Darius Bashar
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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. 

Let Me Re-Introduce Myself

Hi, I’m Darius. It’s a new year, so I thought I’d take a moment to reintroduce myself. 

Maybe we’ve known each other for decades. Or maybe you found me on the internet recently.

Either way, it’s good to check in because all of us are changing every day. 

  1. When I was a kid, my dream was to play basketball in the NBA. I used to sleep with a basketball every night.

  2. In my late teens and most of my 20s, I had really bad acne which totally changed my personality. I was very insecure about my face. As a coping mechanism I unconsciously noticed how different lights either amplified or neutralized the texture of my skin. Later I would discover that this was the best training for a career as a photographer. It gave me a great understanding of how to work with lights, and more importantly: it gave me tremendous empathy toward other people who have insecurities about their appearance.

  3. I believe there is beauty, brilliance and bravery in ALL OF US.

  4. I also believe there is divinity in everyone. By “everyone” I mean every single human. Even those who we totally disagree with. Even those who have harmed us or abandoned us. Even those who have done terrible things.

  5. During the early days of COVID I kept getting a vision to start a community where people could come together to meditate and journal. I had never built a community before. I had never guided a single meditation either. I was terrified, but the vision would not relent. So I did it. That first guided meditation journey was with just me and 1 other person. It's been 20 months since then, and this community (Artist Morning) has been growing strong. There are a few thousand subscribers and followers on YouTube and Insight Timer, who start their day meditating with me. It's such an honour for me to connect with humans all over the world like this. I am grateful for each and every one of you.

  6. I make a living taking photos of humans… specifically, I take portraits of their hearts. There’s a whole process that I call HEARTshots. I have watched this process transform people’s lives. It’s so much more than epic photos; it’s an experience that reminds people of how beautiful, powerful, playful and brilliant they truly are.

  7. In 2022, I am bottling the best of my HEARTshots portrait experience into an epic online course called the HEARTshots Academy. The goal will be to teach people to take incredible photos of themselves. I believe every life is worth documenting. I believe every life is worth remembering. Not for social media or Instagram, but for us. For our future selves. For our families and friends. Because we are worth it.

Thanks for reading this far. Thanks for caring. If any of this resonates, please reach out and say hi. Leave a comment below or send me a DM. I’d love to hear from you. 

Big love,

D

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