HEAD ON PHOTO FESTIVAL 2013

The Head On Photo Festival 2013 opens in May for an exciting season of local, international, celebrated and emerging photographers. Now in its fourth year the festival takes place all over Sydney and for the first time in the beautiful NSW State Library. It is the brainchild of artist and lecturer Moshe Rosenzveig.

The attraction to photography started at a young age for Rosensveig, when his grandfather gave him a concertina style camera, he says, “I was fascinated by light”.  This life-long love and a career spanning over 30 years have made him the ideal person to curate this expanding festival.

From its beginnings as a small portraiture prize in 2004 to a world-renowned festival, it has contributed to many photographers’ careers and reinvigorated the photography scene in Sydney in both photojournalism and art. Rosenzveig remarks, “We changed the perceptions of photography in Sydney” and “managed to create a supportive environment for emerging photographers.”

So what makes a great photograph? Rosenzveig, says you need to “engage with it on an emotional basis,” the “bottom line is that it has to move me.” (ATS)

May 17-Jun 23, various locations, free, headon.com.au

BY ALEXIS TALBOT-SMITH