Stirling’s yearly Photography Festival is returning for its eighth consecutive year. The theme has been announced as ‘Beyond’, and will have major exhibitions from three award-winning photographers.
The festival will run from the month of August through to September in 2025 and will include fascinating showcases and presentations from contemporary photographers Ron O’Donnell, Simon Murphy and Jennifer Charlton.
Ron O’Donnell
In partnership with Street Level Photoworks of Glasgow, the organisers of the event are hosting the widely commended photographic artist Ron O’Donnell in his first exhibition in the city where he was born.
His career has spanned a respectable fifty years with multiple continents and both analogue and digital revolutions in photography, and this exhibit marks a touching chapter for him.
O’Donnell’s work will be shown as the opening of the Festival at The Tolbooth from Saturday, August 2 to Saturday, September 27. Ron was born in Stirling in the Raploch area in 1952, and despite having exhibitions shown globally, this will be his first in his hometown.
He was encouraged very early on by his art teachers in school and he was inspired by the Smith Art Gallery and Museum in the city. Ron started his photography adventures as a trainee at the University of Stirling’s Department of Education.
He then further went on to study photography at Napier Technology College in Edinburgh (now Edinburgh Napier University), where he now teaches photography as a senior lecturer.
The Artist’s Thoughts
Ron is praised for his spirited and amusing constructed images which explore themes of myth, allegory, identity, politics and mortality.
He said, “The project is about community and diversity. Govanhill is not without its problems, but it’s also a place where people come together and share culture and experience.
“I’m really excited to bring part of this project to Stirling for the Festival and see if it will connect outside of Glasgow.”
He added: “Personally, I feel the themes of ‘Belonging and Connection’ are universal. Especially in times where fear and exclusion seem to be a driving force, it’s important to open up and consider life from others’ perspectives. These portraits won’t give any answers but my hope is that they might trigger small reflections and maybe even lower a few barriers.”
Simon Murphy and Jennifer Charlton
There will also be exhibitions from photographers Simon Murphy with his exhibition called ‘Govanhill’, located at the Macrobert inside the University of Stirling, and Jennifer Charlton with hers titled ‘ A Hidden Community,’ located at The Barracks Conference Centre in the city.
Simon is a lecturer as Glagow Kelvin College and one of the Festival’s volunteers Caitlin Jardine is one of his studetns who played an important role in securing his exhibition. His exhibition will be shown from August 20 to September 20.
All Stirling Photography Festival organisers are volunteers, and part of the organisation’s aim is to empower young people to contribute to festival programming, build their professional networks and gain experience in programming and curating.
Jennifer, who won BIPP Scottish and Northern Ireland Sports Photographer of the Year, works in the highly male-dominated area of boxing; her portrait work will be on show from Monday, August 4 until Friday, September 24.
Last year, Jennifer made history as the first woman and digital image to win Scotland’s most prestigious portrait photography prize – the MPB Scottish Portrait Award Winner (Colour) 2024.
The winning photograph of a swimmer named John is one of a series from Jennifer’s BA Hons degree titled ‘A Hidden Community.’It depicts volunteers who each shared their stories and portrays how we live in a hidden community where mental health doesn’t discriminate.
The Festival
Also launching in August is the Stirling 900 photography book, accompanied by an exhibition at the city’s Church of the Holy Rude to showcase images from the book.
Stirling Photography Festival’s programme of free events runs throughout September, and more details will be published during August on the website.
The Festival is supported by long-term partners The Barracks Conference Centre, Go Forth Stirling BID, The Tolbooth, Macrobert Arts Centre and the Art Collection at the University of Stirling.
Meanwhile, sponsorship from local businesses has ensured the delivery of an exceptional programme of events and exhibitions. This year’s sponsors include The Robertson Trust, Untitled Barber Club, the Meadowpark Bar and Kitchen, Vialii Gardens, the Rotary Club of the Carse of Stirling and Nettl of Stirling, plus trade sponsors Gulabi and Analogue Wonderland.
Anyone interested in sponsoring the 2025 Festival can download an information pack from the website and contact Janie Meikle Bland here.
Featured image credit: Michael Prince. Ron O’Donnell’s exhibition includes this cardboard reconstruction of the lounge of his childhood home in Raploch.