Sam Oster is a photo-media artist working across a range of creative and commercial applications. She runs a photographic studio Silvertrace at the 'Cog Creative Space' in Norwood (South Australia) specialising in photography for the creative industries of film & television, theatre, dance and the visual arts. Sam exhibits regularly in group and solo shows. She was invited to exhibit in the core program of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale in 2009, where she showed both still and moving-image work alongside International and Australian artists. Her work was featured on the cover of the Art Almanac in June 2010. Sam also lectures in photography at the Centre for Creative Photography. She also produces moving-image work as an extension of her arts practice.

Across a 13-year career as a stills photographer in the film and entertainment industries, Sam has worked on a range of feature films, tv series, short films and documentaries, photographing well known personalities like Natalie Imbruglia, Hugo Weaving, Rachel Ward and Toni Collette. Sam also works in theatre and dance, producing a range of commissioned work for the creative arts industry. Her recent South Australian performing Arts clients include Ausdance SA, Restless Dance Theatre, Ladykillers, Flugle Theatre Company, Windmill Performing Arts, Carclew, Unreasonable Adults, Beat Company, and many independent artists. Sam does actor's headshots, portraits, key art for posters and publicity campaigns, and has worked with many magazines, including SA Life Magazine and Inside Film Magazine. Commercial clients include Arkajon Communications, Fusion, and The Jam Factory.

FILM & TELEVISION

PRODUCTION STILLS (selected projects)

Television
*Jillaroo :: Triptych Pictures :: ABC TV 2013
* Croc College :: Traveling Tales Productions :: ABC TV 2013
•Dinosaur Ltd  ::  Danger 5 :: Dario Russo 2010
•Southern Star :: Rain Shadow ::   Fiona Banks & Shawn Seet 2007
•Millennium Television :: McLeod’s Daughters :: Various Directors (Series 3) 2003
•Millennium Television :: McLeod’s Daughters :: Various Directors (Series 2) 2002
•Millennium Television :: McLeod’s Daughters :: Various Directors (Series 1) 2001
•Barron Television Ltd :: Chuck Finn ::  Various Directors 1999

Features
•The Place Between Pty Ltd :: The Place Between :: Directed by Bec Cole 2010
•Red Dog Film Project :: Red Dog :: Directed by Kriv Stenders 2010
•Essential Pictures :: Closed For Winter :: Directed by James Bogle 2007
•EB Productions ::  Hey Hey it’s Esther Blueburger :: Directed by Cathy Randall 2006
•Yeah Right :: Ten Empty :: Directed by Anthony Hayes 2006
•Liberty Productions ::  Forbidden Lies ::  Directed by Anna Broinowski 2006
•Short of Easy :: Lucky Miles :: Directed by Michael Rowland 2006
•Bluewater Pictures :: Like Minds :: Directed by Gregory Read 2005
•Smoking Gun Productions :: The 13th House ::  Directed by Shane McNeil 2002
•Gorilla Films :: Dope ::  Directed by J Harkness 2000
•Illumination Films :: Nijinsky ::   Directed by Paul Cox 2000
•Saylavee Productions :: The Dirt on Trish :: Directed by Sue Brown 1999

Documentary / Government
•Spirited Films :: Love, Lust & Lies :: Directed by Gillian Armstrong 2009
•Budaya Productions :: A Fighting Chance :: Directed by Mark Andersson 2007
•Q Productions :: My Voice :: Directed by Quentin Kenihan 2005
•Vida Films :: Fare Dinka ::  Directed by Sieh 2005
•Fishtale Films :: Amigos ::    Directed by Jessica Wallace 2001
•Saylavee Productions :: Moana – a Moshumentary :: Directed by John Martin 1999
•Flaming Star Films :: Visions of Yankalilla :: Prod. by Sharyn Prentice 1998

Short Films
•Blackfella Films ::  Jacob :: Directed by Dena Curtis 2009
•Closer Productions :: My Last 10 Hours With You :: Directed by Sophie Hyde 2006
•Storyland Media :: The Wish ::   Directed by Storm Ashwood 2006
•Jack Sheridan Films :: Yuri Shima ::   Directed by Jack Sheridan 2005
•Basey Films :: Dust Storm ::  Directed by Georgie Basey 2002
•SSCSH Productions :: Details of Daily Living :: Directed by Steven Savvas 1999
•Burnt Orange Prod. :: The Sweeper :: Directed by Julie Byrne 1998

Music Video
•Corridor Films :: Jeffery (Lazaro’s dog) :: Directed by Andy Marshall 2002
•Fritz Films :: Retaliate (Mark of Cain) :: Directed by Shane McNeill 2000

PRODUCTION CREW (Selected projects)

•Corridor Films :: Spirit of the West DVD :: Designer/graphic imaging 2003
•Corridor Films :: The Empty Room :: Production Design/Assistant Lighting 2001
•Corridor Films :: The Cruellest Night::   Writer / Producer / Director / DOP 2000
•Corridor Films :: The Balloon Man ::  1st Assistant Director 2000
•Corridor Films :: Henley Summer Sundays ::  Production Manager 2000
•Screen Creature :: The Vacant Room ::  1st Assistant Director 1998
•Screen Creature :: Finity :: Writer / Director / Producer / DOP 1996

PUBLICATIONS – writer / reviewer / photographer

• Inside Film Magazine :: Issue # 90 August 2006
 Studio portraits of Murali Thulluri for the feature article on 2:37
•Inside Film Magazine :: Issue # 80 September 2005
 Tech article on sound on Rolf de Heer’s Ten Canoes
•Inside Film Magazine ::  Issue # 65 May 2004
 Article on the South Australian film industry
•Inside Film Magazine ::  Issue # 46 Jan/Feb 2003
 Article on the feature film Travelling Light for “Features”
•Metro Magazine ::  Issue # 133 Summer 2002
  My Side of The Picture – article on production stills
•Inside Film Magazine :: Issue # 42 April/May 2002
 Article & images “Daydream Believer” on Jack Sheridan for “Radar”
•Independent Filmmaker Magazine :: Issue # 28 November 2000
 Article & images, ‘On Set’ “One Night the Moon” (Rachel Perkins)
•Independent Filmmaker Magazine :: Issue # 25 July 2000 
 Article & images ‘for ‘On Set’ - “Nijinsky” (Paul Cox)
•Independent Filmmaker Magazine :: Issue # 14 June 1999 
 Article & image ‘Location Vocation’ - “Where Credit’s Due” 
•Independent Filmmaker Magazine :: Issue # 9 Nov 1998 
 Article & image for ‘Australia’s Most Eligible Filmmakers’



 

Sam’s photographic portrait series of multicultural personalities in South Australia was published in "Cardinal Points", by Wakefield Press with Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre in 2001. Sam was Artist in Residence at Duckspool Photographic Centre in England in 2001, and her work toured with Country Art SA’s exhibition ‘Snapshot – SA female Photographers’ in 2002/2003. Sam was awarded The British Journal of Photography Venture Portrait Award in 2003, and her work was shortlisted for the Head On Portrait Prize in 2009 and again in 2010. In 2010 she was nominated in Capture Magazine’s ‘Australia’s Top photographers’ in the Portrait Category. She has also been awarded in the Australian Institute of Professional Photography (AIPP) annual awards. She was a commissioned artist for the SBS Federation Square Art Award, and her work has been broadly published. Her typology of irons (Apparatus Electralia Planus) featured on the front cover of the Australian Art Almanac in May 2010.