Tips for Flat Lay Photography
FLATLAYS 101
Flatlays can seem a little bit intimidating but we’ve got good news for you: it is easier than you think. I’m sure you’ve seen them become extremely popular on Instagram, Pinterest and other social media platforms. So we’ve got you covered on this weeks blog post and we’re sharing some tips on tricks on how to master the art of taking flatlays.
Here at LINK’D all the fatlays you see on our socials comes from our small team. We didn’t hire professional photographers because we knew it was something we wanted learn ourselves and it is a way to express ourselves creatively. The beauty of taking flatlays is that you can get as creative as you want to get your unique message across to your audience. You can add as many or as little props, play with shadows for an effect & get creative with the editing process through apps. So with that being said, we’ve rounded up a handful of tips we think will be useful when taking your next flat lay.
1. Lighting
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Finding the right lighting sometimes can get tricky and confusing at times because it looks so good in person until you bring out your camera and it looks a whole another way. We suggest using natural lighting whenever you get the chance, for two main reasons. First, you can’t go wrong with natural light because most of the time it will help you achieve the most realistic version of your photo and secondly because it saves you so much money from having to buy ring lights/professional lighting. It also gives you the room to play around with shadows! So next time you’re gonna give this a go, find a window or go outside and thank us later!
2. adding props
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Look for props that help your main product stand out. Props always help a flat lay look more interesting and adds character to the picture. You can play around with positioning different props around the image to get it to your liking, but don’t be afraid to use them! A good tip we can give you is to try to stick to the same color palette when adding props as it will allow your flat lay to look uniform and appealing to the eye.
3. taking the flat lay
99% of our photos for the LINK’D social platforms are taken with the iPhone 11 and the quality is just outstanding. This is not to say avoid to using professional cameras, but it is to make a point that if you only have an iPhone/smartphone don’t get discouraged because they will do the job! We tend to shoot our flatlays from a birds eye view, however we do like to play around with the angles. We don’t strictly shoot directly above the middle of the flat lay. As a matter of fact, our best photos come out when we play around with different angles and variations. When you have your set up ready to shoot try different angles until you find the perfect one for you!
We hope these tips were helpful for the next time you try and take some photos. Comment below your tips & tricks for acing the art of taking flat lays we'd love to learn more!
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