Scream

Matt Byway is what I would call a mate. Although Matt is a newish friend, he was generous and brave enough to be the first cab-off-the-rank for my new photography project, “The Truth About Friends.”

From the moment I met Matt at a beachside cafe in Sanur, I found that his open attitude, generous thoughts, and honest insights allowed me to feel instantly connected. Sure, Matt is a good-looking, confident young man, but as always, there is a lot more to discover than what meets the eye.

As we shared time, I had a strong feeling that I had met a real fighter — not a guy that goes around overpowering others. But a man who has seen the scars life can leave and decided that was not for him.

So what is Matt fighting for?

Matt is simply fighting to be the very best he can be. He knows the worst and now walks a different path. Matt’s fighting soul has a sense of social justice that flows naturally from his every pore, motivating him to become a better man every day. 

Not to impress others, but to be brave enough to ask and answer the hard questions that lurk just beneath the surface; to be brave enough to evolve and become more than the man staring back at himself in the mirror.

Like many, Matt’s journey has been pitted against life’s ups and downs. Extreme experiences that have shaped him into the man we see before us now. He has been blessed with lessons from those he sees as role models and blessed with a questioning mind that searches the reality that we all share only to ask why?

Why does it have to be this way? Why can’t it be better, fairer, kinder? Why can’t we be better than this, do better than this?

This spirit came through clearly in our session, as the mask we all wear was replaced by the screaming spirit of a fighter that lurks deep within us all, a fighter I believe I captured. 

Thank you for the privilege of sharing this session, and thank you for fighting for what you believe to be your truth.

Thank you, Matt.