Smashing Darling Blog

If your products look terrific but the photos just don’t seem to be working, sometimes it’s the other stuff in the shot that can be dragging you down. Surrounding your product with things that complement it is one of the keys to producing effective images.

One of the most effective (and easy!) ways to present a product is simply to take everything else out of the equation and go to a pure white background, leaving absolutely no distractions at all. This approach gives a very clean, professional look.

Adding other elements to your shots can help create a sense of image and drama, but the more you add, the more careful you have to be not to detract attention from your main subject. For shots with a more stylized or “propped” look, here are some things to keep in mind:

• Composition - Your fashion should always be the center of atention, and everything else in your shot should lead the viewer’s eye back to your product. Make sure your props or backgrounds enhance and don’t distract.

Papusza Couture, Kinsella

• Color - Again, the key here is to enhance and not distract or divert attention from your product. No clashing colors!

foundling, coastline posts

• Avoid clutter - Keeping things simple is one of the best ways to make viewers focus on what’s important - your product. If things look cluttered, try shooting in another area or just remove superfluous elements from the shot.

Yosifa-Penina, glass belt

Take a long, hard look at everything that’s happening in the composition of your photos and ask yourself if they’re accomplishing what you need them to. And most importantly, ask yourself this: “If I were shopping online and only had this image to look at, would I consider buying it?”

Beautiful shot of Julie Darling showing off her purchase from
Catalina De La Torre Jewelry & Accessories.
The gorgeous photo was taken by her husband Chris.

If you have made a purchase from Smashing darling
and you want to show off YOUR fabulous style
by
Letting Your Indie Out,
email me trish(at)smashingdarling(dot)com
send me the photos and a little bit about yourself.
I want to know who you are and I know others do too!

Think of it this way, if you are a real fan of one of our designers,
it is your way of getting that designer in the blog.
Don’t you want to help your fave get some press?

The first person to comment on the blog and tell me who said or wrote this wins a Student Smash Up item from Smashing Darling!

This week is a quote from a fashion designer. I thought I better go in a different direction because the last 2 give aways are still up for grabs!
I will give you a hint at the end of the day if no one guesses it by then. So stay tuned!

“I’m Thirty-six. So I’m not the bad boy of fashion anymore” -?

Now the only thing left to do is go peruse the store to feast your eyes on all the delicious choices and make your selection.

Good Luck!

Last weeks and the week before are still up for grabs!
I will tell you they are both sentences from books.

1.TheMarketNYC WEST VILLAGE - After 5 years of successful weekends in NOLITA with TheMarketNYC and after extensive research of the general market we are happy to announce the opening of another location for young, contemporary artists and designers, in the heart of the West Village, every Saturday, starting April 12, 2008. This new space located on Hudson Street, right off Christopher Street) will enable our existing dedicated and hard working designers as well as other artists to be available at another location and to a different audience, mainly tourists, and locals, at a very reasonable rental price and with no financial risk on your behalf.

2.Some upcoming news…
Cynthia Jones will be in Providence, RI for a “Trunk Show” @ Relish -Friday April 4th, 5-8. (www.relishprovidence.com)

3.Other exciting news, ERHART will be one of 12 designers competing at this year’s Mercury Fashion Show the Installations. She can’t tell us what she is going to do, but she promises there is something in the works! Living the Dream every day!

4.Anna White od Art Created By Anna has some very exciting news, she and her jewelry will be featured on the cable T.V. show called Cash and Treasure on the Travel Channel. So stay tuned for update about when you can see this Darling Designer make her T.V. debut.

5. Come meet Chicago Designer Lara Miller at Florodora’s Spring 2008 Trunk Show Friday, March 28, 2008!!Join us from 12-6 when Lara herself will be bringing pieces from the Spring 2008 inventory not available in store! Florodora A Downtown Boutique 330 S Dearborn Chicago, IL 60604 312.212.8860 Come shop local Chicago Designer Lara Miller as Gen Art presents Shop Chicago Saturday March 29, 2008!!Join us for 80 vendors, the Shop Chicago Beauty Lounge and wardrobe consultants from Personal Vogue in the Union Station Great Hall!! Shop the lastest trends, sample complimentary cocktails all while listening to music from DJ Jem, provided by The Underground. March 29, 2008 3pm-4pm VIP Pre-sale 4pm- 8pm Main Event Great Hall at Union Station 210 South Canal Street (Entrance on Jackson) Chicago, IL RSVP or purchase tickets at www.genart.org VIP Tickets: (Includes access to VIP champagne lounge, hors d’oeuvres & Shop Chicago gift bag) * Associate Producer & higher level Gen Art members: 2 complimentary tickets * Silver & Platinum level members: $30 / ticket * Non-members: $40 / ticket General Admission: * Complimentary Admission from 4:00pm-8:00pm **YOU MUST BE 21 OR OLDER TO ATTEND**

Just wanted to give the community an update on what the darlings have have been up to where they are and where they are going. Did anyone out there go to Langerado music Fastival in FLA at the beginning of the month? If not you missed out! Mo Darling who we have been refering to as gypsy darling all winter, was there having a ball meeting and stickering everyone! Her highlight moment came when she got to hug and sticker Josh Ritter. She has been a soupy mess since. So Josh if your listening, you have big fans over here at Darling Headquarters! Intuitvely he, without knowing, he called her Mo Darling! Sweet! He is on our wave length already!
Next up for Mo is possible Fashion Week in Miami! She got a wonderful invitation from our Darling Designer Dres who will be showing and stay tuned for Julie Darlings upcoming trip to Sweden. She is doing an amazing whirlwind 5 day trip to the Ice Hotel! Can’t wait to see the photos from that! Pretty awesome, I have heard that you arrive at the hotel by dog sled!

So now I want to know where you our loyal readers have been lately? I want to here the cool things our community have been up to!

Indie is a lifestyle, music, film, fashion, food it all goes together and I want to hear all about it!

Alyse radenovic and “Sanja” Zivka Jovanovic are the designers for Aelisheva, an independent couture house founded in 1997. They bring original, handmade, artisan qualities to their ready-to-wear collection. All of the work is designed & produced in-house with love by these twowonderful designers. The pair met in Belgrade, where Sanja still resides working with the Serbisn Theatre.

SD: Who is your customer, and how do they find you?
(Alyse): They are across the board; they find us at boutiques and on the web.
(Sanja): Our brand is for all women of all ages.

SD: What does your average day entail?
(Alyse): Sanja works in the theatre and at aelisheva, she is also completing an advanced degree, and she has an active social and family life. Alyse takes care of baby, works at the computer, paints, draws, does household chores and errands, watches the news and YouTube, and plays online Scrabble.

SD: Describe your personal style?
(Alyse): Folk-inspired yet modern.
(Sanja): Our brand is timeless and comfortable to wear.

SD: Who are your fashion icons (past or present)? Do you think they influenced your personal style?
(Sanja): Elza Sljapareli.

SD: Is there anyone in the Smashing Darling community you have a question or comment for?
(Alyse): Thanks to everyone for providing a pleasant, efficient and very user-friendly environment.

I was in Trish’s shop the other day marveling at her gorgeous new clothes (and Whosiepie’s fantastic spring flings, too) and she was saying she needed to find a model. I could tell it wasn’t something she was looking forward to, and is something that all designers have to deal with.

This got me thinking … while it would always be nice to fly Naomi Campbell in from Milan for the day, sometimes all you have is yourself, your camera, and a little time. But with a little creativity and your camera’s self-timer, this can be everything you need. Don’t count yourself out - you can be your best model sometimes!

All you have to do is set up the shot and put your camera on a tripod or something stable like a table. Then you’ll have to check and make sure the area you stand in is in focus. From there, just activate your camera’s self-timer function and get in position before the shutter goes off (check your camera’s manual to see how much time you have.)

Another good thing to remember is to put your camera within the flash’s range (usually around 10 feet away from what you’re shooting or less) and use fill flash, as in this sample shot. Or better yet, take the shot under available light and turn that flash off all together!. And as always, don’t be afraid to experiment. Your best tool is your own creativity, and it’s so, so easy to press that little delete button when the shot doesn’t work!

Photo by Robin Zingone

Trish darling, that’s me! Nose buried in the computer in my design studio.

Wearing the Student Smash Up Tee, Mystic Metallic Mermaids

and

Felted lace scarf by Thistle Downs Wool Design.

I so need to do a spring cleaning in my messy studio!

Felt lace scarf in ivory.

Let Your Indie Out!

Show me your fabulous style wearing your indie designer finds from Smashing Darling!

Send Photos to trish(at)smashingdarling(dot)com

let me know a little about yourself too. Where you live, why you love your indie,

what you love to do…

Get creative!

The first person to comment on the blog and tell me who said or wrote this wins a Student Smash Up item from Smashing Darling!

So dig deep down inside of your brain so you can pull it from the depths. I know you know where or who this came from.

“It looked as if one of the German invasion armies was moving north and west before curling east towards London, like a giant wave on the point of breaking” -?

Now the only thing left to do is go peruse the store to feast your eyes on all the delicious choices and make your selection.

Good Luck!

Last weeks is still up for grabs!