An accident in 2014 left me quadriplegic with no use of my legs, little hand movement and very limited ability to hold a camera. I was 41 years old with a wife and 10-year-old son, my life changed forever. It took two years just to get into a basic routine and begin to rebuild my life.

 

I grew up in New Zealand, finished university then got a job as a scuba diving instructor on a live-aboard dive boat on the Barrier Reef in Australia where I met Natalie, my Canadian wife-to-be. I arrived in Canada in 1998 and spent the first six weeks on a tiny island, part of the 30,000 islands of Georgian Bay, Ontario. We got married in 1999 and bought a cottage resort and restaurant business on another Georgian Bay island located close to the town of Parry Sound which we operated for the next 21 years.

 

I’ve always loved taking photos and upgraded my camera after my accident but found it difficult to operate. I tried different systems and setups but nothing really worked. 

 

Watching drone technology develop I finally took the plunge and it changed my life! Suddenly I could be outside and move freely almost anywhere I wanted, up, down, sideways and all under my own control! What an amazing feeling to see things from different angles and be able to take photos, easily adjusting position and camera angles which was so difficult with a standard camera. Even better I could fly from inside my home and travel long distances in the cold (it gets down to -30°C where we live in Canada). This literally changed my life as I didn’t feel so trapped indoors especially in the winter. I bought a software program and taught myself how to bring out the best in my photos. Posting them on Instagram and Facebook led to people asking to purchase images which in turn pushed me to build this website.

 

In late 2022 for the first time in 10 years, I (and my drone) made the long and difficult journey back to Wellington, New Zealand where I grew up and most of my family still live. It’s a fantastic opportunity to reconnect with them and old friends as well as a chance to explore and document some of the country from my unique point of view.

 

Matt - 2024