Things Danya Hasan Can’t Live Without

Before being a freelance photographer, as well as a travel and lifestyle content creator, Danya Hasan worked in a financial company. Brave enough to follow her dream of visiting the countries she always dreamed of, Danya decided to quit her 9-5 job about one year ago. 

Today, she is on the list of the 20 Canadian influencers to watch this year by The Influence Agency. And she’s just warming up.

Alongside wonderful pictures (not only of Toronto but also other provinces and countries), Danya shares many travel tips with her followers on @thedesertcarnation, one of her Instagram accounts. For fashion aficionados, she also shares her daily outfits and beauty tips on another account, @stylewithdanya.

As you can see, Danya has been busy enjoying life and working hard. And we couldn’t help but wonder how she manages these multiple sides of her career while engaging with more than 40k followers across multiple platforms. 

For her chat with Rank-it.ca, we had a LOT of questions, including the things she can’t live without as a traveller, her content creator must-haves, and, of course, what’s in her bag.

As a content creator and photographer, do you have any tips for our readers?

In my opinion, these are the most important things when creating beautiful images:

•  Style and aesthetic – I think it’s really important to figure out your personal photography style and aesthetic as it helps open up your creativity and create your best content. I love playing with different angles, getting creative and telling a story through my images. If you’re not sure about your personal style, then make a list of your favourite creators and write down what you like about them as it will help guide you in the right direction.
• Lighting –  This is so important as lighting can completely change the entire mood of an image. Personally, I like dreamy and bright photos so I like to shoot during soft morning, sunrise or sunset lighting.
• Editing – You can completely change an image with editing and it gives you so much creative control in creating a final image. I use Adobe Lightroom and Photoshop to edit all of my photos and have created my own Lightroom presets that I usually use as a starting point when editing my images.

For daily life and day-by-day posts:

I use a Canon 5D Mark IV to take my photos with either the 24-70mm f2.8 lens,  16-35mm f2.8 lens or my prime lenses. For my stories, I use my iPhone 12 Pro Max.

Her essentials:

• Canon 5D Mark IV
• iPhone 12 Pro Max
• 24-70mm f2.8 lens
• 16-35mm f2.8 lens

Favourite hand & shoulder bags

I love my Chanel medium flap bag as it is a classic. I’m also a huge fan of Dior and Prada bags. For more affordable bags, you can never go wrong with Zara or Mango. Oh, and I also love buying second-hand vintage designer pieces!

Her choices:

• Classic Chanel Bag
• Zara Bag
• Prada Bag
• Mango Bag

Fancy white boots

White knee-high boots are a must for fall/winter season. I love neutral colours and white boots make any outfit instantly look more elevated. You can wear them with a mini dress in the fall or over jeans in winter as well.

Mine are last winter season from Zara which were dupes for the Gia Borghini shoes.

Her choice:

• Gia Borghini boots

Watches & sunglasses

About watches, I usually just wear my Apple Watch now, but I’ve really been liking Nordgreen watches recently!

Regarding sunglasses, I’ve been loving Vehla Eyewear glasses recently but you can also find some amazing affordable ones on Amazon e.g. Glindar, etc.

Her choices:

• Nordgreen watches
• Vehla Eyewear
• Apple Watch
• Glindar Eyewear

Favourite hats

Hands down, the Lack of Color hats. They make really good quality hats, it’s an investment but so worth it. I love their Beverly hat and Benson hat. I love wearing them with flowy dresses cause they create a boho and dreamy look. Gigi Pips also has really good hats too.

Her choices:

• GiGi Pip Hats
• Lack of Color

Which products do you always bring inside your handbag?

My Dior Lip Maximizer, AirPods, wallet, mini perfume and lotion, Dermalogica Prisma Protect Sunscreen!

What’s your main tip to keep hair always good-looking?

My hair used to be so damaged and over time I’ve learnt to take really good care of it. Always use a hair mask at least once a week, use heat protectant before styling your hair, and leave-in oil throughout the day to protect your hair and make it look shiny and silky. I love Gisou hair products and my Bumble and Bumble Hair Dresser Invisible Oil is my go to!

Your makeup looks really fresh and natural. Which products do you use in everyday life?

I’ve been obsessed with the IT Cosmetics CC Cream, it is so light but gives full coverage and gives SPF protection as well. I also stick to a nude color palette as it compliments my skin tone.

Her choices:

• Apple AirPods
• Dior Lip Maximizer
• Gisou
• Dermalogica Prisma Protect Sunscreen
• Bumble and Bumble Hair Dresser Invisible Oil
• IT Cosmetics CC Cream