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Toronto Portrait Photographer || HEARTshots || Black + White Photography

Memoirs and musings of Darius Bashar. Toronto portrait photographer and writer, in pursuit of all things real, raw and intimate. 

Posts in Tip Tuesdays
I Don't Want To Do Anything

It’s been 4 days since I posted on social media. It’s been 9 days since I’ve been to the gym.

And despite feeling rested, well fed, and full of quality time with my loved ones, I’m also feeling overwhelmed after the long weekend.

My inbox is a mess, my digestion is way off, and a part of me wants to isolate myself and give up.

This is the feeling of a lack of forward moving energy.

A lack of MOMENTUM.

Can anyone else relate? If so, this post is for you.

Anyone caught in that heavy, slow, sluggish, depressed energy this morning. 

Anyone having a hard time finding #motivation or #hustle. 

Anyone who hasn’t posted on social media in a while and is feeling the pressure.

Anyone feeling isolated and alone as a result. I want you to know that we’re in this together. I feel it too.

I know how much it sucks, and how helpless it can feel. I also know how magical it is to ride the wave of momentum energy. Honestly for me it’s the greatest feeling on earth.

So for today’s Tip Tuesday, I don’t have any clever shortcuts for you. Because the only way around it, is to MOVE. 

-> movement
-> creates
-> momentum

It sounds overly simplistic and obvious. If that turns you off or irritates you I get it, but that doesn’t make it any less true. Because movement creates momentum. So let’s take the first step together.

We can start slow. It doesn’t matter how big the first step is, it just matters that we take it.

And as my friend Sal said this morning, the train feels heavy when it first starts moving. But it’s also impossible to stop at full speed.

Got any advice for restarting momentum after a few down days? If so, please share your experience in the comments, and help the rest of us ride the next wave of momentum into the sunset.

- - - - - - - -

Shoutout to Alex Charfen and Giovanni Marsico for giving me so much clarity about the power of momentum. I’ll never forget Alex’s short but wickedly powerful talk on the topic at Archangel Academy last February in San Diego.

Momentum was something I could always feel to be true, but didn’t have the language to describe. His talk honestly changed my life by validating my experience as well as providing me with that language.

Uploaded by Darius Bashar on 2019-10-15.

How To Find Your Dream Clients in 90 Seconds (or Less)

Here’s one of my favourite and most effective secrets.

I use it to help people quickly find their dream clients before I photograph them.

What I love about this process is how simple it is. It cuts through all the overthinking and paralysis, and within minutes helps you get crystal clear on who your audience is for our photo session. And also for your overall brand and business too. 

Who knew that a simple tool could help you laser in your focus on the people you are most capable of helping? Which of course, will also help you bring in profit faster. 

PS:: I can’t say if this tip is effective across all industries and all business models. But I do know that it works for heart-centred thought leaders. So if you are a coach, speaker, author or entrepreneur, then this is for you.

Do you guys have any other tips on how to find your dream clients? I’d love to hear them in the comments below. 

Uploaded by Darius Bashar on 2019-10-08.

How I Generated Over $20,000 Last Month From My Dream Clients

Last month I generated over $20,000 of new business. 

Maybe for some of you out there this is all in a day’s work / not a big deal.

And maybe for others, $20k is a whole lot of money / an exciting goal.

For me, I’m really proud of myself. It was a lot of hard work.

What’s more important is that 100% of it came from people that represent my dream clients. 

While there were many factors that helped me achieve this milestone, there is one in particular I want to share with you today. 

Uploaded by Darius Bashar on 2019-10-01.

Why It's So Important to Feel Nervous Before A Photography Session

“I am so nervous!”

This is actually the number one thing I hear when people call or email me to book a HEARTshots session.

Believe it or not, I LOVE hearing this. Seriously.

When I find out my client is nervous before a photography session, it gives me so much confidence and comfort. It’s not because I’m a cruel person who likes when people feel uncomfortable; it’s because YOUR NERVOUSNESS tells me 3 very important things about you:

1) Your nervousness tells me that you’re willing to be real and honest with me.
2) Your nervousness tells me that you are brave. Because it takes courage to tell someone you just met that you are having an emotional experience.
3) It tells me your emotions are activated, which is a wonderful thing because it means your heart is waking up.

Today’s Tip Tuesday video dives into why I think it’s important for you to embrace your nervous feelings, why your nervousness is actually a part of your authentic self-expression.

Uploaded by Darius Bashar on 2019-09-24.

5 Tips For Making Instagram + Facebook Videos That Don't Suck

In under 2 years, I grew my passion for photography into a multiple six-figure business. Lots of people don’t realize I’ve only been a full-time photographer since January last year.

So how did I stand out in the market?

Here’s what I noticed:

Many photographers in the city appear super cool and mysterious, especially when it comes to their video content.

In fact, photography (like so many other creative fields) often has this mysterious, “cool kid” approach.

And it got me thinking…

What if I did the COMPLETE OPPOSITE of what the industry expected of me?

I knew deep down that this could be my opportunity to build my brand: by doing something TOTALLY DIFFERENT than most other photographers in the city. Instead of trying to be something I’m not (mysterious + super cool), I decided to use free video platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to share my REAL and goofy self with the world.

So… seeing how it’s #TipTuesday, here are 5 video-making tips I’ve gathered over the last 2 years that help me generate real PAID clients.

Uploaded by Darius Bashar on 2019-09-17.

The One Tip That No One Will Tell You To Help you Take Better Photos

No one else will tell you this. Are you ready for this week’s #TipTuesday?

On the surface this tip sounds ridiculous and you might have a strong reaction against it.

Also, it only applies to people who DO NOT enjoy having their photos taken (so pretty much everyone I work with).

But hear me out, because this is a game-changer for so much more than photos. It works for essentially anything that scares you.

This tip is also easy to dismiss, but if you are willing to actually observe your feelings when you take a photo (or do something that scares you), you will see just how VALUABLE this tip is.

Enjoy!

Here's a tip that no one else will ever tell you for taking better photos. It's a game changer. #betterselfies #howtotakebetterphotos #selflovecoach

Want to Take Better Selfies, Try This (#TipTuesday)

With my eyes closed, I can tell you how our photoshoot is going.

If I can hear you doing this one trick, then I know the photos are going to be great.

But here is the thing… 100% of the people I work with don’t do this when we start shooting.

It’s the most natural thing to do for humans, but place a camera in front of someones face and EVERY single person I have worked with SUCKS at this very simple thing.

So watch this video and remember how to instantly make the photos better. Every single time.

Every Tuesday I share one tip to help you take better photos of the real you.

You Are So MUCH MORE Than Your Niche

You are so much more than your niche and your social media content can reflect that. Don’t be afraid of showing your audience the real you! Here’s what I mean:⁣⁣⁣⁣

👉🏽 Bring them on vacation⁣⁣

👉🏽 Bring them into your family life⁣⁣

👉🏽 Bring them into your current challenges and the MESSY parts of your business / life⁣⁣

👉🏽 Bring them into your past mistakes and life lessons⁣⁣

👉🏽 Bring them into your PLAY and JOY⁣⁣

Because at the end of the day, when we show people the REAL us, we build trust. ❤️⁣⁣

PS: Want your pictures to show the world the REAL you?

Take a look at my HEARTshots promo this month -> www.dariusbashar.com/heart-shots

Let people see you.

How To Build Trust With Your Smile (Tip Tuesday)

Here is a quick and practical tip to help you instantly build trust through your smile.

It was inspired by hundreds of people who have expressed concern around not being able to smile on camera, in a sincere way.

This is probably the top complaint I hear from people prior to our shoot.

“As soon as there is a camera on me, I forget how to smile! I always feel awkward and fake on camera.”

I hear ya friends. This video can help!

Here is the a quick and practical tip to help you instantly build trust through your smile. It was inspired by hundreds of people who have expressed concern around not being able to smile on camera, in an sincere way. This is probably the top complaint I hear from people prior to our shoot.