We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Derek Demun. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Derek below.

Derek, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you tell us the backstory behind how you came up with the idea?

Growing up I was an extremely active kid in the actin sports world. From surfing to snowboarding to skateboarding, I did it all. During my high school years I dedicated myself to becoming the best surfer I possibly could and that was shown as I was named my high school surf captain for the Surf team at my local high school Huntington Beach High. Once I hit senior year thou my life was taking a different avenue as I started to dedicate all of my time to snowboarding. Once I graduated high school I decided that I did not want to drive to the ski resort anymore so I moved from the ocean to the mountains of southern Colorado. Specifically Telluride ski resort where I worked on the mountain and lived at the base of the resort where I turned my goal of not driving to the resort into having a lift chair in my back yard. From there I moved to Park City,UT where my roommates were from Australia. They convinced me to move with them to Australia and from there I decided I wanted to see the world via snowboarding. After Australia I moved to Lake Tahoe for the winter. Needing to earn money for my next plane ticket I took up a side job painting for a local ski resort. That’s when my life changed dramatically. One day at work I slipped off a gravel roof and broke my spine in 8 places instantly becoming a paraplegic. I woke up in the hospital to an entire new life and journey. It took me several years to find out what I would, should and could do with my life once again. I picked up a camera and decided to go back to my roots and take surfing photos/videos. From there the passion took hold and I found myself being hired to do photoshoots for some of the top surfers in Huntington Beach,CA where I was originally from and currently lived. The passion for my new career started venturing out into the corporate world where I was being tasked with product shoots for some great companies. Adding weddings, portraits, family and whatever else I was asked to capture to bring peoples cherished moments into physical memories. Now here I am today living a great life, having fun what I’m doing all the while not letting my physical condition stop me from accomplishing my goals.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Growing up I was an extremely active kid in the actin sports world. From surfing to snowboarding to skateboarding, I did it all. During my high school years I dedicated myself to becoming the best surfer I possibly could and that was shown as I was named my high school surf captain for the Surf team at my local high school Huntington Beach High. Once I hit senior year thou my life was taking a different avenue as I started to dedicate all of my time to snowboarding. Once I graduated high school I decided that I did not want to drive to the ski resort anymore so I moved from the ocean to the mountains of southern Colorado. Specifically Telluride ski resort where I worked on the mountain and lived at the base of the resort where I turned my goal of not driving to the resort into having a lift chair in my back yard. From there I moved to Park City,UT where my roommates were from Australia. They convinced me to move with them to Australia and from there I decided I wanted to see the world via snowboarding. After Australia I moved to Lake Tahoe for the winter. Needing to earn money for my next plane ticket I took up a side job painting for a local ski resort. That’s when my life changed dramatically. One day at work I slipped off a gravel roof and broke my spine in 8 places instantly becoming a paraplegic. I woke up in the hospital to an entire new life and journey. It took me several years to find out what I would, should and could do with my life once again. I picked up a camera and decided to go back to my roots and take surfing photos/videos. From there the passion took hold and I found myself being hired to do photoshoots for some of the top surfers in Huntington Beach,CA where I was originally from and currently lived. The passion for my new career started venturing out into the corporate world where I was being tasked with product shoots for some great companies. Adding weddings, portraits, family and whatever else I was asked to capture to bring peoples cherished moments into physical memories. Now here I am today living a great life, having fun what I’m doing all the while not letting my physical condition stop me from accomplishing my goals.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

Waking up in the hospital not knowing what had happened was the scariest moment in my life. From traveling the world snowboarding as a young man to being completely confined to a wheelchair was absolutely devastating. My goal in life was to become a paramedic that worked for a backcountry skiing outfitter. I had taken the necessary steps to becoming Avalanche certified in my field and was taking the proper steps in the paramedic world needed to be where I wanted to go. It was all over in the blink of an eye once I woke up in the ICU not being able to move my legs any longer. Several years later after the darkest period of my life I finally snapped to and started my new journey of becoming a photographer/videographer. Going back to my roots of surfing helped jump start the journey I know find myself apart of.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

Being able to pull myself out of a life changing injury where I have seen many people dwell in for far to long is my proudest moment. Being a voice for those newly injured or those still stuck in the depression following a life changing injury is my mission in life. Using my platform and photos to show them that there is a life after injury is the biggest reason I dedicated myself to being the best I can be and getting myself into places most thought was not possible for a wheelchair bound person to be.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.t8media.com
• Instagram: @t8media
• Facebook: godsgiftphotos/t8media

Image Credits

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