About Sam Irwin - Videographer Perth - My Background
- Sam Irwin Media
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
My earliest memories have nothing to do with cameras or film sets. They are of our family farm in New Zealand, watching Norwest sunsets turn the whole sky orange and red against the Southern Alps.
I have never seen sunsets like those anywhere else in the world.
My parents were passionate photographers and built their own darkroom at home.
I remember standing in it as a kid, watching images appear on paper in the developer trays, completely transfixed.
That feeling never really went away.
From the Farm to the Film School
Growing up around cameras and open landscapes gave me something that no film school could teach - a genuine curiosity about the world and a deep appreciation for the moments that actually matter.
I carried that with me when I moved to Sydney to study cinematography, graduating in 2010 with an Advanced Diploma in Cinematography from the International Film School Sydney.
From there, the career moved fast. Television commercials for Nike, Uniqlo, Rebel Sport, and Tefal. Music videos for Sony and EMI artists. Festival screenings at the Margaret River Film Festival. A nomination for Australian Music Video of the Year at the Triple J Awards.
Work that took me across Australia, New Zealand, Finland, and Southeast Asia.
On paper it looked like everything was going well. And in a lot of ways it was.
The Part That Does Not Usually Go in a Bio
After a decade of commercial work, something felt off. I was shooting great projects for major brands but I had quietly lost the thing that drew me to filmmaking in the first place.
The calm and clarity I used to find easily out in nature had been replaced by a low level of stress that I had just accepted as normal.
I decided to go back to New Zealand. Not to escape the work, but to find a way back to what made it meaningful.
I enrolled in a postgraduate course in Natural History Filmmaking at the University of Otago in Dunedin, a small city built around rolling hills and the Otago Peninsula.
On weekends I would head out into the landscape with my camera and notice how quickly I could reset. There was something out there that I could not manufacture in a studio or on a commercial set.
It was during this time that I came across the work of wellness teacher Irmansyah Effendi and a practice called Open Heart Meditation. I was sceptical but gave it a genuine thirty day commitment.
What I found was that the sense of calm I experienced in nature, that feeling I had been chasing, was actually something I could access anywhere. It came from the heart rather than the environment.
My friends started asking what I had been doing. I looked happier, they said.
I bring that sensibility into everything I make now. Not as a concept or a brand position, but as a genuine way of working. The best stories I have ever told on screen are the ones where the person in front of the camera felt genuinely at ease. That starts with how you show up on set.
What I Do Now
I am based in Scarborough, Perth, and operate as Sam Irwin Media. I work as a videographer across corporate, construction, documentary, commercial, and social media production for businesses, government bodies, and brands across Perth and Western Australia.
I am represented by RMK Crew Australia and have worked with clients including Sony, Nike, EMI, Uniqlo, Rebel Sport, Tefal, Coca-Cola, MediaCorp Singapore, the University of Western Australia, RSM Australia, the Department of Primary Industries, Brand Tasmania, Guzman Y Gomez, and more.
I hold a current White Card and CASA RePL drone licence, which means I can work on active construction sites and operate commercially licensed drones without the need for third-party operators.
My postgraduate training in natural history filmmaking informs the way I approach every project, whether that is a two minute corporate testimonial or a multi-day documentary shoot. I am interested in finding the real story, not the polished version of it.
Credentials
Advanced Diploma in Cinematography, International Film School Sydney, 2010
Graduate Diploma, Natural History Documentary Filmmaking, University of Otago
White Card — Construction Induction Training
CASA RePL — Remote Pilot Licence, commercial drone operations
Rated best photographer in Perth by Snappr
Margaret River Film Festival
Triple J Awards — Australian Music Video of the Year nomination
Work With Me
If you are looking for a videographer in Perth who will show up prepared, ask the right questions, and make content that actually works for your business, I would love to hear about your project.
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