December 2009
The past few months have been busy with a range of dance-based projects. Sam shot the new campaign for Restless Dance Company (keep an eye out for these striking images in 2010) and has been working with Ausdance SA on a range of shoots including Fresh Bred, Choreolab, and their Artists -In-Schools program. 'Jacob', a short film that Sam did the stills photography for, is being screened on ABC TV in the 'The New Black ' broadcast - see below for one of the images that has been used extensively to promote the film. The New Black is a collection of impressive short films featuring Indigenous stories, authored and crafted by Indigenous people, and told in innovative and compelling ways.

October 2009
Sam's most recent body of work, Short Circuit, was recently shown in the core program of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale. The exhibition, held across 6 bays in the Ballarat Mining Exchange, presented new photographic typology installations along with new moving-image timelapse works. Sam is also delighted to have been shortlisted for the Head On Portrait Prize 2009 (a late mention on this website).

June 2009
Silvertrace has been busy with a range of work in theatre and continuing work with councils and independent artists. Sam has also been working as the artist in residence at Kidman Park Primary School, working with year 6&7 students on developing photographic monatge work for an exhibition called Snap! - Colliding Anologue and Digital Worlds. Sam's work on the feature film Lucky Miles has been used on the cover of a new book (published by Intellect Ltd) called Diasporas of Australian Cinema, which is the first volume to focus exclusively on diasporic hybridity and cultural diversity in Australian filmmaking over the past century. This is what it looks like:

March 2009
Silvertrace has expanded with the fantastic Benjamin Liew joining the studio! Ben is an award winning photographer well known for his pet portraits and his work for the Animal Welfare Laegue. He shoots commercial products, fashion, corporate portraits, weddings and more, so check him out at www.benjaminliew.com.au. Sam has been busy with a new body of personal work, having been invited to show in the core program of the Ballarat International Foto Biennale in September this year. She has been continuing to work on a range of film projects, this months working with Gillian Armstrong on her ongoing documentary series. Sam has also had a baby boy, born on January 3rd - the gorgeous Jedd James! The film Closed for Winter (renamed from it's working title Elise) is being released around the country next month. Here is the poster for the film, with Sam's photography:

August 2008
Well, it's been a VERY busy few months at Silvertrace, with the usual broad range of shoots across film, dance, theatre, commercial and portrait jobs. Highlights include the photography for an annual report, and a promotional brochure for Fusion, stills on a feature film with Hugo Weaving, a cover image for Helpmann Academy, and presenting the AntiStatic ReelDance Festival in Adelaide. Sam worked with dancer Billie Cook on a new interactive Moving Image work for SALA 2008, and continued to work with Ausdance SA on a range of images for their projects. Sam has also been involved in working with the City of Port Adelaide Enfield on a PhotoVoice project, with Marion Council on documenting their public art, and with Carclew Youth Arts Centre on DVFM with a group of wonderful young Indigenous girls in Murray Bridge. Goalpost Pictures has put an image gallery of Sam's stills from the upcoming feature film ELISE (with Natalie Imbruglia) on their website - You can check them out HERE.

May 2008
Sam has recently returned from a dance film workshop in Sydney, working with UK dance filmmakers Katrina Macpherson and Simon Fildes on a 3-day investigation into ways of looking at the relationship between the camera and improvised movement. Whilst in Sydney Sam worked with choreographer Sue Healey to document some of the work emerging from her residency at Performance Space. Sam is curating AntiStatic Reeldance Festival 2008 in Adelaide, whilst continuing to shoot a range of commercial work and studio portraits.

TO DOWNLOAD AN ENTRY FORM FOR CINETIC:SOUTH AUSTRALIAN DANCE FILM SHOWCASE 2008, CLICK ON THIS PDF. The deadline for entries is on Friday 11 June 2008, and works need to be submitted to Ausdance SA.

Nov/Dec 2007
Sam has been working on the feature film ELISE, produced by Essential Pictures in association with Kojo Pictures and starring Natalie Imbruglia, Tony Martin and Deborah Kennedy. Sam is also curating a South Australian Dance Film Festival in associtaion with Reeldance's national touring program, supported by Arts SA. Sam supported Unley Council with their MOVEMBER portraits, and also worked with Carclew Youth Arts, photographing their performers for the 2008 'Playfull' promotional material. In the meantime Sam continues to work with independent artists to produce promotional images for their work - here is a recent shot for choreographer Felecia Hick's upcoming project 'To Left Front':

May 2007
The PhotoArts section has finally been updated! A range of portfolios presents work produced and exhibited since 2003. Check it out...

March / April 2007
Sam has been working on the ABC TV series 'Rain Shadow', starring Rachel Ward and Victoria Thaine. The TV portfolio will be updated shortly to reflect some of the portraits shot to promote the show. Sam has also been working on an ARTS SA and Besen Foundation funded dance film project. Mentored by Sydney-based dance filmmaker and choreographer Sue Healey, Sam has been working with local dancers Billie Cook and Sarah Cartwright, along with choreographer Felecia Hick, to develop a short dance film MUTE:STARK:RICH, based on the text Chroma by Derek Jarman. Sam has also been working with choreographer Ana Grosse on a dance development 'Returning Again', producing 3 film-based projections to be integrated into the movement-based performance.

January 2007
The PORTRAITS portfolios are being overhauled. There is the addition of the Corporate Portraits and Headshots portfolios, as well as a specific Dance & Theatre portfolio. Stills from the TV series The Fairies, and the feature film Lucky Miles, have ben added to the film & TV portfolios. Headquarters Collective has launched a new website profiling artists based at the studio, as well as listing events and workshops so check it out at http://hq-studio.com/. HQ Gallery at the studio (15 Kingston Ave Richmond South Australia) is showing recent work by Sam, with personal work produced over the past 4 years. Here is an example of recent personal work (Cool Love IV, 2006):

Nov / Dec 2006: Sam is working as a stills photographer on the feature films Ten Empty (Yeah Right Pty Ltd) and Hey Hey it's Esther Blueburger (EB Productions), as well as the television series The Fairies (Hypervision). A profile on Sam's work has been published in the Nov-Dec 2006 issue of Capture Magazine.
August 2006: SALA Festival 2006 is upon us, and Headquarters is launching HQ Gallery with the exhibition 'Soft Around the Edges', an exhibition of work by leading South Australian photographers working with low-fi capture devices to produce their work. Soft Around the Edges presents work by Eric Algra, Don Brice, Simon Casson, Andrew Dunbar, Lachlan Millard, Sam Oster and Ronda Wallis..... more
July 2006: Sam is working as a stills photographer on the feature film Lucky Miles, set in the Australian Outback. Sam's work is featured in the article "Screen Savers" in Adelaide's Advertiser newspaper (Review Section, Sat July 29th 2006, p6-7) ... more
June 01 2006: Sam's work is currently in a contemporary photography group show: 'Surface Residue' at Adelaide Central Gallery... more
April 12 2006: Headquarters Collective, the home of Silvertrace along with 4 other creative groups, is launched ... more
February 15 2006: Silvertrace website receives a facelift... more
January 2006: Sam's work is currently being exhibited in the group show Influx ... more
December 2005: News of recent film stills and fashion work... more

Update Nov / Dec 2006
Sam is working as a stills photographer on the feature films Ten Empty (Yeah Right Pty Ltd) and Hey Hey it's Esther Blueburger (EB Productions), as well as the television series The Fairies (Hypervision). Stay posted for the launch of these portfolios (along with the feature Lucky Miles) early in 2007. Sam has also been on set on the experimental low budget project Boxing Day (Kriv Stenders) for an On-Set article for Inside Film Magazine (published Feb 2007). A profile on Sam's work has been published in the Nov-Dec 2006 issue of Capture Magazine.

Update August 2006:

SOFT AROUND THE EDGES - HQ Gallery launches at Headquarters! For its inaugural public exhibition, timed for SALA Festival 2006, HQ Gallery presents ‘Soft Around The Edges’, an exhibition of “low-fi” contemporary photography by leading South Australian photographers. Soft Around the Edges presents work by Eric Algra, Don Brice, Simon Casson, Andrew Dunbar, Lachlan Millard, Sam Oster and Ronda Wallis..... more

Artist Talk - FRIDAY 18th August 2006, 6pm @ HQ Gallery. 15 Kingston Ave Richmond. Please come along for free drinks, information, and inspiration!

Update July 2006: Sam's work is featured in the article "Screen Savers", by Patrick McDonald in The Advertiser newspaper (July 29 p6-7)

Update 1 June 2006: Sam's new work is currently in an exhibition of contemporary photography at Adelaide Central Gallery. The exhibition 'Surface Residue' is a fantastic collection of recent work by 11 artists, and all photographic work on show was required to be non-digital in production. Sam is showing new work examining the good ol' fashioned teabag, with a series of large tea-stained fibre prints, and a series titled 'English Breakfast' featuring polaroid teabags. The exhibition runs from June 2 - June 25 2006. Below is an image from one of the polaroid teabags..

Update 12 April 2006: Headquarters Collective had a fantastic opening night party to celebrate the launch of the new space. Silvertrace, along with Road Movie, Storyland Media, Room One Productions and Unreasonable Adults, presented new work to invited guests at a packed-out screening of the collectives' media work. A collection of Sam's recent photo-media work "Appliance" is on show in HQ gallery, a dedicated exhibition space at Headquarters. Silvertrace's studio cyclorama was set up for people to make self-portraits, and a fantastic collection of images was produced on the night (if you were there and want a JPG of your portrait, contact sam directly). Tom and Mary (below, left) Belinda Schenk (below, centre) and Chris Middleton (below, right) had a go in the studio...

Here are some images of the main studio and gallery at Headquarters (above).

Update January 2006:

Sam's moving image work screened at Artspace at the Adelaide Festival Centre for the SALA Festival 2005, and she curated the AntiStatic Screen Dance 2005 Festival as a curator-in-residence at the Media Resource Centre and Mercury Cinema (Nov 2005). Her film 'Circuit', produced with choreographer and dancer Felecia Hick, is part of the Cinetic showcase of South Australian Dance Films currently touring to Sydney and the UK. Below are images Sam shot as promotional images for the Antistatic festival, featuring dancers from Australian Dance Theatre (ADT) : Larissa (below left) and Tim (below right).

Sam has recently shot stills for the short film 'The Wish', and the SBS Documentaries 'My Voice' and 'Fare Dinka', as well as the feature film 'Like Minds' (written and directed by Gregory Reid) for Bluewater Pictures (Sydney), starring Toni Collette. Sam's work is featured in a fashion spread in SA Life Magazine's February issue, where she worked with local artist and stylist Poh Ling Yeow. Her work graced the cover of a recent issue and has featured in editorial spreads in a range of issues across 2005.