HOW I CREATE FLAT LAYS
Flat lay has been a major trend on photography. Thousands of people from amateurs to professionals nowadays are taking flat lay pictures and posting them on their Instagram page. It is known for an aesthetically pleasing look and it also enhances Instagram feed.
What is a flat lay?
A flat lay is a picture which is taken on a flat surface. The most common surface used to take a flat lay is usually a table with a solid color (such as white, black or wood) or even bed sheets. It is created by arranging certain objects on the flat surface according to the theme that has been chosen (for example: food, fashion items, essentials, etc).
I first got aware of the flat lay trend when I started seeing accounts posting flat lays on Instagram. The trend itself has evolved over time and now there are so many types of flat lays that can be seen all over the platforms. I always had interest in aesthetically pleasing feed and pictures and back then I discovered several accounts such as:
- Dave Christian Obadja (@dave.c.o)
- Reinaldo K (@reinaldo_k)
- Henji Wong (@henjiwong)
- Edward Lim (@elpluswr)
They are professional photographers whose feeds are mostly filled with flat lays. They always take stunning flat lay pictures and I have always been inspired by them. The thing is, I did not know how to make one and I do not consider myself as a professional. But in the other side, I want to try creating flat lay pictures that might be good to enhance my Instagram feed.
I then looked for some references and I also learned some theories on how to take flat lay pictures from famous photographers, plus I also watched many tutorials that are shared on YouTube. They all helped me and here is the summary of what I have learned so far about how to take a flat lay picture:
1. Find a good flat surface.
This is the most crucial step in creating a flat lay for it would not be a "flat lay" if it is not taken on a flat surface. I have always wanted to have a plain white table, but since I do not have any white table at home then I made use of things I could find around the house and what I use as a surface for taking flat lays is a cut wooden plank that I found on the rooftop. It is firm and square-shaped so I thought it would be a nice thing to use as the surface. To add variations to background, I usually use plain white paper or fabrics.
2. Lighting matters.
In order to create a good-looking flat lay, a good lighting is needed. It is not recommended to make use of room light since it will result in shadows appearing on the flat lay. You can use studio light as a support. But the best solution that I have found so far is to use natural light. Since there are no windows that I can use for lighting, I then went to the rooftop where the whole place is exposed to sunlight. I then could take flat lays with no shadows appearing on the surface.
3. Choose the right properties.
Before taking a flat lay, a theme is needed to be chosen to match the properties that will be used in the picture. For example, if the theme picked is school essentials then the properties used must be things that are relevant to school activities like stationery and books. Always set one object to become the main focus which draws people's attention to it. Also pick complimentary colors and shapes so the flat lay can look organized.
Those three steps are the most important thing to follow in order to create amazing flat lay pictures. After attempting for several times, I finally came up with some flat lays:
What is a flat lay?
A flat lay is a picture which is taken on a flat surface. The most common surface used to take a flat lay is usually a table with a solid color (such as white, black or wood) or even bed sheets. It is created by arranging certain objects on the flat surface according to the theme that has been chosen (for example: food, fashion items, essentials, etc).
I first got aware of the flat lay trend when I started seeing accounts posting flat lays on Instagram. The trend itself has evolved over time and now there are so many types of flat lays that can be seen all over the platforms. I always had interest in aesthetically pleasing feed and pictures and back then I discovered several accounts such as:
- Dave Christian Obadja (@dave.c.o)
- Reinaldo K (@reinaldo_k)
- Henji Wong (@henjiwong)
- Edward Lim (@elpluswr)
They are professional photographers whose feeds are mostly filled with flat lays. They always take stunning flat lay pictures and I have always been inspired by them. The thing is, I did not know how to make one and I do not consider myself as a professional. But in the other side, I want to try creating flat lay pictures that might be good to enhance my Instagram feed.
I then looked for some references and I also learned some theories on how to take flat lay pictures from famous photographers, plus I also watched many tutorials that are shared on YouTube. They all helped me and here is the summary of what I have learned so far about how to take a flat lay picture:
1. Find a good flat surface.
This is the most crucial step in creating a flat lay for it would not be a "flat lay" if it is not taken on a flat surface. I have always wanted to have a plain white table, but since I do not have any white table at home then I made use of things I could find around the house and what I use as a surface for taking flat lays is a cut wooden plank that I found on the rooftop. It is firm and square-shaped so I thought it would be a nice thing to use as the surface. To add variations to background, I usually use plain white paper or fabrics.
2. Lighting matters.
In order to create a good-looking flat lay, a good lighting is needed. It is not recommended to make use of room light since it will result in shadows appearing on the flat lay. You can use studio light as a support. But the best solution that I have found so far is to use natural light. Since there are no windows that I can use for lighting, I then went to the rooftop where the whole place is exposed to sunlight. I then could take flat lays with no shadows appearing on the surface.
3. Choose the right properties.
Before taking a flat lay, a theme is needed to be chosen to match the properties that will be used in the picture. For example, if the theme picked is school essentials then the properties used must be things that are relevant to school activities like stationery and books. Always set one object to become the main focus which draws people's attention to it. Also pick complimentary colors and shapes so the flat lay can look organized.
Those three steps are the most important thing to follow in order to create amazing flat lay pictures. After attempting for several times, I finally came up with some flat lays:
This is my first attempt on a solid wooden plank as the background.
The theme is school essentials and I picked the dictionary
as the main object and arranged the other objects diagonally.
This next picture was still taken on the wooden plank I mentioned,
but I covered it up with plain white paper. I took this flat lay in a
full portrait display and I cropped it to 4:5.
I also tried to make use of fabrics for background.
I used my jacket for this picture then I laid some objects
on top of it.
Behind the scenes of how I take my flat lay pictures
on the rooftop. As you can see, I just used a
square wooden plank as the surface.
And so that is how I create flat lays. I still consider myself as an amateur and I am still looking forward to learn more and more and I also hope that I can master flat lay photography over time. My one last tip is to always wander for inspirations. They may have a great impact and a nice influence to develop photography skills.
- D E T A I L S -
Shot with: iPhone 6
Edited with: VSCO and Lightroom
Key Features: Exposure Control, Grain,
Desaturation, Contrast Lowering
Filters: M5
I N S T A G R A M
@richienakata
Comments
Post a Comment