@dsmithstudio.bsky.social
I’m a photographer that explores identity, self-expression, and belonging. 📍Amsterdam 📚 ‘Mayflies’ published by Lecturis
✨ Join me on 16 Sept @ Pakhuis de Zwijger.
For me, photography is about connection: the raw, messy, beautiful kind you only get when people truly express themselves.
I’ll be sharing my journey + diving into a theme that keeps coming up everywhere: originality.
Come hang out 💫 Link to RSVP below.
Portrait of a dark-skinned woman celebrating carnival with makeup and a heart tattoo in a studio environment.
#art
Join us next weekend celebrating ritual, culture, and spirit.
Photo: Desfile Inaugural del Carnaval (Montevideo, Uruguay, 2022) The world’s longest running carnival celebration.
Carnivals Museum
Date: 3 May
Time: Opens 11:11 til 13:00
Zusters van Orthenpoort 27
5211 ND 's-Hertogenbosch
Invitation photography exhibition Darren Smith. The Art of Celebration 3 May at the National Museum for Carnival.
You’re invited:
The Art of Celebration opens on 3 May at the National Carnivals Museum in Den Bosch, 11:00–13:00.
It also marks the start of my EU book tour—a return to the wild-hearted communities that inspired it.
Snacks, good company, and cider tastings by Harry Cider.
Come celebrate.
New work for NLE Choppah
HARD LIFE single for the Black Heat soundtrack.
#music
Runway backstage portraits of Bas Kosters fashion designs.
#fashion Backstage with Bas Kosters. Dear Sir / Madam HOPE (Amsterdam, the Netherlands, 2017).
Mayflies project.
#art
Wasteland Weekend (Mojave Desert, United States of America, 2021)
Wasteland Weekend is inspired by the Mad Max films, offering a five-day immersive experience where attendees live out their post-apocalyptic fantasies in the ‘wastes’ Mojave desert.
#photography
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Portrait of a cosplayer in a studio environment during MCM Comic Con.
#cosplay Does anyone know where this video game character is from?
MCM Comic Con (London, United Kingdom, 2022)
Captured backstage during two days at the con. Mayflies project.
I love Aalst carnival. I’d visit every year, if I could. I always recommend it as one of the places to be, because more than the spectacle, it’s the residents and their love of their traditions and town that inspire me #carnival
Article in HLN Belgian news about my book:
www.hln.be/aalst/aalste...
Murgas performing during Uruguayan carnival.
#art Tablado Museo del Carnival (Montevideo, Uruguay, 2022) Murga Cayo La Cabra @cayolacabra
Captured backstage during Uruguayan carnival. This traditional carnival event featured Murga performances, offering an expression of Uruguayan culture through satire and song for all walks of life.
Aalst Carnival (Aalst, Belgium, 2023). Mayflies project.
#art #carnival #photography
Portrait of a carnivalist in a studio background in Aalst Belgium
Aalst Carnival (Aalst, Belgium, 2020). Mayflies project.
#art #carnival
Come join me for a special book signing for my new photography book in New Orleans this Sunday.
‘Mayflies’ features portraits that capture the essence of self-expression—something so deeply ingrained in Mardi Gras culture.
📍 Mardi Gras Museum of Costumes & Culture
📅 Sun, Feb 23 | 4-6 PM
#mardigras
Mad hatter cosplayer captured in a studio environment.
MCM Comic con (London, the United Kingdom, 2022) Mayflies project.
#art #cosplay
Voguer posing in a studio environment during a vogue ballroom event. Mayflies project.
Utopia Ball Pt IV (Rotterdam, the Netherlands, 2022) Mayflies project.
#art #photography
Carnivalist portrait shot in a studio environment. Mayflies book.
Aalst Carnival (Aalst, BE, 2023)
#art #photography
Parade Halloween masquerader in a dark studio environment. Mayflies project.
Village Halloween Parade (New York City, USA, 2022)
#art #photography
Llamas dancers portraits in a studio setting. Mayflies project.
Desfile del inaugural carnaval (Montevideo, UY, 2022)
#art #photography
Portrait of Uruguay murgista in carnival costume in a studio environment. Mayflies project.
Desfile del inaugural carnaval, (Montevideo, UY, 2022)
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#pinkskyStory
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Portrait of LGBTQ Voguer in a studio setting at the Utopia Ball in The Hague.
The Utopia Ball Pt I, (The Hague, the Netherlands, 2017)
07.02.2025 08:56 — 👍 1 🔁 0 💬 0 📌 0Mayflies x Up Helly Aa Fire festival at Mareel in the Shetland Islands (UK).
The exhibition runs alongside Fireflies, a collection of images from Shetland’s fire festivals by local photographers. Together, they explore the universal urge to gather, transform, and celebrate.
Costumed participant at New York City Halloween Parade photographed in a studio setting. Mayflies project.
Village Halloween Parade (New York City, United States of America, 2022).
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Fire performer at Wasteland Party 2022 photographed in a studio setting.
Wasteland Party, Rituals edition (Zaandam, the Netherlands, 2022)
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Vampire the Masquerade LARPer in costume in a studio setting. Mayflies project.
The Children of the Sun, (Devon, United Kingdom, 2022)
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