The 14th edition of the annual Head One Photo Festival is drawing crowds at Bondi Beach before it opens online from November 10 to December 3. Michele Aboud’s striking photo of Cate Blanchett has been included in the Australia and Fashion Photography collection. Aboud has collaborated with some of the biggest names on the planet, including Hugo Weaving and Baz Luhrmann as well as Blanchett.
The Stable: What does the honour means to you?
Michele Aboud: The Head On Photo Festival is the only photographic festival in Australia, it’s on par with the Arles Les Rencontres art show in France. It’s the first year my work has been accepted so I’m very excited about it.
TS: How dd you come to photograph Cate Blanchett?
MA: There was a particular production that Cate Blanchett was part of with Isabelle Huppert called The Maze.
Isabelle was still in Paris before she came out to perform in the production and wanted me to come up with a concept that would work for people in two countries.
I came up with the idea of a tear happening down the centre. It’s a dramatic story and I wanted it to look quite pastel and monochromatic. I presented the concept and a tear goes through both characters.
TS: Tell me about working with her
MA: She was amazing. Cate can do the project with emotion… any emotion needed was seen through her eyes. She embodies emotion throughout the shot.
TS: What do you feel makes your work stand out and how do you feel about the future.
MA: I’ve just directed a 30 second TV commercial for Macquarie Bank. The future is bright and busy. I still get attention for my personal work. I’ve completed a series of William James Banks. He was in the Barbie Film and has also been in productions in Peter Pan and was living in Berlin. He was amazing to work with.
A record 702 emerging and professional photographers from Australia and across the globe are part of this year’s competition, with $70,000 in prizes as well as more than 100 exhibitions across the city.
Head On Photo Festival creative director and founder, Moshe Rosenzveig OAM, noted that the event has had an influx of entries this year, and has accepted one of the highest numbers of works to date.
“What’s unique about this festival – and unseen in any other gallery in Australia – is that we aren’t selecting the artists, rather the artwork based on its composition and merit alone,” commented Rosenzveig, who worked as a photojournalist in the Middle East and then moved into film and television work.
“The majority of portrait competitions are judged on the celebrity of the photographer or subject, meaning so many incredible works are not seen. At Head On the pieces are submitted blindly, so the selection panel doesn’t know who the photographer is. We don’t care where they went to school, or where they have exhibited before. We’re trying to eliminate that bias.
“Through this process we have discovered a lot of new talent and launched photographers into hugely successful professional careers.”
Head On has now grown to become the biggest photo festival in Australia and a significant event on the global arts calendar.
