Photo festival fever

I’ve just booked flights to Sydney and in exactly 3 weeks I’ll be there for the opening of Head On, their inaugural annual Photo Festival.

Last year I participated in Head On for the first time and really enjoyed speaking on a panel, being the curator of a joint exhibition from our Series Project in Cuba (which was one of the group shows selected to exhibit), and I also ran a half day workshop at Bondi Pavilion.

There are loads of different reasons to go to photofests and it’s not always about getting work, but the education, connections and networking are phenomenal, especially if you want to grow your art career alongside your commercial career.

Photofests are bursting at the seams with directors from all the other festivals around the world (I guess it’s one of the perks of the job), and if you get your work seen by one of them, it can lead to offers of exhibitions worldwide. Last year I was invited to speak and present at multiple festivals in places like Madrid and Brazil, (something I’ll eventually get around to in between my other travel commitments and working with all the lens based image makers I help.)

Many photofests like Palm Springs offer folio reviews (running right now actually), and some like the longest established festival, Rencontrer D’Arles are where you can really see where art meets commerce. Advertising creatives, designers, art buyers and photo editors converge in one place, review folios, visit exhibitions, and get inspired by new photographers making original personal work, then hire them to shoot paid work.

To me that’s the sweet spot.

If you’re going to be at Head On, or even in Sydney, from 7th-12th November, let me know.  DM me on Instagram. I’d love to catch up.