I love having deep conversations with smart and creative humans so much.

I sometimes joke and say that’s why I started photography in the first place; my fancy camera is an excuse to invite epic humans to my studio. 😉

My HEARTshot process is very different than most photography sessions. HEARTshots are magic because we dive deep and get crystal clear on who you really are.

We spend the first few hours sitting on my couch and just talking—WITHOUT a camera. These conversations help you feel comfortable enough to invite your most magnetic and confident self into the session. The chats are insightful, inspiring, and a ton of fun.

Almost everyone loves these deep dives. They feel like a 1-on-1 podcast, where we pull the greatest moments from the person’s past and the most exciting parts of their future into the present.

Once the deep dive is done, we have a clear roadmap to success for the actual photoshoot. We use that roadmap to take the most honest, charismatic and radiant photos possible.

One unexpected side effect of these conversations is that I almost always learn something from these super cool humans. Sometimes a piece of advice that took someone else decades to learn just drops in my lap.

Every once and a while, a story or insight impacts me so deeply that I can’t stop thinking about it—sometimes for months after the shoot is done.

Dr. Nima and I had just this kind of conversation. I won’t go into the private details of it, but the topic was money trauma and how to transmute it into something beautiful that serves your highest self.

He really opened up about his journey. This made a tremendous impact on me, as I could see so many parts of my own story in his.

I also felt his deep care and his desire to support and guide me.

This makes sense, because it turns out our conversation is connected to Dr. Nima’s soul purpose. He specializes in helping humans repair broken relationships, overcome limiting beliefs and break free of chronic stress, anxiety, and depression.

I’m still processing and integrating our conversation.

Thank you for the deep dive, Dr. Nima. It was a big one for me, and continues to break my heart open.

D

Are your best days behind you?

Are the best moments of your life, your work, your family, your romance, and your health already gone?

These are uncomfortable questions. Because no one wants to consider that the best days of their life have already passed.

That’s why I love working with clients like Tosca Reno. She is a testament to what’s possible at any age when you unite your mind, body and soul.

Tosca has already done so much with her life. She is a New York Times best selling author and a world leader on the topic of health and vitality. She inspires 100’s of thousands of women worldwide with her wisdom and guidance.

Tosca has also been through a lot of pain and grief in her life. She has many legitimate reasons to back down or step aside. But you see, that’s just not her. Despite everything, Tosca is leaning in to the next chapter of her life.

Spend two minutes with Tosca and you will quickly realize there is so much more brilliance, love and radiance to experience her heart.

And she is ready to share it with the world.

I remember when I got to feel her magic firsthand; Tosca booked me for a double photoshoot. We dove deep with my indoor HEARTshot portrait session, and then we hopped into my car and drove to the beach for a SunChaser adventure shoot.

I am grateful for the day we got to spend together. Tosca’s energy continues to inspire me on my own journey.

Big love,

D

PS: If you’re ready for us to work together, I have a great photography deal for Fall and Winter (with limited spots) and I’d love to chat.

PPS: Hair and makeup by the amazing Kelly Davidson.

Our most important task as creative beings is to make space, so that God can flow energy through us. 🎬

If you want to create more, you will need to let go of anything that is needlessly filling you up. Otherwise, there will be no room for greatness to flow through you.

But letting go can feel overwhelming.

It requires radical self-awareness and honesty, both of which will leave you stripped naked and exposed.

And sure, being naked can be terrifying. 🫥

But it can also be one of the most liberating human experiences—if you let it.

People ask me, “Why did you choose to make those pictures black and white?”

It’s a good question.

For me, some of the most colourful photos I have ever taken are technically colourless.

Something really interesting happens when you consciously remove things from the frame.

I can feel and see clearer when there is less.

I can connect with a human in a deep and more intimate way.

Everything is amplified, including the essence of their soul.

I fell in love with portrait photography through black and white photos and to this day they are my favourite way to capture portraits.

I still love colour photography, but black and white will always be my first and deepest love.

Huge thank you to Jordan Lindo for saying yes to being apart of my SoftMen portrait series. Love you brother!

D

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I have taken over 800,000 photos of humans, but yesterday was unlike any other photoshoot I have been a part of.

I am still processing the magic of what happened so I will keep this post short.

Warren Falkenstein possesses a superhuman ability to transmute pain into focus and love. What I witnessed him do during our HEARTshots session yesterday was so deeply inspiring.

Yesterday's experience is an example of the transformative power of a photography.

If someone is open to it, a photoshoot can be a life-changing experience. It gives them an opportunity to slow down and get present with who they are, to see how far they’ve come, and to deeply look at themselves.

Nothing in my life has been more transformational for me than my photoshoots, but some leave a bigger impact than others. This one left a LION sized impact.

Warren, you are a very special human and it was an honour to support you on this journey.

I can't wait to show you everyone the photos we took. They were remarkable in so many ways.

More from me soon.

Love,

D

PS: Follow Warren the Peaceful Warrior on IG here —-> @walkwithwarren

When I look at these photos, I see a teenager on her last day of high school. I see freedom and adventure. Everything feels possible.

It’s been a stretch of time since Vera was a teenager, but it’s clear her essence is full of youthful exuberance.

Her intention for the shoot was to let the youthful energy in her heart dance.

I think she nailed it.

Working with Vera during this shoot was truly like working with a curious, adventurous and playful child. She and I created space for her younger self to come out and play, and it was truly a wonderful experience. There is so much creative magic when our “childselves” are invited to show up and play.

I grow so much by witnessing my clients open their hearts and share the truth of their souls with the world. It takes a lot of courage to go into the depths of your heart and find your truth.

It takes even more courage to bring that truth into the world and share it outwardly.

Thank you Vera, for both your courage and for your willingness to be seen.

Your light and radiance makes this world a better place.

Love,

D

PS: If you’d like to work together this winter or spring, I have a great promotion til the end of this month. —> https://www.dariusbashar.com/heartshots

PPS: If you want to see a fun video Reel I made for Vera you can find it on my Instagram or my TikTok.

There was something very special about Malia.

She sparkled.

You can clearly see the sparkle in her eyes in the photos.

You can also hear the sparkle in her voice during her answer at the end of the video.

I can even feel her sparkle now in my heart this morning as I write this post.

We had a really sweet and funny interaction. Most of which is not shown in this video. I had to cut so much fun conversation out because I felt like Malia’s answer at the end of the video needed to be heard.

It starts off simple, “Just be yourself.” But then with everything she adds I realize it’s probably the hardest advice to live up to in real life.

There are so many forces in life that want us to fit into a template—our society, our culture, even our families. It happens right before our eyes, and if we’re not careful, we wake up feeling like we’re living someone else’s life.

It even happened to me. At one point I lived a life that people expected me to live: I worked a high-paying job, lived in a beautiful condo, had a fancy car, and more. But inside I felt like a total phony. And when I drove home from work I couldn’t ignore the pain in my heart and body. I wanted to scream, “Whose life is this?!”

I took a giant risk by letting go of who I was supposed to be to find out who I really was. I started over completely and built my life from the ground up. And that was just the beginning.

Who we are is constantly changing. So in order to be myself I needed to build an ongoing relationship with me. This required deep listening, deep compassion, and the courage to act on it.

This takes courage because it can be terrifying. But not as terrifying as living someone else’s life ever was.

Thank you Malia for taking time out of your day to make art with a stranger. I needed to hear your advice.

Your answer allowed me to reflect on my own journey and the many times I was lost because I was living for others. And it reminded me how committed I have now become to being myself.

Big love,

D

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

I spotted her from 100 feet away. Chelsey was radiant. Unmissable. Her smile felt like receiving a hug from someone you love.

It didn’t take much convincing for her to join me for a 30-second photoshoot.

I found her answer at the end of the video interesting.

Because I think we could all use more confidence in our lives.

If you could send confidence to a version of yourself from the past, who would you send it to? Which version of you needs confidence the most? Is it your 5-year-old self, your 25-year-old self, or maybe even you today?

Thank you Chelsey for taking the time out of your day to make art with a stranger. If you’re reading this, know that your smile and warmth gave me a lot of comfort on a day like today. Today I feel extra tender and can’t seem to find my own confidence. It’s kind of amazing how a stranger can warm your heart, even from hundreds of miles away.

Big love,

D

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

I was moved by Jonny’s answer at the end of today’s video.

Jonny is only 20 years old, but he feels like he’s got to hurry up and make moves.

Or maybe I am projecting. Because that’s how I feel too: as if I’m always 50 steps behind where I should be.

This feeling started when I was around 10 years old when I got into sports. Playing basketball made me feel important and connected to something greater than myself. So I told myself I needed to make it to the NBA. It’s like a fire inside me was lit.

I am now 40 years old—double Jonny’s age—and I still feel the constant fear and sadness that I won’t live up to my potential.

I’m perpetually hungry for more. Hungry to make more, to express more, and to be more within my life.

But when I’m not careful, this hunger burns me out. In fact, even when I am careful, it still sometimes does.

I think about how Steve Jobs famously said the key to life is to “stay hungry.”

While I agree, I also think that if you don’t take time to slow down, to celebrate how far you’ve come, and to count the blessings already in your life… the same hunger that drives you becomes the hunger that starves you.

I’m starting to open up about my fears of not being enough with my friends. They encourage me to be kind to myself, and remind me of how far I’ve come. I am grateful for their support and love. But to be honest sometimes it’s hard to receive and believe. The fire inside is too big and too hungry and somehow I am back to feeling behind.

So thank you Jonny, for getting it. And for taking time out of your shift at the restaurant to make art with a stranger.

Big love,

D

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

Here are 7 things I love about dogs:

1. They don’t give a shit about how much money you make.

2. They make great cuddle buddies.

3. They demand that you spend time outside in nature.

4. They make sure you move your body every day.

5. They can smell your emotions—you can’t hide your feelings from them.

6. They will teach you a masterclass in unconditional love.

7. Loyalty.

When I was a kid, I had a dog named Comet. She was like a rocket: a beautiful, crazy-fast black lab who felt more like a sibling. And she kind of was, since my mom worked a lot as a nurse and I was an only child.

I remember the first time my mom and I met Comet as a tiny puppy. My mom had no interest in getting a dog, as a single mom who had too much on her plate already. But then Comet went outside to pee—sitting down. My mom had never seen a girl dog pee before. She instantly fell in love with Comet and said, “She pees like a lady.”

Dogs have a way of bringing people together and melting the protective armour around our hearts.

Thank you Chrissy for taking time out of your day to make art with a stranger. And a special thanks to Boogie, for keeping us present in the moment.

It was a treat to meet both of you.

Big love,

D

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