Silvertrace presents a broad portfolio of work by photographer and photo-media / moving image artist Sam Oster. Based at Headquarters, a collective of creative media artists in Richmond, South Australia, Silvertrace has recently upgraded the studio facilities with a cyclorama and change and make-up room, with a large and small studio for studio and daylight portraiture and still-life. The studio is available for hire to photographers and filmmakers. You can download the studio hire info sheet for the mini cyclorama here.

Silvertrace offers a full range of contemporary photographic services with digital image capture and post production, whilst still maintaining expertise in silver-based and alternative processes. Principal photographer Sam Oster specialises in photography for Arts & Entertainment, and balances location and studio work with an active photographic teaching career. She also freelances as an occasional film journalist and project coordinator for arts projects. Sam's interest in Dance Film has seen her curate an international program of dance films at the Mercury Cinema in Adelaide, and produce and direct her own dance film work.

Recent and current clients include Magazines (SA Life Magazine, Inside Film Magazine), Corporate Clients (Fusion, Arkajon Communications, Cheetham Salt), Performance Companies (Windmill, Flugle, Restless Dance Company, Vitalstatistix Women's Theatre, Grace & Grunt), Film Production Companies (Essential Pictures & Kojo Pictures, Southern Star Productions, EB Productions, Yeah Right Pty Ltd, Short of Easy Pty Ltd, Q Productions, Vida Films), Local Government (City of Marion, City of Unley, City of West Torrens, City of Port Adelaide Enfield) and independent dancers and performance artists.

Whilst working in the UK in 2003, Sam was awarded a British Journal of Photography 'Venture Portrait Award', and was shortlisted for the London Photographic Awards in the PhotoArts section (2003). Sam has work in the touring SBS Federation Square Art Award, and is currently working on a range of personal projects whilst teaching photography at the Centre for Creative Photography. Sam exhibits work regularly, most recently in the group show 'This Instant' at HQ Gallery, and at Adelaide Central Gallery in the group show 'Surface Residue'. She also produces Moving Image work (stay tuned for a portfolio section showing this work) and particpates regularly in SALA Moving Image.

Feel free to contact Sam with any enquiries or comments (see contact page).

silvertrace news...

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':

August 2007
SALA Festival at HQ Gallery! On show is local photographer Lisa Picciau's recent work, shot on large format around Adelaide at dusk. AND Headquarters Collective does Moving Image, with studio artists showing new moving image work. Sam has produced 'Teacup Ballet' with local choreographer Felecia Hick. Stay tuned for a posting of this work. The exhibition is on from July 27th to August 19th, open every day except Monday from 10am to 6pm.

June 2007
The Travel section has been updated just a little with a portfolio of images from NEW ZEALAND. Check it out...

HQ Gallery at the studio is presenting an exhibition of work by Lobethal-based artist Ervin Janek. Come along to an artist's talk by Janek on Thursday July 5th at 6:30pm as part of the Winter OPTIC NERVE program. You can download the flyer for details about the Optic Nerve event HERE (55KB PDF).

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

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