I love flat lays, I captured one weekly for my pregnancy updates and it was a great way of showing off baby's scan pictures, baby clothes and other bits and pieces I had bought for my impending arrival.
I also love putting together flat lays to show off beauty products, pretty things I've bought, my bakes, etc.
I've collaborated with The Furniture Market to share some tips for capturing the perfect flat lay, for anyone who's wanting to embrace this style of photography and show off many things in just one frame.
1. Natural light is your friend
Whenever you're photographing you'll want to find your light and this is a key thing when it comes to capturing the perfect flat lay. If you're photographing indoors, make sure to place your flat lay as close as you possibly can to a natural light source - window, sliding doors, etc. The natural light will you your flat lay perfect brightness, and show off the photo subjects as well as they can possibly be shown.
The key to capturing natural light is knowing when and where the light is best in your home. For example, I know that in the afternoon, my bedroom has the best light, it just floods in through the windows, so I'm always photographing there after lunch. However, in the morning, my kitchen table has great light thanks to the sliding doors right beside it.
2. Choose your background wisely
When it comes to a flat lay, the clue is in the title - you need the surface you're photographing on to be flat. Tables are the ideal choice for flat lays, my favourite being natural wood as it gives a great element to a flat lay picture.
3. Editing apps are your friend
I love a good editing app, but not for filters, instead I use them for brightening up my image or increasing exposure. Snapseed is my favourite, the exposure tool on the app is the best I've ever come across and better yet, it's all free! I just wish I could get it on desktop.
4. Remember your props
Whenever I put together a flat lay I always try to include flowers, in fact, I always try to include flowers in all of my photography whenever I can and I recently shared a post about 5 ways I use flowers in my photography. Other things that I love using as flat lay props are books, postcards, jewellery, polaroid pictures, pieces of fabric and handwritten notes/letters.
5. Top-down is your best view
The best angle for snapping a flat lay is from top down. Holding your camera over your flat lay to achieve the best shot is essential. I regularly have to stand on a chair, a bed or a box to capture that perfect top-down shot, but it really is the best way to capture a flat lay, any other angle just gives a distorted view and doesn't stick to the 'flat' theme.
Flowers and handwritten notes are a great tip, my flat lay attempts always look too flat! I think the lack of personal props might be why. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteThanks for this, it's something I really want to improve!
ReplyDelete