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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. 

We Made It. That’s a fact. 

Two years ago today, the whole world shut down.

This was not easy. There were many really scary parts. It’s still often scary AF. 

But if you’re reading these words today, you made it to this point. That’s a fact. 

You did whatever you had to do to get here. And before I get back to building out my future, before I put on my cup-is-half-fullsilver lining glasses, I want to take a moment to acknowledge all of us for what we’ve been through. 

If you have a moment today, I’d like to invite you to take three deep breaths and reflect on how much our world has changed in the past 24 months. And if you’re open to it, take a moment to acknowledge what it took us to get here. 

It’s hard for me to look back. I’d much rather focus on the future, especially when the past has so many soft spots and painful memories. But in this moment, it’s not about good or bad memories. It’s just an acceptance that all of our lives have been forever changed. All of us, no matter what our beliefs, have been impacted deeply. 

Even though we might be scared, we are also resilient and resourceful. 

And when we pay close attention, despite all the chaos and uncertainty, we will find places in our lives where we are stronger, more rooted and maybe even more free. 

We have survived some of the most uncertain times in human history. 

And we made it. That’s a fact. 

Where it all began

Here’s a throwback to my first ever black and white portrait and my first ever write-up reflecting on the process. Looking back, I see a young and curious artist about to fall head over heels in love with a new lifelong obsession.

PS: love you Majid Hashemi ❤️

11/16/2016 - PORTRAIT #001 - MAJID "MACH" HASHEMI

The most memorable moment during the shoot was when I let Mach take a look at the first few photos. It was so I could show him what was working and where there was room for improvement. His curiosity and his fascination with the "different versions" of himself—as seen through the lens—left an impression on me.

This shoot gives me confidence that there is something very special in this style of black and white portrait photography and that the Universe wants me here. 



Sal TalonComment
A New Journey Together

Dear Little D,

I love your little mushroom haircut. 

I love how silly and playful you get.

I also love you when you are quiet or scared.

The next time you feel scared, remember that you don’t need to figure things out on your own. 

I’m here too. And I will always be here for you. Always. Always. Always. 

There are a lot of others here for you as well. They also love and care for you a lot. 

I know this can feel scary or overwhelming at times, because it’s been just you and me for a long time. 

But if you are open to it, maybe it’s time to let a few other people in as well.

No rush. No expectations.

Just an idea.

If it feels right, grab my hand and we’ll go on a new journey together. 

There are so many beautiful and uncharted adventures that we could explore. 

Love always and forever,

Big D

If You’ve Been Waiting For A Sign, THIS IS IT!

If you have ever wanted to work with me and my amazing team, this is your opportunity to do so at a fraction of the cost. 

I have 3 spots left for our Mini HEARTshots 1-Day Event in April.

  • We shoot in an elegant, spacious studio in Toronto

  • My professional behind-the-scenes team will make you feel like a star 🌟

  • BONUS training videos included to help you prepare before the shoot

  • BONUS live Q+A session on Zoom prior to our shoot to answer any lingering questions you may have

Lastly, the payment is split into two instalments one month apart to make it even more convenient and accessible. 

If you’ve been waiting for a sign, this is it. 🙌🏽

Let’s make beautiful photos and moments together!

To learn more about the Mini HEARTshots event, visit dariusbashar.com/minis.

Big love,

D

PS: HUGE shout out to the brilliant Brandon Ferguson for bringing this testimonial video to life! I am still blown away.

PPS: And of course so much gratitude to all the amazing humans who shared their experience so openly in this video. My heart is exploding with love. Thank you!

7 Things I Discovered After 1.7 Million Views on TikTok
  1. Don’t make content for yourself or people at your level. Make content for you 10 years ago. The simpler the lesson, the better.

  2. You can 100% change people’s lives with a simple 1-minute video. I have hundreds of comments, messages, photos and videos of people loving the way they look in photos again— people literally crying because they love the photo they took after they used the tip.

  3. There are so many kind people out there. The love on TikTok is truly beautiful and abundant.

  4. Mean and racist comments don’t bother me as much as I thought they would. It’s rare, but sometimes people go in hard on me, and nothing feels off boundaries for these people. But something powerful happens when you encounter that thing you were afraid of several times in a row. The first mean comment hurt a lot, and then each one after that had less and less impact. It’s like exposure therapy.

  5. Not getting it right is a secret weapon. In the past I wasted so much time trying to create the perfect video. Now I realize that making mistakes can encourage people to leave comments and increase engagement. For example: I didn’t mention what iPhone version I had and people have asked 100’s of times in the comments. This gave me a chance to reach out and connect with each person by answering their question. It also gave me an idea for a future video.

  6. All the attention can make you self-conscious. It feels amazing having over 55,000 new followers and almost 1.7 million new views in 48 hours, but there is a voice in the background that keeps whispering, “What if it all goes away?” But then a friend of mine told me that I’ve been doing this work for years and years. If it all goes away, I’ll keep doing what I do. (Thanks Sal.)

  7. There is absolutely a formula to making a captivating TikTok or Instagram Reel. The vast majority of people do not know about this formula. (If you want me to make a separate post on this, comment below or send me a direct message).

Good luck with your journey of sharing your passion, wisdom and aliveness with the world. I’m rooting for you. Let me know which of these discoveries resonated with you the most.

Big love,

D

Daniel Pillai HEARTshots

The first time I met Daniel was at this photoshoot. Before that, we knew each other on social media for over 10 years without ever being in the same room.

When we finally met in person, we instantly connected. 🙏🏽

Daniel was immediately drawn to the rose quartz gem on my necklace. Before I knew it, I was making him an extra frothy latte and he was pulling tarot cards for me and telling me all sorts of amazing psychic things about my life. Our hearts connected and there was immediate trust. 

Like two lifelong friends, we quickly dove into deep conversation. His openness and honesty encouraged my own. I love it when this happens with someone you just met. 

The photos turned out amazing, and a few days later we were on the phone booking his second shoot. 

The way Daniel uses the photos from his HEARTshots session on his website knocks my socks off. 🧦 They really pop and give you a sense of who he is. The entire site is done so well: professional, but also intimate and real. 

If you haven’t seen it I recommend taking a look —> danielpillai.com/about-daniel

Daniel, I can’t wait for our next playdate!

10 Spots Available

🌟 My one-day Mini HEARTshots event is back! 🌟

The last one sold out in 48 hours. There are only 10 spots available. 

The feedback from our first group in January was incredible. 

I knew people would like the Mini HEARTshots, but I didn’t realize they would be SUCH A HIT. The photos turned out amazing, and just as importantly: people had so much fun!

If you have ever wanted to work with me, this is your chance to do it at a fraction of the cost. 

  • We have an amazing studio in Toronto. 

  • You are going to love my team. They’re super skilled and also super kind. ☺️

  • I’m including some awesome bonuses too. 👀

All the details can be found at the link below:

www.dariusbashar.com/minis

I can’t wait to make beautiful things together with 10 new humans. 

Love, 

D

Change

When you photograph humans over the course of several years you inevitably get to see them change.

Their hair, their fashion, their bodies, their voices and even their hearts.

To watch them explore and discover more about who they are in this world is honestly one of the coolest things about being a portrait photographer.

These photos are from my second photoshoot with Kelly. Both shoots were electric, but also very different.

The first shoot was indoors and full of vibrance and joy. For the second shoot we were outdoors and we played a lot more with mood and drama. We also embodied a bit more wildness this round. In both sessions, I loved working with Kelly because of her reverence for both art AND play—two of my all-time favourite things.

It feels very special to witness humans as they grow and transition into new chapters of their lives. I can’t wait to continue watching and witnessing Kelly as she expands her magnetic energy into the world.

———

“The moon doesn't consider one phase better than another.
She just glows, equally stunning at each turn. Why should we be any different?”

Cristen Rodgers

Closer Than we Realize

The first time I saw Jenn I swear time stopped. 

My housemate at the time Andrew Peek was a founding member of Camp Reset and he had invited the whole leadership team to our place for their first ever team meeting. I was in my bedroom editing and I had to go to the washroom so I walked through the living room.

There were so many awesome humans there. But when I saw Jenn, time literally stopped.

It was as if we had met many times before. But I was in a committed relationship (and I also had to pee) so I quickly snapped back to reality and didn’t think twice about it. 

The second time I met Jenn was at Camp Reset. We didn’t speak at all. We barely acknowledged each other’s existence. Which made sense because we were total strangers, but also felt sad to the part of my heart that knew what we would one day become. 

The third time I met Jenn was in a photoshoot. She booked a black and white portrait session for her birthday. That day was the first time Jenn actually saw me. And everything changed.

On that day, our hearts met for the first time. We were both still in romantic relationships, so we decided to start a friendship. We texted about life, creativity and spirituality. It was heartwarming and totally platonic. 

Over the course of the next two years we became close friends. And then over time, our friendship slowly extended into a creative partnership. We did creative photoshoots together and even started a hilarious podcast were we talked about our dating lives. Our shared love for creativity and human expression brought us closer together.

Until one day we popped our heads up and realized with great surprise, “Holy shit… I think we both caught feelings.”

Now Jenn is the most important thing in my life. She’s brought more love, laughter and growth than I could’ve ever imagined. She’s taught me more about myself than anyone else. She’s my forever Valentine.

And to think she was sitting right under my nose for years!

Sometimes what we long for is closer than we realize. We just need to be willing to open our eyes and our hearts and let it in. 

I love you babe. 

Thanks for all of it. The ups, the downs and everything in between. I wouldn’t change a thing. 

Love, 

D

Day 10

It’s official: we’re halfway through the 21-Day Photo Challenge!

(If you include Day 0, which I do.)

I want to give a huge shoutout to the 196 humans who jumped in with me. I feel so inspired by all the emails, the photos, and the Instagram posts I’ve seen so far.

It gives me tremendous joy to support humans as they explore and expand their creativity. To witness how so many of you view your world and yourselves differently is one of the highlights of my photography career.

So far, we…

  • played with lighting and angles

  • practiced finding our best photo smiles

  • documented things that bring us joy and love

  • …and even invited our younger selves to the party!

We also challenged ourselves emotionally through journaling prompts, and maybe even discovered creative sides of ourselves we didn’t know existed.

If you started and took a break, or are only participating in challenges that resonate with you, that’s okay too! Each of us starts somewhere, and that means taking steps whenever and wherever we find inspiration.

Here are just a few of the many wonderful moments shared by our first group who were brave enough to join me on this creative adventure.

For anyone who is interested in joining the next 21-Day Photo Challenge, you can join the March group which starts on March 8th.

Click here to sign up.

Big love,

D

𝗠𝗢𝗥𝗘 𝗔𝗕𝗢𝗨𝗧 𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝟮𝟭-𝗗𝗔𝗬 𝗣𝗛𝗢𝗧𝗢 𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗟𝗟𝗘𝗡𝗚𝗘:

• Everyone is invited.
• The cost is $0.00.
• You don’t have to share any of your photos, but if you want to that’s cool too.
• The only tech you need is your smartphone camera and a journal.
• The journaling prompts are optional. You can write two sentences or two pages. No one will be checking your homework.
• The next challenge starts Tuesday, March 8th, 2022.

This is going to be fun! 🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽

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Special thanks to Adil Dhalla, Camille the Creatrix, Ruth W, Rachel Taylor, Julie F S, Lucille Castan, and everyone else who shared their photos with us so far. Keep sending us your photos. We love seeing them and celebrating you and your art.