“Thanks for putting on the conference. There were some amazing guest speakers and amazing photographs shown. For me I was torn from what I thought I would enjoy the most to others who just blew me away. Eugene Tan was amazing such a vibrant full of life personality and it shows in his photos but such a down to earth person, Alexia Sinclairs photos were just - Wow... the level of prep for each photo shoot is again just perfect and her photos blew me away, but Jack Picone made for the most raw and realistic in what he does with documentary photography he opened my eyes a little more and a shout out to Ken Duncan who was fun and entertaining and made sense of what he does and why... and Murray Fredericks Salt was again another OMG moment to see how these photographers do what they do and what gives them the wow factor was a unique experience ... The other guests were equally as grand too 🙂
Ray Martin was a great commentator for the event too 🙂 Well done and Im glad it went off so well ! And the products - there were so many prizes given away I was so jealous of those who won too hahhaha but seriously well done Great Event”
Allison Aitken
“Amazing! What an insight. Not something you normally get the chance to be a part of. Well done to Glenn and the team. Some of the greatest minds and personalities in Australian Photography. As nearly all of the speakers touched on; we all see the success but rarely the failures and the journey that leads to that success. These wonderful people are human after all! Very informative and inspiring from each of them. They all deserve every ounce of their success as their sacrifice and perseverance is something most and even I will never fully understand. I think Ray compared their level of dedication to athletes or sportsmen/sportswomen. Something that is not far from the truth at all. Thanks again and see hopefully see you again next year!”
Glenn Mccusker
“The Aperture conference was a fantastic initiative that gives photographers in Australia a chance to hear their individual and unique journeys. I did find that Megan Lewis was quite "off script", and her photography story was secondary. The enduring theme to me was that each person has their own photography journey and development, just as we all are not the same person. I would have liked to have had Ray Martin do a short 1:1 Q&A with each presenter in addition to the group Q&A's.
The venue was fantastic, but a little disappointed that there were so few photographic industry vendors at the expo display. Hoping this will increase as word gets out how successful the 2018 conference was. Ray Martin was the perfect person to compare the event, showing his enthusiasm for photography as well as being a master of media presentation. A wonderful beginning for the future of Aperture. Thank you Glenn for your vision and dedication. Well DONE!”
Phil McNamara
“An absolutely fantastic weekend of photography knowledge being shared by 8 wonderful speakers. A great diversity of genre covered by the speakers and the wonderful Emerging Photographer, the young man from Cooma. I hope to see more of this young man in the future. I had tears from one speaker. Megan Lewis touched me so deeply with her images of her dad. Very close to my heart. Looking forward to another convention in 2019. Great venue. Easy to get to with bus and the light rail to the door. Congratulations Glenn and all the organizing team. Everyone was so friendly; and even on the rail back to Central, 3 of us just started talking about the weekend. GREAT WEEKEND!”
Jane Flood
“I was unsure what to expect from the first Aperture Photography Conference, but I'm very pleased I made the trip to Sydney to be part of what I hope becomes an annual event. I'm sure that this conference will go from strength to strength. The weekend was full of wonderful stories and I for one will be dusting off the camera and getting back out there.
Congratulations to Glenn and all involved, looking forward to the next one!”
Claire Heath
“A big thank you to Glenn for the idea of bringing photographers of all levels and ages together to hear our Australian & New Zealand Masters of Photography share their inspiring stories and passion for photography.
It was great to hear all eight photographers with their diverse knowledge and various styles put things into perspective which gave us all the motivation to keep learning every day.
The best preparation for tomorrow is to do our best today and to try and try again; and know we all learn from our mistakes, so never give up!
Also a big thank you to the Master of Ceremonies Ray Martin who ensured all presentations were timely and flowed smoothly and engaged the audience with the panel discussions.
Again thank you Glenn for a fantastic weekend, I know from the concept, research, development, marketing and staging an event is not easy, so thank you, you did a great job.
I am looking forward to the next Aperture Conference.”
Virginia Cross
“Thanks for a great weekend, all speakers were very inspirational, it was fantastic to hear about their journeys and experiences! I'm a professional graphic designer, I just love photography and the billion stories out there, but some of the things shared, especially by Eugene Tan, Megan Lewis and Krystle Wright, were helpful for my journey too.
I'm looking forward to 2019 and another round of great Australian photographers.”
Astrid Wehling
“To be honest, I was unsure exactly what I was expecting to take away from the Aperture Australia 2018 conference, but I was nonetheless full of hope and expectation. Very glad that I made the journey to Sydney to attend as I was not disappointed and came away so inspired and re-energised. What an amazing line-up of speakers!! The photographers each had a very unique journey to share and were all very humble about their work and achievements, yet so generous, entertaining and inspiring. The venue was very easy to get to on public transport and Ray Martin a great choice as compere.
If I could suggest any improvements for subsequent years, it would be to have a bigger and better range of stalls in the foyer, perhaps some networking opportunities for attendees, and to consider hosting the event in a different city each year.”
Anne Morley