NEW SYMRNA BEACH, Fla. — It used to be that Sam Scribner was the one in front of a camera, but four years ago, his life changed in a flash. 

“Perspective changes in an instant in an absolute instant,” says Scribner, a 26-year-old photographer.

“In April 2016, I was at a friend's house. It was a Friday night; we built a fire, and there was a little hammock next to the fire, and I was sitting in the hammock, and I went to go out, and I did a little swinging motion and my feet got stuck,” Scribner said.

His feet went over his head, and that's when he felt a pop. He quickly realized he couldn’t move, so his friends rushed him to a hospital.

“They said at that point, it was likely I wouldn’t be able to walk again,” Scribner said. 

He spent the next three months in the hospital, "doing rehab, getting reacquainted with the body and the new normal,” he said.

But since then, learning how to navigate a new world has given him a new outlook on life.

"I'm seeing things from a different perspective. ... Quadriplegia -- obviously, you know it (the word), but you don’t know the world that is quadriplegia,” Scribner said.

“I’ve just been able to put myself in shoes I never thought id be able to put myself in."

With a positive attitude and a solid support system, Scribner has turned a nightmare into a new-found passion, creating his apparel and media company, Muels.

“It was so difficult to go from expressing myself through surfing, through skating, through my work, through how I interacted with people, to now, I didn’t really have a way to convey that, and now I do through my camera, through my drone,” Scribner said.

Adapting and overcoming adversity has given him a different kind of thrill.

“Filming them do that surfing, skim boarding, playing in the waves, whatever it is, seeing them do that, it’s like I’m in the water again, I'm in the lineup, and that’s pretty cool," he said. "Whenever they do get a wave, they turn around and holler at me, and I holler with them, and that’s bliss.” 

Through his own journey, Scribner has discovered a need within his new community. 

“I've seen a lot of other people in the handicap world that make these videos, and you can see the struggle and turmoil they go through, and unless you have something that catches people's eyes, you’re never going to be able to get out of that,” Scribner said.

So he went back to school to refine his new skills.

“I would love to be able to help people who do need fundraising by making videos for them and help better their lives,” he said.

With a smile on his face and a camera attached to his wheelchair, Scribner is inspiring people one shot at a time.

“Keep an open mind and try things," Scribner says. "Don’t let your anxiety get in the way. Don’t let any apprehension get in the way. You’ll feel better once you do it."