Ben Apfelbaum

HEAD ON PHOTO EXHIBITION @ BONDI BEACH

It is our good fortune that the Head On Festival decided to extend the photographic entries to its competition until the 30th January .

Inclement weather meant that many people were deterred from visiting and viewing  this cornucopia of photography. In addition stormy conditions at Bondi Beach damaged some of the photos along  its promenade.

Kinder weather means that you can visit the exhibits which stretch from the very north of Bondi to the very south near the Bondi Icebergs.

This north of the wide steps to the sand comprise of mainly photo essays.

There are also some photos essays to the south but the main attraction here are the prizewinners and finalists in the various categories of the competition.

Many of the photos and essays have detailed captions explaining the aim and context of the images.

If you wish to read all of them you may need more than one day to view this vast exhibition.

Sloping up at the top of Bondi park are three triangular constructions displaying very large images on each of the individual triangle sides.

Given that Sculpture By The Sea was cancelled last November this is a very satisfying summer cultural experience despite the fact that is only in two dimensions rather than three.

So head on down to Bondi Beach before the 30th January and it its hot and sunny enough go fo a quick dip as well.

Grand Prize Winner – The fog by Matt Beaver
Fun town lockdown by John Benavente
Girl Interrupted by Jacqueline Lukowski
Kurds’ open wounds by Younes Mohammad
Landscape Category Winner – Vanishing point by Laurie Winter
Nature Category winner – I’ll race you by Peter Ward
Portrait Gallery Winner – Resolute by Sandra Sanders
Seascape Category Winner – Beneath the surface by Ashlee Karas
Sports Category Winner – The morning dance by Remy Brand
Urban pool. Jerusalem by Carole Glauber
Compact Category Winner – In the shadow of a palm tree by Judi Thies

 

Published by Ben Apfelbaum

My photography began when my father handed me the proverbial brownie box camera as a child. As cameras developed I went through Fujica and Olympus range finders graduating to my first single lens reflex camera, the Minolta SRT101, the latter being the greatest facilitator to my growth as a photographer. Digital photography has only added to this. I was a regular contributor to Camera Craft magazine (Australian Camera ) for over three years. During Australia’s Bicentennial year (1988) I made it a personal project to document the celebrations. This culminated in the creation of a book of my photos which was published in 1989. The book was called CELEBRATING AUSTRALIA and came with an accompanying calendar. My works have appeared in a number of publications including the coffee book entitled MY AUSTRALIA (1989), publisher Robertsbridge Severn. This book had a preface by the then Australian Prime Minister Bob Hawke. I was a co-photographer on a book entitled SYDNEY- DISCOVER THE CITY with text written by Robert Treborland. Major Mitchell Press was the publisher. Also for two years I was the photographer for calendars celebrating Sydney’s multicultural communities. The two calendars were entitled MULTICULTURAL SYDNEY. My work appeared in a group exhibition held at Sydney’s Town Hall pertaining to the diversity of life in South America to raise money for orphanages there. I have over one hundred photos stored in the New South Wales State Library archive. I had a solo exhibition held in 2007 entitled Ben’s Lens at the Sydney Jewish Museum which celebrated the vibrancy of the Sydney Jewish community. Some of these photos are on the Museum’s permanent display. I have exhibited internationally firstly at the Spruill Gallery in Atlanta Georgia, united states, and in an exhibition entitled Kosher and Co at the Jewish Museum in Berlin. Currently I am a regular contributor to J-Wire and this esteemed publication.