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

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

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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! 🕺🏽🕺🏽🕺🏽

———————————-

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.

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1. Go for a walk. There is something about fresh air and forward momentum that sparks creative thinking.

2. Lay on the floor, fully sprawled out. This can ground frantic energy fast and also slows down an overactive mind. It also feels great.

3. Take a shower. There is something creatively activating about doing physical tasks that require very little thinking. A lot of people get their best ideas in the shower.

4. Have a great orgasm. Okay, so this might not always be simple, but if you can find a way to make it work, it’s known to help. There’s a lot of literature and many ancient beliefs that connect sexuality and creativity. Do a quick google search on “Tantra and creativity” and you might learn something new.

5. Burn some sage or palo santo. Indigenous people have been burning sacred plants such as sage and palo santo for centuries. This is often a spiritual practice for Indigenous people and is used to cleanse unwanted energies in order to make space for new beginnings. I use this practice daily to clear my space and my mind. I also use it when I feel creatively stuck. One note: if you purchase sage or palo santo, do your best to ensure it is being sourced ethically and in a manner that respects the Indigenous people whose culture it originates from.

6. Find yourself a crystal or a gem. If you know me, you know I always have gems on me and around my house. Each gem is different. I particularly like rose quartz, labradorite and clear quartz for creativity.

Let me know which of these practices work for you, or if you have other tips that I should add to this list…

7. clean
8. journal
9. dance
10. music

——

Human by: Lilian Motta
Photo by: Darius Bashar

In January I held a 1-day event where I worked with 11 amazing humans and photographed them through a Mini HEARTshots process, where each person got to work with me and my team for 30 mins.

I knew it was going to be special, but honestly the end results knocked my socks off.

• The photos turned out amazing—can’t wait to share!

• The people were so inspiring to work with.

• The testimonials almost made me cry.

• And my entire team had a blast too. That part matters a lot to me.

I will be doing at least 2 more of these this year.

I still need to iron out the dates, but if you are interested I highly recommend you join the waiting list because the last Mini HEARTshots 1-day event sold out in less than 48 hours.

Big love,

D

PS: Huge shoutout to the entire team. It’s such an honour to work with all of you. #DreamTeam —> Erin, Sal, Kelly, Sean Tate, Brandon, Hajer and Kimberly.

PPS: Behind the scenes photos by the mega talented Brandon Ferguson.

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I have a theory:

As you grow wiser, you also grow more playful. 

And no matter how many times I see this theory come to life in my photography business, I am often still surprised.

My experience with Tracy is a great example of this. She’s a wise and successful entrepreneur who’s grown her business into a highly formidable consulting group over the past three decades. Tracy has a roster of tier one clients, many tremendous case studies, and (obviously) tons of intelligence and wisdom.

What surprised me the MOST about Tracy is how playful she was in our shoot. 

But I shouldn’t have been surprised. Because the most successful entrepreneurs I’ve worked with have all shared this energy of playfulness and fun. I no longer think this is a coincidence.

Having fun and making time to PLAY is its own level of success.

Not just for fun’s sake, but also as a tool to channel energy in a more productive way.

Not to mention that if we take life and ourselves too seriously, we burn out.

Tracy, thank you for an afternoon full of laughter, depth and Pitbull dance parties.

—

PS: If you want to make something beautiful with me in 2022, I have a great promo happening now. Send me a message and I’ll send you a link.

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“I may not become a better writer or ever publish a book, but that’s not the point of expression and creation. Writing, for me, is simply a pathway to unexplored worlds. Where ideas, stories, and philosophies get constructed and deconstructed. Where my identity fragments and I get to practice leadership.

I don't know any part of the natural world that thrives in isolation, so I commit myself to growing in public, even though it’s often uncomfortable.

I believe all artists and creators do this because when we transmute our fears into expression, we get to mend the seams of our disconnection, build bridges, and most importantly, learn from one another.”

- Negin Sairafi 

---

The above is a powerful excerpt from Negin’s newsletter.

Negin is truly a multi-disciplinary artist. She’s a photographer, director, dancer, writer, podcaster, experience designer, meditation facilitator and occasionally a wonderful muse for my photography.

If you are moved by art, human expression and deep and honest conversations then I highly recommend following her and subscribing to her newsletter and podcast.

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You challenge me.

You inspire me.

You are the funniest human I have ever met.

You are easily the best cook in the Universe. Every meal a sensation.

Loving you has taught me more than all the teachers, mentors, coaches and therapists combined.

Thank you for being my ride or die.

Thank you for being the love of my lives (plural).

We both know we have danced this dance many lifetimes in many star galaxies.

I love you sweetheart.

Forever and always.

D

Sometimes for a great selfie you need your hands to be free.⁣

There’s a hidden feature that most people don’t know about on millions of smartphones. It’s called “Voice Command” and it allows you to activate your camera and take hands-free photos simply by saying 3 magic words.⁣

Can you guess what they are? ⁣

Watch this short video and I’ll share all 3 voice commands with you.⁣

IMPORTANT NOTE: This specific hands-free selfie trick is currently only available on Android phones. iPhones also have a voice activated feature. It’s a bit different, but in the end does the exact same thing. If you’d like to see how that works, comment below and I’ll make a separate video just for iPhones.⁣

PS: If you want to build some more confidence when it comes to selfies and smartphones you should join my FREE 21-Day Photo Challenge.⁣⁣

Everyone is welcome. It’s going to be a ton of fun. The only tech you will need is your smartphone/iPhone and a journal. We start next week!⁣

Here’s the link —> www.dariusbashar.com/21day

Big Love,⁣

D

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A post shared by Darius Bashar 💖📸 (@dariusbashar)

Starting next week on Feb 1st, I am launching a FREE 21-day photo challenge. The goal is to inspire all you amazing humans out there to take full advantage of your smartphone cameras. 📸

We will start super slow. There will be an optional journaling prompt that is related to each day’s challenge. There will even be opportunities for me to review your photos and give constructive feedback if you’re up for it.

(The photo review is optional and will be done in a fun and loving way. I promise.)

The goal is to gently build confidence and creative momentum over the course of 21 days. 

But also, the other goal is to have FUN! 

The cost is $0.00 and EVERYONE is invited. All you need is your smartphone and a journal. 

To join CLICK HERE. // To join, sign up at the link in my bio -> @dariusbashar  

Big Love, 

D

PS: I realize some of you might only know me as the Artist Morning meditation dude, but I’m also the portrait photography dude. That's actually my day job. I run my own photography business, where I get paid to take photos of people's hearts. 💖 📸

In case you’re interested in learning more, here's a link to my photography website.