Today I woke up longing for the freedom of 2017 Darius. I wondered what it would be like to erase the word “algorithm” from my vocabulary and go back to being a *pretend* photographer and writer with fewer than 500 followers and nothing to lose.

In 2017, I became a portrait photographer. I honestly had no idea what I was doing, but somehow the photos looked great and the experiences fed my soul.

In 2017, I also started writing publicly. I wrote a lot: at least 5 times a week, sometimes over 3,000 words a day.

When I paired the writing with the photos, things got really exciting.

In February of 2017, I started booking photography clients for the first time ever. I opened up 15 portrait photography spots per month, and within 2 days I sold out 3 months of portraits. This was truly a shock to me.

Everything was so new, so unknown and uncertain. I could only see 3 steps in front of me at a time.

I never knew what was coming next and I didn’t really care. This allowed me to be super honest and super ME.

I didn’t really think about the audience and it would be years before I even knew the word algorithm. Instead I would ask myself, “What feels most true this morning?” or “What feels most alive and accessible inside my heart?”

2024 Darius feels jealous of 2017 Darius. It felt easier to express and share my art in 2017.

It felt faster and more effortless... wake up, meditate, show up at my computer, write, share some photos, and move on.

It felt less competitive too. I didn’t really know who or what I was at that point, and with no professional title or status I wasn’t competing with anyone.

And it felt less risky, mostly because it felt like I had nothing to lose. I wasn’t yet a “real photographer” or a “real writer”—I was just a silly man pretending to be both.

Commercial success has many blessings. But it can also become a self-imposed prison if you are not careful.

I am sipping my coffee this morning, imagining what 2024 could look and feel like if I was brave enough to be me all the way.

Not me in 2017, but me right fucking now.

Big love,

D

It was so much fun working with Louise Lee. Her passion and vibrance shine through in every interaction.

I love when clients fully lean into my photography process and show up with their A-game. I also love when clients bring other parts of their lives and personalities into our shoots.

Most of my clients are coaches, speakers and authors, but that doesn’t mean that’s the only thing they do. Louise is an incredible violinist as well as a professional leadership and life coach.

It was such a pleasure to show BOTH of those sides of her during our photography session.

In my experience, it’s hard to trust someone online when you can only see one aspect of who they are. But when someone lets the world see many different sides of their true self, it feels like we’re standing in the same room.

That’s how we build trust.

If you’d like to learn more about my photography process, I’d love to chat with you. No pressure, just an honest conversation about your vision for you, your life and maybe your business.

My area of specialty is supporting speakers, authors, coaches, therapists, artists, and other individuals who use their passion, wisdom and energy to positively impact the world. 🌎

For a limited time I am offering a COMBO PACKAGE of 2 unique photoshoots in 1 day. By combining the photoshoots you will end up saving over $2000.

It’s an amazing value for anyone who is ready for an upgrade to their business.

You will walk away with a wide range of photos that will help you massively upgrade your online branding and support your business for the next few years.

If you are interested send me a direct message or follow the link in my bio.

Do you want to meet in real life and meditate with me in Texas under a jaw-dropping TOTAL SOLAR ECLIPSE?

I am so excited to share that I will be leading 2 transformative group experiences at a once-in-a-lifetime event called Soul Eclipse next April under the Texas sky.

Soul Eclipse is a 1.5 day retreat in Driftwood Texas at the Felton Ranch, centred around the solar eclipse happening on April 8, 2024.

Many cultures believe that a total solar eclipse is a powerful opportunity to cleanse old emotional imprints and stories by going inwards and releasing deep-seated wounds that no longer serve us.

This rare astrological occurrence can be a keystone moment to clear out your inner world and start a new chapter of your life with intention and clarity.

I am bringing my Artist Morning framework to a live audience during this powerful astrological event. The framework is about creating a supportive atmosphere for participants to connect with their hearts, their souls, and unearth hidden creative abilities.

I will be leading two unique group sessions during the retreat. We will dive into meditations, breathwork, powerful journaling prompts to create a deeply integrated and personal experience for everyone to step into this next chapter with power, clarity and confidence.

The group organizing this event has wonderfully curated an end-to-end journey for all participants, centred around spirituality, self-exploration and community connection.

I am thrilled to be one of the many group facilitators at the retreat. There are a lot of really awesome sessions that I personally can’t wait to experience myself.

To learn more about the Soul Eclipse Retreat, take a look at their website. Early bird tickets are on sale now! Click here to learn more about Soul Eclipse and save your spot.

It would be so awesome to meet people from the Artist Morning, Insight Timer or YouTube communities that have been meditating with me online for the past 4 years. You humans are my favourite!

Big love,

D

This is Sonia. She walked in as a client and walked out as a friend. She’s such a lovely person and I truly had a blast working with her.

Sonia booked me for a combo photoshoot, which means we do two types of photoshoots in a single day. She went with an indoor shoot and an outdoor shoot.

You would never be able to tell from these photos, but Sonia was nervous before we started.

And guess what? Almost every human I work with is nervous beforehand.

I think people see the final photos on Instagram and don’t realize that a key part of the photography experience involves nerves.

Photography is the process of being seen in a tangible way by others, so not only are big feelings normal before your photoshoot, they are to be expected. The feelings are never new and almost always decades old.

With the right photographer and the right photography process, all the nerves and insecurities (and even fear) can be embraced for a deeper, more meaningful experience. Together we create an opportunity for you to really see yourself, to feel what comes up, and then find your way back to love. Deep, meaningful self-love.

I want you to walk away with so much more than just pictures for your website; I want you to have a beautiful and deeply healing experience that allows you to step into your power and share more of your gifts with the world.

If you’d like to learn more about my process, I’d love to chat with you. No pressure, just an honest conversation about your vision for you, your life and maybe your business. Shoot me a message.

Big love,

D

If you are open to receiving more love in your life, here’s a simple exercise you can do in less than 5 mins.

STEP 1: Find a comfortable and quiet place and gently close your eyes.

STEP 2: Take 3 deep breaths. The slower the better.

STEP 3: When you feel a bit more present or grounded, repeat the following affirmations 3-5 times each.

Pro Tip: Instead of rushing through, go slowly. See if you can actually bring your attention to each respective body part (e.g. eyes for seeing, ears for hearing, heart for feeling).

AFFIRMATIONS

→ I am open to SEEING love all around me.

→ I am open to HEARING love all around me.

→ I am open to FEELING love all around me.

→ I am open to BEING love.

STEP 4: Continue taking deep breaths. With each new breath, imagine your eyes, ears and heart slowly opening to receive more love.

STEP 5: If you are open to it, place one hand on your chest and give your heart a hug.

STEP 6: When you are ready, slowly open your eyes and notice if anything looks, sounds, feels different. Even a 1% difference can make a *big* impact.

For anyone interested in going deeper, I will be guiding a free meditation tomorrow morning at www.ArtistMorning.com on this exact theme.

We will have a 20 minute meditation and then 20 mins of private personal journaling, all done through Zoom.

It starts at 9AM (EDT) and if you can’t make it, there will be a replay for anyone who signs up.

It’s totally free and everyone is welcome.

Big love,

D

The illusion is that YOU are only one person.

After 900,000 photos of humans all over the world I have come to understand that each one of us is actually many people, all at once.

You have many parts of your truest self.

Parts that are:

• Strong and soft

• Sweet and fierce

• Playful and sensual

• Beautiful and brilliant

All of this already exists inside you.

Maybe you forgot.

And maybe it’s time to remember.

If you’d like help remembering I would love to support you.

My area of specialty is supporting speakers, authors, coaches, therapists, artists, and other individuals who use their passion, wisdom and energy to positively impact the world. 🌎

➤ ➤ ➤ For a limited time I am offering a COMBO PACKAGE of 2 unique photoshoots in 1 day. By combining the photoshoots you will end up saving over $2000! I know… it’s kind of insane.

You will walk away with a wide range of photos that will help you massively upgrade your online branding and support your business for the next few years. 💻

It’s an amazing value for anyone who is ready for an upgrade to their business.

If you are interested send me a direct message or follow the link in my bio.

Big love,

D

PS: The radiant human in these photos is the one and only Fran Young.

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

I don’t think most people are tapping into 10% of what’s possible with their iPhones. These phones are truly remarkable.

There are settings and features that are almost hidden on the iPhones that are game changers once they’re turned on.

I shared some of these simple (but sometimes hard to find) settings and tips on TikTok and IG over the past year. Thousands of people shared how much of a difference these tips have made in how much better the photos look.

People are DMing me and telling me in person that they’re taking the best photos they’ve ever taken. They’re also taking more photos and videos than ever before.

Most importantly, people are loving the way they look in their photos. And that brings me so much joy.

The new iPhone 15 has features that honestly feel like they’re from the future. Last month I was invited to join a handful of other Toronto photographers to meet the Apple design team where they showed us how to get the most out of these new features.

Since then I’ve been diving DEEP into the iPhone 15 and testing the limits of what’s possible.

This phone gets me really excited, and lately I’ve been dreaming up an online course where I could share all my favourite settings, tips and tools to help others use their iPhone like a pro.

But before I get ahead of myself, I’m curious if anyone out there would be interested in such a course?

Here’s what I’m thinking:

• 7 day course

• 10 minutes each day

• Super affordable

• Only the best of the best tips

I want to share the most impactful tips that will immediately level-up your photography, video, and audio skills. The goal is for you to look and feel amazing when you are creating content with your iPhone.

Let me know in the comments or send me a DM if you think I should make this course. If there’s enough interest, I’ll get to work.

Big love,

D

PS: Thank you to my brother from another mother, the one and only Benjamin Dussault, for being my handsome model for this shoot.

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.

Pretending the tragedies in the Middle East aren’t happening does not work for me. They are happening. They are heart wrenching and they do deeply impact me.

Over-consuming media—especially graphic content about the violence in the Middle East—also does not work for me. My nervous system quickly goes into deep fear and panic and I become paralyzed with sadness.

I believe there is a path where I can both keep my eyes open and also keep my heart open.

In order to make any positive impact, it feels important to stay connected to what’s going on, while also staying connected to my personal power and my ability to take action.

This path begins by finding a way to regulate my nervous system. To find some sort of grounding and peace within. Otherwise, I am only contributing to the chaos.

It might sound silly to you, but sometimes the most helpful thing to do is to take a few deep intentional breaths, or go for a walk, or find 10 minutes to meditate.

Will any of this stop the tragedies that are taking place? No. But neither will pretending it doesn’t exist or throwing yourself into a panic by over-consuming news media.

Remember, you do not need to do anything in this exact moment. Taking action is a very personal choice.

If you are overwhelmed and have nothing to give, then it’s probably better for you to step back and find your centre again. Then from a more regulated nervous system, you might be able to find your power and take some sort of action to help.

Even small actions count. It’s better than shutting down and pretending this is not happening.

If you’d like to join me for a very special guided meditation tomorrow visit www.ArtistMorning.com. Our theme will be world peace.

God bless.

D

PS: If you can’t join us tomorrow morning at 9am EST I am happy to send you a recording of the guided meditation. Sign up for free at artistmorning.com