FLATLAYING

‘Flatlay? What is that?’ You may be wondering. Well, a flatlay is a photograph from a birds eye perspective of an arrangement of objects that relate to each other.

For those creative people out there, flatlays are not only a heap of fun, but the end result looks amazing if done well. Flatlays are similar to telling a mini story about yourself. It may be sharing your fave beauty products or your outfit of the day. Even though I wouldn’t call myself a flatlay expert, I have discovered a few tricks of the trade through practice!

Have a Theme: Creating and sticking to a theme is probably my number one tip when it comes to flatlays. If you don’t have a theme, is it really a flatlay? For example a theme could be Tropical, where you could add a smoothie, some fruit, a hat, a sandy background and some sunscreen lotion.

Great natural lighting: Natural lighting is key to any good photo, but even more so with flatlays. Be sure to choose somewhere in the shade or undercover, but close to the light source. This diminishes any harsh lines and shadows that would otherwise be present if directly under the sun.

Fill the whole frame: Whether it's a square or a rectangle, filling the frame simply gives the reader a better visual experience as well as making the photo more interesting.

Make it YOU: As with everything you do, it is important that a little piece of yourself is woven into your flatlay. This is as simple as including products, objects and things that you love. For example, I included my favourite magazine, Renegade Collective and my most frequently used sandals from Seed.

Include flowers or greenery: This is clearly optional, although I find that adding an element of nature is always a good thing. It can still match the theme of your post too! Tropical? Add a palm leaf. Sunday essentials? Add some daisies or roses.

Try to overlap things: Think of your flatlay as an artwork. Composition is important right? Organise your items neatly, but connect them to one another by overlapping a few things. This sense of connectivity allows viewers to interpret the image more clearly.

Two large items: I tend to stick to the rule of two large items per flatlay, no more and no less. It becomes overwhelming to look at if there are lots of large items, however, if there are no large items, the picture loses its focal point, hence it's meaning.

Plain background: To emphasise the items in the photo, a plain and stable background works best. Fur, wooden floors, marble and even a white sheet are good options.

#photography