This is Golden. What a perfect name for this human. She radiated warmth from the moment I said hi.

This trait is special in a big city like Toronto where many of us go into zombie survival mode and disconnect from the people around us.

Maybe it was my silly moonwalking that got Golden to smile and agree to a 30-second photoshoot with a stranger.

Or maybe that’s just who Golden is; warm and kind from the jump. Who knows…

What I do know is that I am grateful for the time I spent with Golden. I am secretly hoping to run into her again on the streets of Toronto so I can share these photos with her.

I have a feeling her answer at the end of the video will resonate with a lot of people.

And you never know… maybe we’ll get to make more art together one day.

Big love,

D

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

Everyone wants to be an influencer, but the real question is what are you influencing people to do? This question makes me tense because I’ve never felt comfortable telling anyone else what’s right for their lives. Everyone is unique and on their own journey and I have respect for all.

That said, there is one topic that I have no issue attempting to influence everyone to do, and that is to let women decide what they want to do with their bodies and their lives.

It’s ridiculous to me that I even need to say this, but there are many parts of our world that still need to hear it.

For the record I am not anti-hijab. If someone wants to wear a hijab they should have that right and we as a society should be equally protective of their right to choose.

This of course applies to anyone who does not want to wear a hijab too.

Because ultimately it’s not anyone else’s business.

The men who are at the core of this problem need to grow up and stop being so damn insecure. This of course applies to so much more than hijabs.

Any instance where a man is imposing their concepts of right and wrong (their “morality”) onto a woman feels terribly unnecessary and oppressive to me.

To the incredibly courageous women in Iran who are risking their lives to stand up for freedom:

I honour you and will forever be inspired by your bravery.

Praying for peace, praying for freedom.

Sincerely,

D

This is James. What you don’t see in these photos is that James and I spent 15 minutes chatting before he agreed to let me take his picture.

I told him about this project and what it means to me. I shared stories with him about a few of the other amazing humans I’ve photographed on the streets. I listened to him as he courageously shared some challenges he recently went through.

I’m not sure what changed James’ mind, but he switched from a hard no to a yes.

I’m so grateful I got to connect with him and that he agreed to be part of this art project. I hope James gets to see these photos one day and that it leads to another wonderful conversation.

Big love,

D

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

I’m so glad you’re here.

Many of you are new. And some of you have known me for years.

It’s an honour to connect with all of you.

To help us get to know each other, here are 3 things that I full-heartedly believe:

1. Small acts of kindness can change the world.

   It might seem silly or naive, but I’ve witnessed it hundreds of times. One small act of kindness can brighten someone else’s day and that experience has the potential to spread to others. It’s a beautiful thing.

2. Every life is worthy of being remembered.

   Photos aren’t just for social media, but for ourselves—specifically for our FUTURE selves—to look back and celebrate the triumph of just being here and the beauty of human life.

3. Everyone is photogenic.
   Being comfortable in front of a lens is a skill that can be learned. The problem is that most of us were never taught how to look and feel great in photos. I can help!

There’s so much more I could say, but for now I’ll leave it at that.

Stay tuned for more photos of strangers, tips and tricks to help you take selfies that you love, and lots of other fun stuff that will hopefully make you smile.

Big love,

D

PS: I’d love to get to know you better. What’s something that YOU full-heartedly believe?

The solution I share in today’s video is so simple that you could start using it right now.

After taking over 700,000 photos of humans I know that the most interesting photos are almost never at the beginning.

👉🏽 The beginning is only for warming up.

In fact, most people quit right as something interesting is about to happen. This is true in photography, in taking selfies, and also true in many other aspects of life.

This principle makes sense on paper, but for some reason most people won’t put it into practice. Instead, they expect the first selfie they take to be a HOME RUN. That’s just not realistic.

Plus, if you expect this you’ll hate taking selfies altogether. Not because you’re unphotogenic, but because you hold yourself to an impossible standard that no professional model, actor or content creator would ever holds themselves too.

And remember that—just like everything else in life—taking selfies gets easier the more you do it. Those first few will likely be the most challenging to look at, but if you keep going I promise it gets way easier.

Happy shooting.

Big love,

D

This is Emilia. I had 5 seconds to take her photo before the streetlight changed.

This felt impossible and slightly dangerous, as I was in the middle of a busy downtown street. But for some reason, I had to do it.

Maybe it was because Emilia looked like art from a different era. Her bike and her dress with those glasses were perfect.

And Emilia’s answer to my question at the end surprised me. Every time I listen to her short put powerful answer, it feels like a punch to my stomach.

For some reason her answer feels very personal and difficult to hear. It immediately connects with my own 7 year old self.

Thank you Emilia for being so real.

Big love,

D

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

This is Parco. The moment he saw my camera, he seized the opportunity and asked if I could take his photo.

Since I started this project weeks ago, he’s the first person to jump out and ask me to take his photo first. I didn’t even have the chance to approach him.

Yes, it was startling. But it was also refreshing.

This dude has a smile that could light up any room, but he was convinced he “sucks at photos” (his words).

In fact, 98% of people I work with are convinced of this. This is based on having taken over 700,000 photos of humans.

Why do you think most people believe they are not photogenic?

I’m curious what you all think.

Big love,

D

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

PPS: My summer promo ends next week—savings of over $1200. If you are interested check out the link in my bio.

This is Luis. He owns an award winning tattoo shop in Toronto called Puedmag Inkpire.

I ran into him seconds after getting out of my car.

Luis had a power and presence to his energy that immediately caught my attention. I felt a bit intimidated.

His incredible tattoos also caught my eye.

I am realizing through this project how much I love photographing humans and their tattoos.

People who have tattoos all over the bodies feel like walking art canvases to me.

Here’s a fun fact about Luis: before his career as a tattoo artist he worked on a cow farm and had several pet pigs.

How do I know this? I followed him on IG and watched a really cool reel where they ask the tattoo artists at his shop what they did before tattoos. Many of the answers in that IG reel surprised me.

And if I’m honest, it humanized tattoo artists in a deeper way for me. I was able to see myself in many of their answers and I realized that—despite looking very different on the surface—we actually have a lot in common.

Big love,

D

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

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

For many people, God is a bad word. I’m not sure why, but I imagine it’s connected to some sort of negative religious experience (e.g. from childhood).

We all have different definitions of God, which makes the word and concept even more challenging to understand as a society or group.

I have no interest in forcing my personal beliefs onto others, but for what it’s worth I love God. God plays an important role in my life and we are constantly in conversation together.

My experience of God is an energy that is kind, brilliant, hilarious (seriously God is so funny) and incredibly supportive.

Maybe I am totally imagining this God… but even if I am, so what? My life is so much richer with God in it.

My favourite thing about God is the sneakiness.

I believe all of us are God, or expressions of God. Therefore God loves to show up in my life disguised as other humans, animals, objects, etc.

God loves to play dress up and surprise us in the most wonderful ways.

And everyone is a channel for God.

I know it might sound impossible or silly or maybe both. But that’s okay; God is infinitely creative and I don’t waste time trying to “figure it out” to no end.

If you’ve made it this far, I would really like to know: if you experience God, what’s it like?

Big love,

D

PS: Thank you Mildred for taking the time out of your day to share some kindness and wisdom with a stranger.

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

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

Sending a huge thank you to my dear friend Saskia for introducing me to this brilliant quote.

She literally mailed me a box full of quotes and other goodies from London, England. This quote hit home.

Poetry by Bryant McGill, voice by Darius Bashar.

Love,

D

Here’s the full quote…

“The storm is out there and every one of us must eventually face the storm. When the storm comes, pray that it will shake you to your roots and break you wide-open. Being broken open by the storm is your only hope. When you are broken open, you get to discover for the first time what is inside you. Some people never get to see what is inside them; what beauty, what strength, what truth and love. They were never broken open by the storm. So, don't run from your pain — run into your pain. Let life's storm shatter you.”