David Luxton: From the brink of death to the best of times

There I was, stuck in a busy hospital ward in Hong Kong asking friends to pop out to the shops to buy coffee and big nappies for me. This was not part of my Life Plan.

I’d almost died from a stroke and had to sit it out until my sisters got there to bring me back to Australia for intensive rehabilitation.

Out of hospital, I tumbled back into life and the repeated battles to get the supports I still need. It wasn’t perfect, but at least the troublesome hole in my heart was fixed and I could move around again.

Time for a reset, I moved back to my hometown in Toowoomba.

Growing up here as a teenager, hours were spent in my room with the Post Punk soundtrack of my youth, absorbing the culture-shifting fashion and photography of The Face magazine. Art classes and stills from Bergman, Resnais and Antonioni films gave me an instinct for composition. My first girlfriend introduced me to the glamour of Harper’s Bazaar and the fresh, sun-drenched imagery of Dolly magazine. I was part of the generation first spellbound by Steve McCurry’s green-eyed Afghan girl.

When my brother-in-law handed me his Canon AE-1, I knew the photo I wanted: Dad – beer glass raised to drink, tightly framed against the creamy background. A simple idea was now forever on film; I was hooked. At school, my journalism work experience gravitated to the photo department and having a camera became one of life’s necessities.

Now again, I’ve picked up a camera.

I still limp around and shoot one-handed, but I get it done.

Through my camera, I can erase the darkest of moods with visions of splendour. It’s my catalyst for life - from the worst of times to the best of times.