Jeff Moorfoot, director of the Daylesford Foto Biennale, now renamed the Ballarat International Foto Biennale, said Hepburn Shire did offer "scope for expansion".

The festival, which debuted in 2005 and was held again throughout Hepburn Shire last year, was last week given to Ballarat City Council.

Mr Moorfoot said moving the photography festival to Ballarat offered an opportunity to take it to "the next level".

"Ballarat has some wonderful venues, great public transport access, a substantial population base from which to draw our committee members and volunteers," he said.

"The vision and support of the City of Ballarat gives us the potential to raise visitations by our already quite substantial local, regional, national and international audience.

"The scope for expansion of the festival was limited in Daylesford due to the lack of venues needed to attract participation by important Australian and international photographers, but we hope that Daylesford, as well as other towns in the Hepburn Shire, will continue to stage fringe exhibitions."

A media launch of the Ballarat festival was held last Friday.

Ballarat City CEO Anthony Schinck said photography was an artistic expression that could take many forms and the event had huge potential to grow.

"The Foto Biennale is a well-established major event with international credentials which is a perfect fit with Ballarat's positioning as an arts and cultural city," he said.

Meanwhile, Cr Bill McClenaghan said the festival committee's decision to move to Ballarat was disappointing.

"I imagine many people joined and volunteered on the basis it was a Hepburn Shire festival," he said.

"If I was a paid-up member I would be asking for a refund."

Cr McClenaghan said he believed the festival would become "commercialised and corporatised" and lose its local charm.

Councillors had been unaware of the move until they read last week's The Advocate, he said.