I wrote the following on November 4th, 2016. That’s exactly 12 days before my first black and white portrait session. You can see exactly when my obsession with black and white portraiture began.

Even then, it was about more than just photos...

I was about to attend a masterclass in humanity. Each person I photographed would teach me something deep and profound about my own existence and help me slowly come out of hiding.

—————

November 4th, 2016

Black and white has been calling to me lately. Not sure what it is or why but I've been so fascinated by this aesthetic. I feel as if there is something important for me to learn — about my work or maybe about myself.

Something interesting happens when you remove things from the frame.

I am curious to see how far I can take this minimalistic approach. What will be left once I remove colour, background, texture, clothing, etc?

Model: @Jhar.Munch

Toronto Photography, Toronto Photographer, Portrait PhotographyDarius BasharMarch 18, 2021Toronto Photographer, Toronto Photography, Black and white PhotographyComment

Guided MORNING MEDITATION

This 15-minute guided morning meditation will help you start your day feeling grounded and calm. Sit back and enjoy as Darius guides you through a deeply relaxing meditation journey.

BIG LOVE,

Darius 🙏🏽

PS: If you’re looking for a FREE collection of Guided Morning Meditations, I’ve got you covered → https://www.artistmorning.com/free-meditation-for-creativity / link in bio @dariusbashar

PPS: Come meditate with me live. We meet as a group on Zoom every Wednesday and Friday at 9am EST. Sign up here for free → Free Group Meditation / @artistmorning

15 Min Guided Meditation, Artist Morning, Guided MeditationDarius BasharMarch 16, 2021Artist Morning, guided meditation, 15 Minute Guided Meditation, Morning MeditationComment

Testimonial Tuesdays - Nicholas Kusmich

“My photoshoot with Darius was totally different. Not only did he produce the best pictures I have ever taken, but the experience was amazing.”

- NICHOLAS KUSMICH
COACH, AUTHOR, SPEAKER

PS: If you don’t know Nicholas, he’s one of THE TOP facebook marketers on the planet. He’s the dude behind some of the highest ROI-producing campaigns EVER. If you are looking to scale your biz, I’d check him out: www.nicholaskusmich.com / @nicholaskusmich

Toronto Photographer, Toronto Photography, HEARTshots, HeadshotsDarius BasharMarch 16, 2021Toronto Photographer, Toronto Photography, Portrait Photographer, Headshots, HEARTshotsComment

Why I love working with moms

I love photographing moms… especially new moms. There are lots of reasons for this… here are a few:

1. Moms give so much to their families.

I notice that for many moms, motherhood often comes before anything else. For some of you, your kids come first—even before your own needs. So having a few hours where I can curate an experience that’s 100% about you is so much fun for me. It’s a small token of appreciation for all that you do.

2. Moms—especially new moms—have just experienced a massive expansion in their lives.

I’ve heard a lot of moms say that creating a new life within your own body gives you access to a lot of wisdom on life. It’s cool chatting with new moms because it’s clear they are seeing life with a broader perspective. I love asking questions about what they’ve learned over the past few months and years. There is always SO MUCH.

3. New moms are often very grounded and direct. Maybe there’s something about being responsible for a brand new life that gives you a down-to-earth energy. I love it.

4. New moms have access to a lot of creative energy.

During the photoshoot, we create a “bubble” for you to feel your own energy and it becomes clear that there is a boatload of creative power within your presence. I imagine this is why some moms are able to grow amazing businesses and communities after having a child; they are accessing that same power and strength within themselves.

It was such a pleasure to work with Bex on this photoshoot. She gives so much to her family, her friends, and her awesome business too. To carve out a few hours for us to focus on just her was a treat for me as well.

You killed it, Bex! I will never forget our afternoon together. I am still feeling the buzz.

Also, huge shoutout to Nikki McKnight for introducing us. Love you Nikki!

D

Portrait Photography, Toronto Photographer, Toronto Photography, Black and White PortraitsDarius BasharMarch 15, 2021Toronto Photographer, Toronto Photography, Portrait Photographer, Black and white PhotographyComment

Our Love Language

Jenn and I have many love languages… One of them is being silly AF. More specifically, we love sending ridiculous videos to people for their birthdays.

This one was for Jenn’s mom, Debbie. I’m pretty sure we sent her 5 this year for her birthday. So grateful Debbie somehow enjoys them.

I’m also so grateful I found a partner who celebrates my ridiculously silly side. Hers is just as silly, if not more.

Happy Friday, beautiful humans!

D

loveDarius BasharMarch 11, 2021loveComment

What is DreamZoom?

Misha and I made a new video to promote DreamZoom.co.

It’s 102 seconds long. If you have a moment, we’d love to know what you think.

If you want more info on DreamZoom, check us out → www.dreamzoom.co // link in bio @dariusbashar

Our team of experts will build your DREAM home studio so that you look and sound better than all of your competitors on video calls.

Oh… and it’s NOT just for Zoom; it works amazing for Podcasts, YouTube and Facebook/Instagram LIVE too!

Darius BasharMarch 11, 2021Comment

Does This Photo Feel Like "Artist Morning D" (AKA Meditation D)?

Insight Timer very politely asked me to change my profile photo on their website and app. I somehow snuck under the radar for the past 6 months by being the only meditation instructor on their app to have a black and white photo. 😎

They are very strict about the photos you can use as a guided meditation teacher on their site. This is a bit annoying when you’re outside of the rules and need to change your photo, but it’s also really nice because the content on their platform feels clean and clutter free.

If you have not heard of Insight Timer, they are the world’s largest meditation community. They are sort of like Spotify, but for spirituality and mindfulness leaders. They actually pay content creators on their app for being on the site, for views, and even for engagement. Just like Spotify, I am assuming only the most popular content creators are able to make good money from their platform. I still think it’s great that they are supporting creative humans all over the world to make positive content.

I also think it’s really amazing that you can have people all over the world virtually meditating with your guided meditations every single day. For example, this week I was overjoyed to receive 5-star reviews from wonderful humans in Switzerland, UK, New Zealand, South Africa, the Philippines, São Paulo, Atlanta, and Bulgaria. Every week it’s different.

Such a cool app!

PS: Here’s the photo I used as my new Insight Timer profile photo. I first tried using one of the awesome pics @michchiu took of me recently, but the moderators on the app are not fans of photos with foreground, so I had to quickly take some photos on my own last night.

What do you think? Does it feel like me? I kind of love it.

#meditations #meditationpractice #meditationtime #meditationteacher #meditationclass #meditation🙏 #insighttimer

Guided MeditationDarius BasharMarch 10, 2021guided meditationComment

Meditation For FOCUS And Concentration

I particularly love this meditation on days where I feel unfocussed or scattered.

It brings me back to the earth and reminds me that there is a sacred silence within myself that can instantly help me focus and ground my energy.

BIG LOVE,

Darius 🙏🏽

PS: If you’re looking for a FREE collection of Guided Morning Meditations, I’ve got you covered —> https://www.artistmorning.com/free-meditation-for-creativity

PPS: Come meditate with me live. We meet as a group on Zoom every Wednesday and Friday at 9am EST. Sign up here for free —> Free Group Meditation / @artistmorning

Artist Morning, 15 Min Guided Meditation, Guided Meditation, Morning Meditation, Focus MeditationDarius BasharMarch 9, 2021Artist Morning, Morning Meditation, guided meditation, 15 Minute Guided Meditation, Focus MeditationComment

Two Photoshoots For The Price Of One (Only 6 Spots Left)

In case you missed it, this month I’m bringing back my most popular photography promo. It’s kind of insane, and the last time I ran this promo it sold out in 11 days.

I can understand why… I am giving away a FREE photoshoot when you book with me this month. So instead of getting 1 photoshoot, you will get 2 for the price of one. That’s a $2497 photoshoot for FREE.

There is a catch… well less of a catch and more of a condition:

I only have 12 spots for this promo and 6 are already gone. (I told you, people love this promo.)

So if you ever wanted to work with me—and you LOVE amazing deals—this is your chance!

Also, really important note… you have a FULL year to actually do the shoots. So don’t stress if the lockdown has you in hibernation mode or if you haven’t gotten a haircut in months. We can chat now and get you on the calendar for any date in the next year. Lots of people are booking into the Summer and Fall and I have no problem with that at all.

Here’s the link for the promo — > https://www.dariusbashar.com/five