In 2016 I embarked upon a fascinating journey: to photograph South Australia from the air to replicate the aerial photographs from pioneering aerial photographer, Douglas Darian Smith.

Darian Smith took thousands of photographs of South Australia during the course of the 20th century. Me and a team of friends picked our favourites (about 70 images), I then flew to the same place in the sky, and photographed the landscape. The result: a pair of before and after photographs; then and now, separated by more than 50 years.

In 2023 we published South Australia From Above: Views From Then And Now. Click here to buy.

My childhood dream of flying an aeroplane was finally realised less than a month after arriving in Australia 1999. I began monthly flying lessons (all I could afford at the time) at a small airfield north of Melbourne. Within a few short years I had my commercial pilot’s licence and my first flying job. More than twenty years later, I’m still flying, for both work and pleasure. My Piper PA24 Comanche has carried me to many corners of this vast country, places that I would never have expected to see.

Today I try to help young pilots realise their dreams, through my work with the Honourable Company of Air Pilots, an organisation which promotes the highest standards of aviating to pilots of all skill levels.

Life is a journey of exploration: every step we take is a step into the unknown; an unknown that can be both exhilarating and terrifying in equal parts.

My journey of exploration has taken me to lands I had never expected see, from the Himalayas to the South Pacific; from the Arctic to Africa, and many places in between. The landscapes, cultures and peoples to which I have been exposed have added a richness to my life for which I am forever grateful.

My current project of exploration is a study of the impact craters of Australia: the scars in the landscape, both large and small, created by comets and asteroids that have impacted this vast and ancient continent. The results of this study will be published in a book, to be co-authored with my son, Bradley Dare.

My relationship with fire goes back to when I arrived in the Adelaide Hills with my family in 2003. I quickly joined the Country Fire Service, and was a volunteer firefighter for over six years.

Following many years of fighting fires on the ground, and observing wildfires from the air whilst flying around Australia, in November 2019 I established FireFlight Technologies Pty. Ltd., a company dedicated to developing and delivering aerial fire mapping solutions to fire danger regions worldwide. FireFlight systems are regularly deployed during the Australian and North American fire seasons, helping fire agencies protect communities, properties and the environment.

I regularly give talks on aerial firefighting and how “wildfire intelligence” can be used to better fight fires. I even have a TEDx talk!