When I approached Omaar, I had no clue he was a professional fashion photographer.

And to be honest, I probably wouldn’t have gone up to him if I knew beforehand.

(In case you didn’t know, it’s super intimidating taking photos of other pro photographers!)

I only found out he was a photographer at the very end of our shoot. He makes a living taking photos in the fashion industry, but never gets his own photo taken.

There was a soft and gentle energy to Omaar. When I asked him a question at the end of the shoot, he paused long and hard before answering it. In the behind the scenes video, I was tempted to cut out the long pause, but it felt wrong… as if I was removing the essence of this encounter with Omaar.

After much consideration, I now appreciate how deep and long he thought before answering my question. I’m glad I left it in.

Something I learned from this shoot:

It takes courage to slow things down and really be present with the moment.

Just because social media rewards being fast doesn’t mean slower and deeper content isn’t important. Don’t be afraid to take your time.

Sincerely,

D

PS: If you are interested in working together I have a great promo for the summer. Send me a DM and I’ll send you the details.

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

It’s been almost 2 months since I started this photography project and I am shocked by how much I have learned in just a few short weeks.

Each person I meet teaches me something new…

Sometimes it’s a technical photography lesson.

Sometimes it’s a lesson about human communication.

Other times it’s a lesson about human expression.

My encounter with Taeo taught me a very simple lesson. Something that I actually experienced several times before I met Taeo, but it finally clicked into place:

People with fashion style like having their photos taken.

I’m talking about humans who put thought and effort into the art they put on their bodies.

I imagine humans like Taeo have carefully selected each element they wear, just like an art curator would carefully select which pieces to showcase in a gallery. Whether it’s loud or subtle, it’s not an accident.

It might look effortless, but my guess is that a lot of heart goes into having a style like Taeo’s.

The idea of having that effort seen or recognized through the lens of a street photographer might feel nice for a stylish human like Taeo.

Taeo, if you somehow end up reading this let me know: do you approach your personal style like an art project?

Love,

D

PS: If you are interested in working together I have a great promo for the summer. Send me a DM and I’ll send you the details.

PPS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Taeo and making these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok. It’s less than 60 seconds long and super fun.

I was off my game, walking around the city streets for almost an hour.

I let at least 7 really interesting humans walk right by me; not saying a word, I was frozen by overthinking.

Maybe it was because I showed up so late. I had an earlier photoshoot with a client that went amazingly well, but definitely took a lot of energy so I decided to rest before leaving. By the time I had my camera ready and jumped into my car to head downtown it was almost 8pm.

I was losing daylight fast.

I couldn’t help but think, “Is today the day I get totally shut out and am not able to meet one stranger? Maybe I should just call it a day and go home.”

So I took a deep breath and slowed everything down.

Instead of placing my energy in a potential future encounter, I brought it back to the here and now. I became present to the fascinating streets of Toronto. So creative, so multicultural and eclectic. The sounds, the music, the fashion and the deeply interesting humans everywhere.

I almost forgot I had a camera in my hand.

Before I knew it, I ran into 2 super cool humans back to back (which has never happened before). The first stranger literally led me to the second one just a few seconds apart.

Aslan was the second human. I saw him walk right by me as I was finishing the first shoot and I knew I had only seconds to approach him.

He had this energy like he was late to hang out with friends. He was on his phone and I guessed he was looking for an address or maybe a restaurant.

In my head I thought, “There is a good chance this dude does not have time for a photoshoot, even if it is 30 seconds,” but I knew I had to ask anyway.

And I’m so glad I did.

His energy felt easy, free and joyful. I also loved his cryptic answer to my question at the end.

me: If you could send a message back to your younger self, what message would you send?

him: Leave the doors open. Be happy.

There was a good lesson in this experience: sometimes the most productive thing you can do is to slow down and let go.

Sincerely,

D

PS: If you are interested in working together I have a great promo for the summer. Send me a DM and I’ll send you the details.

PPS: If you want to see the behind the scenes video of me approaching Aslan and making these photos, check out my Instagram or my TikTok. It’s less than 60 seconds long and super fun.

Most people are totally oblivious to me until I say hi.

Eli, on the other hand… spotted me coming from a mile away.

He actually started talking to me before I could say a word.

Somehow he knew exactly what I was doing before I could even introduce myself. For a moment I thought maybe he’s one of those TikTok street photographers I admire so much—the ones that have inspired this project.

Eli was playful and honest. He also had a surprisingly deep answer to my question at the end of the photoshoot. Despite Eli’s very vulnerable answer to my final question, he had a very mysterious air to him.

If you told me he was a tech billionaire, I’d believe you.

Or if you said he was a musician hitchhiking across North America, I’d believe you too.

I appreciate the time I got with Eli.

I am also grateful for his answer to my question at the end of the shoot, which I captured on video and will share on TikTok and Instagram soon.

When people are willing to go deep and be vulnerable with a stranger, that is a very special thing in my books.

The first time I approached Quinn and asked if I could take her photo, she politely said, “No thank you, I’m meeting someone and I’m late.”

I’ve been taking photos of strangers for the past 6 weeks now and surprisingly very few people decline my offer to take their photos.

I was disappointed that I couldn’t take any photos of Quinn, but I smiled and moved on.

20 minutes later on a totally different street, I ran into Quinn once again. I didn’t want to bother her and made sure to respect her space. I said hi again while passing and as I was walking away I asked, “Any interest in that photo?”

She smiled and said something I couldn’t hear, so I slowly walked back to see what she said. Apparently that friend Quinn was meeting still hadn’t shown up yet, so she was now open to taking a few photos—so long as it was fast. Perfect!

The shoot lasted maybe 90 seconds and ended almost exactly when her friend showed up. I even managed to get a short behind the scenes video of the shoot and got her permission to share the video too.

I love the photos we took together and hope somehow Quinn will see them, and I gave Quinn a card with my NoStrangers.art website link. But here’s the thing about photographing strangers on the street: there’s always a chance you will never see them again.

This whole project is a good exercise in letting go and surrendering to the mysterious ways of the Universe.

>> CLICK HERE TO SEE THE PHOTOS <<

I am looking for 10 people who want to learn how to use a semi-professional or professional photography camera.

I am going to rent an awesome photography studio in Toronto and teach a 3-hour workshop that will involve a lot of hands-on training.

Everyone will walk away with:

1. Foundational training on how to use your camera

2. Many photos that you have taken with your new knowledge (build your portfolio + confidence)

3. And photos that I take of you as well. (FREE BONUS)

PLEASE NOTE:

This is an in-person workshop, not a virtual workshop. It will take place in Toronto. Also, if you have a camera that would be awesome, but if not I will have a few of my own you can borrow.

Comment below or DM me if you are interested.

Big love,

D

So grateful for both of these incredible humans.

I got to spend an afternoon with them in High Park having a delicious picnic and catching up on life.

One of them I’ve known since I was 17 years old. The other one I just met.

I’ll let you figure out which is which.

I believe in love.

I believe in diversity.

I believe in empathy.

I believe in community.

I believe in spectrums.

I believe in inclusivity.

I believe in safety.

I know the Pride festival was last weekend and that today is the last day of Pride month, but my support for LGBTQ+ humans has no time frame.

It's never too late or too soon to celebrate and show your support. :)⁣

Love,

D

Abortion is not a women’s issue. It is a human issue.

It’s too easy for us men to take a step back from this topic and let women sort it out.

In my experience…

Boys are educated at a young age that women are to be sought out and hunted, to be seduced and used. Boys and men get rewarded for “conquering” women. And if something gets in the way of their conquests—such as an unwanted pregnancy—then there is an easy way out.

For young boys and young men, the perception of abortion is relatively easy. Pay a few hundred dollars and this “problem” goes away.

The true weight of the abortion falls on the woman.

We don’t teach young boys about the physical and emotional pain women go through. We don’t teach young boys about the risks associated with abortions. Once again, boys and men can walk away and let women sort it out.

In the past, religion played a bigger role. You could convince a young man that he would be punished by God for an abortion. This was bullshit manipulation and it’s good that religion plays a smaller role. But now there is a moral vacuum where boys and men don’t feel as responsible.

This approach is highly problematic.

No, I do not believe the solution is to scare boys.

And no, I do NOT believe the solution is to remove a woman’s right to choose.

Instead I believe we need to start teaching our young boys that women are sacred.

We need to teach young boys that women’s bodies should be honoured.

And that they have tremendous wisdom and power.

And that we need to treat them with respect.

A world where women are not seen as conquests but rather sacred, wise and powerful beings would not only show us a drop in unwanted pregnancies, but would also be a significantly safer place for ALL humans.

We have a long way to go. The first step is opening our hearts and listening to women. They are clearly asking for support. Now is not the time to tune women out.

But more than that, we need to have conversations with one another, and with anyone else who is willing to listen.

Share this post with other men and encourage them to use their voices. This is a sensitive topic. We might make mistakes, but it’s worth it. Because abortion is not a women’s issue; it’s a human issue.

Sincerely,

D

PS: I know this post is very gendered, and has a lot of binary language (eg. women/men and boys/girls). For what it’s worth I personally believe gender is a spectrum and there needs to be space for trans and non-binary leaders in these conversations.

This is Reza. I met him at an event I was invited to speak at 3 years ago. 

The event is called Fuck Up Nights Toronto and approximately 200 people showed up to hear me and three other speakers brag about our most colossal life mistakes. 

It was a healing moment for me, as I got to share one of my biggest business mistakes publicly in a way that allowed me to finally forgive myself and let go. 

Fast forward to 3 years later: Reza and I are on a Zoom call talking about our upcoming photoshoot. 

I loved collaborating with Reza. 

There was instant creative chemistry between us and we flowed effortlessly. 

It took 3 years from the first meeting at that event for us to reconnect. 

It makes me wonder… who will I create with 3 years from now that I might have just met in passing yesterday? 

And imagine all the friends we haven’t even met yet!

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