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A World’s Worth of Fantastic Photo Festivals for 2014: Don’t Miss Them

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posted Monday, January 20, 2014 at 9:21 AM EST

 
 

Photo festivals are a must-see for anyone who loves photography. They provide a chance to see the work of celebrated photographers as well as the portfolios of new, up-and-coming talent. Below is a schedule of photo festivals for 2014 compiled by Graziano Ferri the founder and editor of "Fotografia Magazine."

My first experience with a photo festival was in 2003. I had an exhibition of my photographs in the Southern French city of Perpignan during the Visa Pour l’image photojournalism festival. It was not only a chance to show my work but also an opportunity to interact with photographers and photo agency representatives from around the world. We’d sit in small cafés and talk about making pictures and the future of reportage. I particularly remember the group of college age photojournalism students from Hanover, Germany. They were so excited and enthusiastic about photography that they were just bursting to graduate and set out off to see the world. Their enthusiasm was contagious.

Photo festivals get you excited again about photography and can be an antidote to the cacophony of images on the web. Standing in a room full of big gorgeous photographic prints can’t help but stir up your creative juices. It gives you ideas and inspiration for your own photography.

Photo festivals have also become popular with communities because they bring tourists, publicity and dollars (or Euros) to a town. Rencontres d’Arles is one of the oldest and longest running photography festivals. It began in 1970 by photographer Lucien Clergue and the writer Michel Tournier.  It has proven to be very successful and has become the model for other festivals. In 2010 the Rencontres had 73,000 visitors of which 11,000 were foreigners and nearly 5,000 professional photographers. Arles is a fairly small city in the south of France, and the festival has had a huge impact. There is now a large summer photography school and plans for the construction of a large exhibition facility are underway. This monetary return and tourism boost is what's driving lots of other communities to establish their own photography festivals.

Check out the list of photo festivals below, and be sure to make your travel reservations ASAP. Note too that some of these festivals and exhibitions don’t yet have exact dates for 2014. Generally they are held around the same time each year plus or minus a few days. Since that first festival in Perpigan, I’ve been to dozens of others over the years. I’ve highlighted the ones I’ve attended in past and enjoyed. Now it’s your turn.

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

  • Visa pour l’Image, Perpignan (France), dates to be announced (last edition was held from August 31 to September 15) *
  • Getxophoto, Getxo (Spain), dates to be announced (last edition was 29 August – 29 September)

September

October

November

December

  • Miami Street Photography Festival, Miami, dates to be announced (last edition was held from 5 to 8 December)
  • PhotoNOLA, New Orleans, dates to be announced (last edition was held from 12 to 15 December)
  • Addis Foto Fest, Addis Abeba (Ethiopia), dates to be announced (last edition was held from 3 to 8 December)

(via: Fotografia Magazine. Photo: Les Rencontres d’Arles 2014)

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