I am not sure what Helen meant by her answer in this video, but it hit hard.

Every time I watch her answer it impacts me deeper.

I am about to make an assumption and I could be way wrong. So if that’s the case, I apologize. But I have a feeling her answer is connected to the active war taking place in her home country.

The truth is I felt tongue-tied. You can hear it in my voice when she tells me she is from Ukraine.

I was nervous because I didn’t have the courage to say what I really wanted to say.

If I did, it would of sounded something like this…

How are you?

How is your family?

I am so sorry for what is happening in your home country.

It’s a tragedy. And my heart breaks everytime I hear about the pain and suffering that is taking place in your beautiful country.

AND…

I am deeply inspired by the tenacity and strength of the Ukrainian people.

The odds are so heavily stacked against them, yet they refuse to stand down.

I hope this war ends quickly and as peacefully as possible. There has already been way too much unnecessary suffering.

That would've been my truth.

But instead I said “nice” in a super high pitched tone.

It’s awkward and difficult for me to talk about war and death and pain with a stranger. I don’t want to upset them or overstep and make things worse.

This scenario has happened to me before. Toronto is my home, but Iran is my homeland—where I was born. So when a non-Iranian person reaches out to show support for the tragedies happening in my home country, it melts my heart.

Looking back, I wish I spent a minute after our photoshoot to have a conversation. Not for social media, but just as humans.

I think Helen started following me on IG, but I can’t find her.

Maybe one day we will talk to each other again.

Helen, thank you for your time. Thank you for your smile. And thank you for your truth in answering my question at the end. Whatever inspired your answer, I am grateful we got a few moments to make something beautiful together.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Helen and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

I became obsessed with photography 8 years ago.

Here’s what got me hooked…

When I started taking black and white portraits, I noticed something.

Every human I photographed had two deep feelings that were in conflict:

1. Every human wanted to be seen. And…

2. Every human had a fear that if people saw the real version of themselves, they wouldn’t be liked, loved or respected.

No matter what the person looked like, how old they were, how successful they were… each person I photographed had some version of this conflict.

I had it too. I still have it.

It takes a shit ton of courage to be yourself and to share your truth with the world: the mistakes, the disappointments, the big dreams of what we thought our lives would be.

People who are honest with who they are and what they have gone through will always have my highest respect. Even if their past was messy—mine certainly was.

Because when we share these things, it reminds us ALL that no one is perfect.

And that reminder is what makes us feel connected.

Not just to the person in the photo, but also to our own hearts.

Huge respect to Cody for being so damn real with his answer at the end of this video. Thank you brother for keeping your heart open and being willing to share your wisdom with me and the world.

Big love,

D

PS: In case you were wondering I always ask for permission from each person before I share their photos and their videos on social media. Always.

PPS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Cody and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

I have many goals and intentions for this year, but my most important goal is to follow Ryan’s advice at the end of this video.

I commit to being more compassionate, more patient and more kind to myself this year.

This doesn’t mean 2023 is going to be easy. I have an action-packed and ambitious year ahead.

But I can be really critical of myself, which is why Ryan’s advice is so meaningful.

Instead of celebrating how far I've come, in the past I would obsess over each and every mistake. Instead of focusing on what I was able to do, I would focus my attention on what's missing or what’s wrong.

It’s a heavy weight that I can now see has actually slowed me down over time.

Self-compassion and patience will give me energy to continue growing as an artist. I also believe that it will give me access to healthier consistency and allow me to burn out less.

So what would 2023 look like if we ALL decided to be 10% kinder to ourselves?

Notice that I didn’t say 100%.

And to be honest, I think even just 1% kinder would be a big deal for so many of us.

Thank you Ryan for taking time out of your day to slow down and make art with a stranger.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Ryan and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

There is a question that keeps haunting me. Maybe haunting is the wrong word. It feels more like flirting.

The question is this:

What if 2023 was the last year of life?

I’m grateful for the reminder of how precious and uncertain life on Earth can be. So this question doesn’t feel mean or malicious in any way. In fact, this question feels friendly, and to be honest I enjoy every time it crosses my mind.

Knowing that there is a last breath out there looking for each of us helps me focus my energy and attention.

I get to ask myself, if this was my last year on Earth…

• How would I spend it?

• What would I want to leave behind?

• Who would I spend my last few months/days with?

• What will I let go of?

• What will I be remembered for?

My suggestion is if there is something you really want to do, make 2023 the year you actually do it. Because there are no guarantees there will be a 2024.

Big love,

D

PS: I know my mom reads these so, mama, I am fine. I promise. Actually I feel better than I have in years.

Hi friends. 👋🏽 This will be my last post of 2022.

When I reflect on everything that’s happened, I know this has been a really special year.

This was the year I took my best photography tips, tricks and advice and shared it with you all through my social media channels.

I started with bite-sized photography tutorials on TikTok and Instagram reels in January.

People seemed to really love those videos. Within a few weeks my TikTok exploded—which currently sits at over 180,000.

My favourite part of this was when thousands of people across the world felt inspired to take photos of themselves, which led to people changing how they felt about themselves too. How cool!

In June I became curious about making art with strangers in the streets of Toronto.

I wanted to push the limits of what I thought was possible by taking beautiful photos of total strangers in only 30 seconds.

It was way beyond my comfort zone, but somehow it worked.

The photos were awesome and the connections with these strangers nourished my soul.

I shared the experience through short videos on my social media accounts. And Instagram seemed to love it, because my account exploded with 95,000 new followers.

But my favourite part of this project was receiving hundreds of messages from people all over the world telling me this project inspired them to take their own creative risks. How freaking cool.

I am beyond grateful for all the love and support this year.

It’s humbling.

It’s inspiring.

Sometimes it can even be overwhelming.

But mostly it gives me the energy and focus to continue doing this work.

So before I jump into the new year, I have decided to take a few weeks off social media to give myself some time to reflect, regenerate and rest.

I have a feeling 2023 is going to be an epic one and I need my batteries to be fully charged.

So before I go, I wanted to say THANK YOU.

You beautiful humans have made all the challenging parts of this past year worth it!

Your kindness.

Your support.

Your generosity.

Your brilliance.

I’m so freaking grateful for all the love. See you in 2023.

Big love,

D

On Saturday morning, I had the sudden urge to watch a few of the music videos I made almost 10 years ago. You might not know this, but before I was a photographer I was a cinematographer and director.

I usually avoid looking at the work from my past because it has a way of making me cringe. I can be hard on myself.

But to my surprise, I was impressed. As I watched these videos from a decade back, I was awestruck by how that younger version of me came up with so many creative ideas.

It might have taken me 10 years, but I finally felt able to appreciate my old work in a way I was not capable of at the time.

This experience made me wonder, “Why was I so hard on myself?”

What would have happened if I took 10% of that critical energy and poured it into encouraging and supporting myself?

I really appreciated Kalen’s message in this video to his younger self. This was certainly a message I needed to hear too.

Thank you, Kalen, for stopping and for taking a few moments to make art with a stranger.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Kalen and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

I’m looking for 4 people who want to learn how to use their cameras and learn the foundational principles of great photography and videography.

If you don’t have your own camera I have a few you can borrow.

Also, bring your iPhone/Android because I am going to show you my favourite tricks to taking better smartphone photos and videos too.

WHAT’S INCLUDED:

• 3-hour interactive workshop (not just theory!)

• Time to implement the lessons in real life (mini shoots)

• Watch me take portraits and ask questions

• BONUS: I will do a quick mini-shoot with each student

• Keep the photos I take of you (FULL HD)

• $100 voucher to book me for a photoshoot

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN:

• How to find the best light in any location

• How to get the best quality image possible with your camera

• Understanding the basics (aperture, shutter, ISO, autofocus)

• The science and psychology of camera angles and heights

• How to pick the best locations for your photos

• How to make your subjects feel comfortable

• How to look confident as both a photographer and model

DATE: Friday, Dec 16th
TIME: 12pm to 3pm
LOCATION: Toronto (Etobicoke)

Click the link for more info (including pricing) —> https://www.dariusbashar.com/workshop

This is Nico. He was the first person I approached in Vancouver. I had no idea what to expect because this was my first time photographing strangers in a new city.

I was in town for a week of portrait photography sessions. After my fifth shoot of the week, I was tired, 2 hours behind schedule, and ready to put my camera away for the day.

Instead I told myself, “Just one stranger, then we can go home.”

It’s always so nerve-racking when I start looking for someone to photograph. If you’ve ever asked someone out on a date, it’s a similar feeling.

I often get shy and chicken out with the first 3 or 4 people. Then eventually I build up enough courage to say hi to a stranger.

Even if it seems like I have it all together in the videos, honestly it’s an emotional roller coaster ride for me every time.

But here’s the thing…

All it takes is one yes—just one kind stranger to give you a few moments of their day—and all of the sudden everything shifts.

All the nervous energy instantly transmutes into excitement energy and then it’s GAME ON.

It’s as if I’m in a totally new body, with an upgraded brain.

Sometimes all it takes is a few seconds of bravery to change the course of your entire day, or even your entire life.

Thank you, Nico, for stopping and for taking a few moments to make art with a stranger.

Big love,

D

PS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Nico and taking these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok.

Sometimes the most productive thing I can do is to go slow and do absolutely nothing.

Sometimes the best thing I can do for my business is to put my phone away and go for a walk.

Sometimes the best life advice comes from eye gazing with a newborn baby.

This past week I spent quality time with family and friends in Florida. I was once again reminded that I am so much more than my work, and that life is so much more than checking things off a to-do list.

I used to think I was broken or that there was something wrong with me, because when winter showed up I became a totally different human.

The stark difference between Summer Darius and Winter Darius was really hard to accept.

If I wasn’t careful, Winter Darius would be very toxic and harmful to myself. I could easily disappear, sometimes for up to six weeks. My life would start to crumble, and the more time I was alone the harder it became to reconnect with the world.

At some points it felt impossible to get out of bed. I wouldn’t talk to anyone, unless I absolutely had to. And literally no one knew I was going through this, which only exacerbated the isolation and loneliness.

It felt as if in the summer months I was a fresh and fast-moving river, full of life and beauty.

And when November rolled up, that river started to freeze. And by December all life felt trapped in the cold ice.

The truth is, the surface does freeze over in the winter. But there are ways to keep the flow of creativity and life force energy moving underneath the surface all winter long.

Here 3 practical tips I now use every November to help myself more gently adjust to the changing seasons. —> watch on IG / watch on TikTok

If you have any good tips to fight off the winter blues please share them with me.

Big love,

D