Smashing Darling Blog

Community News and new darlings

Yay! It’s Spring, thank goodness! The days are getting longer which of course makes everyone happier. Soon the daffodils will start to pop their little yellow buds out of the ground to remind us to wake back up…in case we fell asleep over the long winter.

Yeah right, do designers ever really sleep? Even in your slumber I bet you are all still designing; those blasts of imagery that happen just as you are slowly starting to fall asleep. Some of the spring-like images on this page are designers new to Smashing Darling, and some are regulars, with some new spring lines, take a look.

This pic to the left is a new collaboration for spring. Fabulous - the Darling’s love to collaborate! Go take a look at Feen Clothing, a collaboration between PINaR ERIS and graphic designer/makeup artist, Melissa St. Giles.

Before you get back to work be sure to go see another Darling designer, DRES, and his interview over at HandbagDesigner101.com his work is truly amazing!

how to - SHOUT IT OUT

Have you all registered in the Smashing Darling Forums? Have you been over to the Forums at all?

Go investigate! You can post an event, find a designer to collaborate with, give us feedback, get support… We would love for all of you Darling designers to post your events, as well as events happening in your communities. Don’t be shy either, tell a friend or two, or all…they can register and post happenings too. This way we are all in the know, all of the time! Since we are all representing indie communities across the country, we have the ability to keep the masses in the loop, and shopping at indie events everywhere YOU tell them to! If we all chip in, it can become the place to see and be seen…

FotoFinesse Lesson #2-Lighting

Back again with more tips on making your digital photos look their best. Once you’ve gotten the resolution thing down (see Toolbox #1) it’s time to think about the thing that truly makes whatever you’re shooting look smashing…LIGHT, both how it falls on what you’re shooting, and how your camera sees it.

The first thing to consider is where your light is coming from. There’s no substitute for good, bright, lighting to show off every detail of your products. The first challenge may be getting around the little, tiny, light source that that most digital cameras have called the FLASH. The built-in flash on your camera can be absolute death to your shot…it produces an extremely harsh light that can blow out all details (we’ve all seen those “hot spots”), make harsh shadows, and create a very unflattering effect on your shots, especially close-ups and reflective or metallic items.

So get to know your camera … read the manual, and see if there is a way to turn off the built-in flash, or if your camera has a shooting mode that works without it. Click here to keep reading Darling lighting tips.

Other places to SMASH with us

Need some friends? Not to fear, we are everywhere-add us!

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/smashing_darling

Facebook: Trish Darling, Julie Darling, Mo Darling
Flickr: Join our group and show off your indie.
Twitter: Come tweet with us!
Stylehive: MerGirl, Julie Darling

DIYcommunity: MerGirl, Mo Darling
Indiepublic: MerGirl, MoDarling
Iqons: Smashing Darling

Get out there and

Shout it Out:

INDIE ROCKS!

cheers ~ the Darlings