is not to be trifled with. She has confronted major modern conflicts across the globe, being kidnapped twice in the process. It is this dedication to her craft that resulted in her intimate and harrowing depictions of the US military in Afghanistan. This work from her 2008 series, Korengal Valley, depicts the body of a US sergeant being carried to a landing zone. Addario’s image captures the loneliness of war, surrounded by people but constantly isolated, it is easy to question if anything is worth it. This questioning at the heart of her work is what makes Korengal Valley stand out as a unique depiction of war and death.

Putin (2007)

It is a hard task to photograph one of the most polarising and dangerous figures in the world, but in 2007 that is what British photographer Platon achieved. His 2007 portrait of Putin, depicting the Russian leader sat upright in a leather chair, staring down at the camera, has become the definitive portrait of the politician. Putin holds a position of total dominance, as if sitting on a royal throne gazing upon subjects. However, the furnishings of royalty have been replaced with business, a clean suit and a desk chair. The simple, sparse nature of the photograph centre’s Putin as a modern leader, a powerful executive who controls the world through cutting-edge technology. It perfectly separated him from the heads of the USSR and cemented his power as the leader of a modern Russia.

Gough Witlam and Vincent Lingiari (1975)

Potentially Australia’s most powerful photograph, Mervyn Bishop’s capture of Prime Minister Gough Whitlam pours soil into the hands of traditional land owner Vincent Lingiari, Northern Territory (1975) has become a symbol for indigenous lands rights. The photograph captures an important moment, documenting Whitlam’s action to give back the Gurindji people their land. The British invasion of Australia saw the land declared Terra Nullius, voiding the aboriginal rights to their own land. This policy was carried forward over a century, removing aboriginal Australians from their heritage and identity. By giving the sand back to Lingiari, Gough looked to right this wrong, passing the Australian land out of the whitefellas hands, and into its rightful custodianship. It has become an instantly recognisable image of indigenous struggle, and of an equality still yet to be achieved.

Ahmed Shah Massoud, Afghanistan (1998)

Underneath the fuzzy, surreal beauty that is first found within Stephen Dupont’s work lies an eerie contradiction. In 1998, whilst on assignment for Le Figaro, Dupont got access to photograph the Afghan warlord Ahmed Shah Massoud up close. The photo, captured in an orchard at sundown, presents the Warlord in a vulnerable light. He ceases to be the feared and dangerous rebel, and shifts into a man, staring at the sky. It is a beautifully touching photo that highlights the oft overlooked side of powerful figures.

Dupont showcased this image in Paper Tigers, as part of the Head On Photo Festival in 2022. Find out more

Can you think of any iconic photography moments we may have missed? Why not let us know! If we get enough we may even write a part two from your comments.

To celebrate the inaugural Head On Exposure Awards, we are highlighting just how diverse photography can be. Find out more and enter the Exposure awards here.

Architecture photography can bring a building to life, turning concrete and plaster into poignant and touching reminders of the value of the spaces we live in.

The best architectural photographers step beyond merely documenting the everyday, instead capturing moments of livelihood and life within the world around us. The photographers on this list are some who epitomise their craft.

One of the leading photographers in the world, Hélène Binet (Swiss-French) is a star of the field. Her practice focuses on illuminating the essence of spaces, using the interplay between light and shadow to create effortlessly beautiful architectural forms. Binet works solely with analogue film, believing “the soul of photography is its relationship with the instant”. Throughout her 30-year career, she has worked closely with leading contemporary architects such as Daniel Libeskind and Zaha Hadid, following their projects from commission to completion and evoking the history of the buildings she photographs.

Tim Griffith (Australia) has made a name by crafting outstanding residential and commercial architecture photography. Griffith’s images capture these structures’ energy, innovation, and visual impact, from sleek civic centres to cutting-edge housing spaces. His work Viewhill House, perfectly evokes this, echoing the abstract sensibility of the architect’s design by documenting the house through abstract and unique angles. His approach merges cinematographic and photographic elements, creating a sense of wonder and excitement elevating commercial space perception.

From outside to in, interior architect Telka Evelina Severin (Sweden) is pushing the boundaries of how we view architecture. A designer and photographer alike, her unique mix of skills has prompted her to create stunning and vibrant images. Severin plays with spaces, finding uniquely designed interiors before mixing them with lively and colourful design elements. She is heavily inspired by colour, shape and composition ideas, crafting eye-catching images that feel like they have been lifted from another world. This boundary-pushing photographer is not one to be missed.

Perhaps the first architectural photographer, Eugène Atget (France) pioneered the field. Determined to document all of the architecture in Paris pre-modernisation, Atget would wander the Parisian streets for hours at a time, slowly and methodically recording any and every building he deemed to be of eminent status. His practice spanned over 30 years, from the late 1890s until he died in 1927. He produced thousands of images and became the building block for all architectural photographers to follow.

Geoffrey Goddard’s (Australia) command of colour and shape creates arresting images that hold the public’s attention in rapt focus. He examines the formal characteristics of buildings, often contrasting them against the surrounding environment. One such example is The Crossing, where Goddard playfully juxtaposes the harsh, box-like structures of the natural environment against the wild and energetic palm tree striking out above the architecture. Goddard’s work turns ordinary buildings into futuristic worlds, creating a sense of ambiguity between the real and the constructed.

Damien Drew’s (Australia) photographs capture architecture in a state of degradation, showing buildings often overwhelmed by the natural environment. Within his photographs, the buildings are dead or dying, caught in neglected dilapidation. This constant thread of decay and silence evokes the feeling of a melancholy passing. His work, Shikoku no seijaku (Shikoku Silence) demonstrates this perfectly. In it, a large structure towers above the tree line. However, no life emerges; instead, a blanket of stillness and peace descends upon the building; there is no sound in the image; everything is still. Drew’s ability to evoke such melancholy from his subjects is a testament to the power and emotion within architectural photography.

Julius Shulman (America) pioneered architecture photography as we know it today. Shulman, a pioneer of the field, approached architecture photography as a means of interpreting the world around him, not just as a means of documenting it. He innovated the use of human scale within Architectural photography, using human subjects as a foil to express the scale of the buildings he depicted. His most famous work, Case Study House #22, balances the harsh architectural lines of the building against the more fluid forms of its inhabitants. Shulman transformed architecture into a living space and also transformed architectural photography as a whole.

Fernando Guerra (Portugal) is responsible for the extraordinary documentation of architecture and sharing it with the world. Guerra has been responsible for the large-scale appreciation of contemporary Portuguese architecture over the last two decades. Guerra has become an architectural trailblazer after forming FG+SG with his brother over 20 years ago. His work masterfully captures contemporary architectural forms in his native country, using the lines and shadows of buildings to create an emotional resonance with the audience.

A leading figure in architectural photography, Max Dupain (Australia) is a monumental figure in the field. Practising throughout the 20th century, Dupain was one of the early proponents of modernism in Australian architectural photography. Dupain’s goal was to dispel the “cosmetic lie of fashion photography or advertising illustration” instead of using his architectural photography to document the world as a series of everyday interactions. He acted as the introduction of graphic contours, light contrasts and other key photographic techniques in the Australian photographic scene.

Sydney-based photographer Chris Round (Australia) seeks to document the manufactured landscape. His practice focuses on documenting architecture as a contrast against the landscape, exploring the balance between humanity and nature. Round’s work has an understated quality, doing little manipulation and instead looking for structures that create naturally striking scenes within the world around him. Find out more.

Dianna Snape (Australia) creates personal and intimate depictions of contemporary Australian residences. Snape focuses on how people interact with architecture, using architectural lines to focus on the intimate spaces inhabited by people. Her 2021 book ‘Architecture at the Heart of the Home’ offered an intimate portrayal of buildings’ role in how people live. Snape’s architectural photography engages in a private and very personal examination of houses, looking to capture the ‘heart’ of the house in the residential buildings she documents.

John Gollings’s (Australia) work offers one of the most unique and in-depth accounts of Australian architecture over the late 20th and early 21st centuries. For over 40 years, Gollings has meticulously documented Australian architecture. From large commercial ventures to tin sheds and toilet blocks, he has meticulously created an image of Australian identity through buildings. His long-term prolific capture of Australian cities has repeatedly led to multiple buildings photographed by Gollings, capturing the development of modern Australian architecture as we know it today.

Want to find our more about great photography or, better yet, have your own work to show us? why not submit your own architecture photography into the Head On Exposure Awards. Find out more here.

The Head On Exposure Awards aim to showcase alternate forms of photography to the classic Portrait and Landscape categories. They are an opportunity to showcase how diverse and exciting photography can be, and to give a platform to photographers across the globe.

In the spirit of the Exposure Awards, we have highlighted some of the most important sporting photographers and moments across history. Celebrating the people and photos that have changed the photographic landscape and demonstrating just how broad photography can be.

Sports photography is about more than capturing a moment, it’s about telling a story. No one understands this better than Cameron Spencer (Australia), the Getty Images Chief Photographer who ran across several events at the 2016 Rio Olympics to take the iconic photo of Usain Bolt smiling mid 100m sprint race. He has photographed five Olympic Games and countless major sporting events, masterfully capturing the stories that occur within the field.

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Neil Liefer (USA) is arguably the most celebrated sports photographer ever. His shots have defined some of the most significant moments in sporting history, from Muhammad Ali’s victorious stance over Sonny Liston to the iconic image of Sandy Koufax after winning the World Series. His works’ vibrant colour and composition have defined modern sports photography, leaving an indelible mark on the industry.

Hy Money (England), the UK’s first female sports photographer, is a trailblazing figure in sports photography. When Money first started photographing Crystal Palace FC in the early 1970s, it was illegal for women to have cameras on certain grounds. Fighting against the discrimination that was rife within football culture, she entrenched herself as the Crystal Palace official photographer, with her work detailing an incredible history of the sport, both on and off the field.

Rather than focusing on professional sports, Alain Schroeder (Belgium) examines games within cultural contexts, looking at how the lives of ordinary communities are affected by the sport they play. One such example is his award-winning series Muay Thai Kids, documenting child boxing in Isaan. Though of a far lower standard than professional boxing, these communities rely on income-driven betting to achieve a better life. This focus makes Schroeder’s practice stand out so much; rather than engaging in traditional sport photography, his works tell fascinating stories that illuminate the world around us. Read more here

Barbara McGrady (Australia-Gomeroi/Gamilaraay) focuses on illuminating the Indigenous Australian community and culture. In a unique position as the first Indigenous-accredited NRL/AFL on-field photographer, she has captured the crucial involvement of Indigenous Australians in Australia’s sporting success and culture. Barbara has documented Australia’s sporting landscape for over 30 years and is iconic in Australian photography. She has been included in Head On Photo Festival three times, most recently in 2021 with First Sight.

Tó Mané (Portugal) is a photographer known for capturing surfing at its finest. An addict of surfing and surfing culture since 1988, Mané has photographed waves across Portugal but is best known for his iconic documentation of Garrett McNamara surfing the ‘100 Foot Wave’ in Nazaré. His images highlight the ocean’s power and scale, reducing his subjects to mere dots on giant waves.

Frequently examining rural Australian lifestyles, Glenn Campbell’s (Australia) work forms an intimate record of Australian identity in sport. His image, Last Place at Brunette Downs, emphasises this human connection. Glenn focuses on the races loser, depicting the solo rider surrounded by dust, engulfed by the environment. His work is tender and deeply moving, focused on showing the humanity of athletes. He has been showcased in Paper Tigers, an exhibition celebrating Australia’s most critical photojournalism moments.

Sometimes, a photo is so extraordinary it outlasts the photographer who took it. That is the case with the extraordinary picture of Jesse Owens surrounded by Nazi salutes after winning gold for the long jump. Throughout an iconic day in 1936, Owens would go on to claim 4x gold medals, the most of any Olympian at the Berlin games. The image would go on to become a symbol of Nazi resistance and be reported on across the world.

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Nick Bourdaniotis’ (Australia) close-up images of Greek Australian tennis stars create an intimate portrait of multinational identity among sports professionals. His 2023 exhibition, Grand Slam Stories, highlights precisely this dedication, documenting Greek players and individuals with Greek heritage at the Australian Open. By focusing on specific narratives, he captures powerful images that tell the stories of contemporary Greek heritage within sport. Find out more

The image of Cathy Freeman launching off the blocks in her iconic ‘swift suit’ remains embedded in the minds of Australians to this day. Adam Pretty’s (Australia) photograph has become one of the most notable moments in history, as he captured the sprinter’s historic gold medal win, the first individual gold medal to be won by an Indigenous Australian. To capture the moment, Pretty went onto a stadium catwalk, taking a unique position, before leaning out over the railing without a harness. It is a testament to the power of photography to inspire people and a photographer who went above and beyond to capture the perfect photo.

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Want to show us your sports photography? Enter the Head On Exposure Awards today!

If you’re eager to enhance your skills and gain exposure, consider participating in photography competitions. On Wednesday 17 July we ran an online workshop offering valuable insights and tips for navigating the competitive photography world.

The session was recorded and covers:

• Why enter competitions
• Choosing the right competition for you
• When if the best time to enter
• What to enter
• How to choose the right photographs to enter
• How to deal with rejection
• Reasons why photos are not selected as winners

Enter your name and email address below to get access to over 70 minutes of expert advice from a head judge with over 20 years experience.

Watch the recording

Please note in some web browsers you will need to scroll back to view the recording.

Choosing the right contest

Always research the Copyright and Moral Rights terms of any contest. Make sure you retain ownership and control over your work. Check what permissions you grant the photo contest organizers, and determine if you give them that permission by entering the contest or only if you are selected as a finalist.

The most common permission is to allow the organizers to use your work to promote the contest if you are selected as a winner or finalist.

Bonus: Are photo contests worth it?

Rejection and How to deal with it

Rejection is a normal part of the competition process. Don’t get discouraged if your image doesn’t get selected. There is a lot of competition, and even the best photographers don’t win every time.

Bonus: Photo contests to enter in 2024

Choosing powerful images

Be bold and creative. Don’t be afraid to experiment and push the boundaries. Competitions are a great platform to showcase your unique style and perspective.

Bonus: Why did they win?

Participating in photography competitions can provide an excellent opportunity to showcase your work to a larger audience and push yourself to enhance your skills. By adhering to these guidelines and reviewing the workshop recording, you can enhance your likelihood of winning and laying the groundwork for a flourishing photography career.

Back to recording

Adobe has long supported the festival, and everyone we have dealt with there has been excellent. We are glad they engage closely with the community and act on feedback to quickly revise their terms of service to provide clarity and improve readability.

While Terry White may not be an Adobe lawyer, his role as an Adobe Evangelist lends credibility to his insights. He took to YouTube to explain the changes and address the rumours. Here are the key points, but it’s highly recommended to watch the full video and review the terms of service for yourself terms of service.

• Adobe does not own your content, and they don’t train generative AI models on your content unless you choose to submit it to the Adobe Stock Marketplace.
• Adobe will only access your content to provide the services you requested and they do not scan or review any content on your local device.
• You own your content, and Adobe needs a license to operate its products and services for your benefit. These rights include reproducing, distributing, creating derivative works, publicly displaying, publicly performing, and sub-licensing your content. In practice, this means Adobe can use external servers to make copies of your file each time you place it into a cloud app such as Adobe Express.

AI banner graphic generated using Adobe Express

If, like many photographers, you feel your work is buried in digital limbo, unseen and unappreciated, read on.

Exhibiting in a digital world continues to be an essential practice for photographers to be discovered, and there are numerous avenues for showcasing your photography and sharing your distinct perspective to a broader audience. From intimate collective displays to prominent solo gallery exhibitions, presenting your work can forge connections with an audience, enhance your standing, and elevate your career.

Here are some creative ideas and suggestions exploring the relevance of exhibitions in the digital age.

Magic of print

The true essence of a photograph may not be captured entirely by the limited pixels on a phone screen. Opting to create a physical print for exhibition purposes honours an image by converting it into an art piece that invites thoughtful consideration. A tangible print enhances the individual character of a photograph, giving it a significance and stature that elevates its presence beyond the digital realm.

Forge connections

Online platforms only allow a glimpse at an image before swiping to the next, whereas galleries cultivate authentic, frequently enduring relationships. There’s the opportunity for dialogue, to address enquiries, and to divulge the muse inspiring the image-making. These significant exchanges link the photographer and the viewer, establishing a fellowship centred on your artistic expression.

Elevate your credibility

Showcasing your work in a curated environment, such as a gallery or festival, imbues your artistic endeavours with a layer of distinction and professionalism. This approach announces to the world that you are more than merely a camera enthusiast; you are a dedicated artist graced with a compelling vision.

Such exhibitions can potentially draw new audiences, discerning buyers, and media interest throughout the event. Furthermore, developing an exhibition portfolio enhances your professional profile and may lead to opportunities for gallery representation and connection with art collectors, elevating your career trajectory to new heights.

Opens doors to new opportunities

Exhibitions are more than mere displays of prints; they may act as catalysts for new opportunities. When you gain recognition from the public, curators, art directors, and photo editors as a committed exhibitor, the doors open to various collaborative projects, commissions, and engagements that could extend well beyond the timeframe of the exhibit.

Your forthcoming exhibition has the potential to be the very launchpad that propels you towards the realisation of your artistic aspirations.

Embracing the journey

An exhibition represents more than a retrospective showcase of your previous achievements; it is a dynamic leap towards what lies ahead. Having your photographs presented in such a manner propels you further on your artistic voyage, sparking innovative thoughts on presentation methods, encouraging experimental approaches, and facilitating encounters with intriguing individuals who may pave the way for fresh avenues of creative exploration.

Above all, it provides the invaluable chance to reflect on your evolution, recognise the strides you’ve made and warmly welcome the array of promising opportunities awaiting you.

How Head On gets you exhibiting

At Head On, we share a deep connection with photography, fully understanding the exhibition landscape’s intricacies and the journey many photographers embark upon. Our Festival is carefully curated to ensure that there is value on offer for you, no matter your stage in the creative process.

Throughout the Festival, we arrange a diverse array of complimentary and ticketed events to spark dialogue about the latest developments in photography.

We also facilitate artists’ talks and celebrate exhibition openings. For those who are newer to the scene, our AddOn event presents a non-competitive group exhibition and a book project that offers an excellent platform to showcase your work.

We conduct two major international calls annually – the Head On Photo Awards and the Head On Photo Festival submissions. The Awards centres on a single image that could lead to inclusion in the finalists’ exhibition, while the Festival submission invites a series of related works, providing the opportunity to become a festival exhibitor. Both calls are highly competitive due to space constraints and are judged anonymously to ensure a level playing field for all entrants.

Conclusion

With a bit of research, planning and passion, exhibiting your work can be a transformative experience that leaves a lasting impression on you and your viewers.