Blogging Hack: My Secret for Creating Flat Lays
There's more to it than meets the eye.
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The elusive #flatlay has become one of the most popular types of photos, especially on Instagram, but unfortunately the 'effortlessly staged' snap isn't as easy to create as one might first expect. And so, I've put together a step-by-step guide to aid you in creating a super 'likeable' flat lay that'll have everyone double tapping before you can even comment your favourite hashtags below.
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1. LIGHTING, LIGHTING, LIGHTING:
The most important element in any good photo is great (often natural) lighting and a flatlay is no exception. I prefer to set up my flatlays next to a window during the daytime. As you can see above, our sheer white curtains aid the bright natural light to diffuse evenly onto the surface below, making it the perfect spot to take a snap.
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2. THE HIGHLIGHT + BACKGROUND:
Keeping in mind the object/s you want to highlight, choose a background for your flatlay that will not only compliment your feature, but also look amazing on your feed (it's all about the grid after all, right?). I almost always go for something white or light, but it really depends on the look you want to achieve.
Now, this might come as a surprise, but the secret to this is going out an buying different surfaces that you can use just for this. I'd always used a spare white sheet, white and coloured paper or actual surfaces in my house (which can play havoc on lighting depending on the time of day) until recently when I went to Bunnings and sourced a whole bunch of backgrounds when I was inspired by this amazing video on Park & Cube. The best thing is that they were ridiculously affordable as well, so there's no need to spend a fortune. I love adding texture as well, so I also have a marble surface and a faux fur rug from Ikea (as seen above).
Then you want to place the highlight product in the frame, keeping in mind the orientation (i.e. square, landscape or portrait). You can, and more than likely will, move it many times before finding the right spot.
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3. CREATING A NARRATIVE (& BALANCE):
This is when I add a few more medium-sized objects to the flatlay to balance the image, keeping in mind that, generally speaking, you don't want to add completely random objects. Instead, you should aim to create a narrative and be as authentic as possible, but also maintain the theme and colour scheme.
This morning I posted the above flatlay on Instagram, as I was about to read the first chapter of Lisa Messenger's new book, Money & Mindfulness. While reading it, I knew I was going to finish my cup of coffee (my second today) and take notes in my beautiful new leather notebook from The Daily Edited. Then I added the pen and one of my favourite Glasshouse candles, which represented what my actual morning looked like (though, not so perfectly laid out, of course). As you can see above, I used these objects to balance the heaviness of the book and black card underneath it.
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4. FILLING WITH ACCESSORIES:
The final step is to fill the space with smaller objects, which I feel make a flatlay really eye-catching and special (just like accessories for an outfit). Again, staying true to yourself, include pieces that may actually surround you in that story or moment. For example, I added my reading glasses (for obvious reasons), my Grown Alchemist Watermelon and Vanilla Lip Balm that graces my lips each morning and took off some accessories I was wearing, such as my new watch by The Fifth and Samantha Wills rings. The addition of these pieces not only make the flatlay look so much more interesting, but also complete the narrative.
You can check out the final #flatlay I published on Instagram here.
I hope you enjoyed this month's blog tips and tricks post! Let me know if you have any requests for next month!
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