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Beginners Guide To Flat Lay Photography!

Beginners Guide To Flat Lay Photography!

Social media, especially Instagram, has become the best platform for people to show their interest lies. Be it comedy, food blogging, travel blogging, fashion blogging, or the new trend of beautiful flat lay photos. Stunning flat lay photos have set a new trend on Instagram by providing highly engaging content. These photos improve the aesthetic of the profile and soothing to the eyes that people can't resist but hit a double-tap.

Believe it or not that perfect flat lays are not easy. You need styling props, photography skills, and some very important tips for sure. By adding all of these, you get the wow factor you need for the outcome.

Flat lay photography is actually a fun process if done thoroughly step by step. If you want to share your creations on the gram, here are some flat lay photography tips to keep in mind. These have been used by many influencers to create a brand for themselves on Instagram. Follow these super easy photography tips to make your masterpiece of styled photos a hit on Instagram.

STEP 1: Know What You Want

beginners guide to flat lay photography!

Before starting with the flat lays, you should always have a clear picture in your mind about what you want. You need to pre-plan and think about the prerequisites of the shoot. Have a thought and a niche in your mind for a stunning flat lay. Choose a niche for your shoot before starting. It can be either food photography, product photography, or lifestyle photography.

STEP 2: Select A Clean Photo Backdrop

beginners guide to flat lay photography!

A clean background will give more impact to your flat lay photos. It is the easiest way to actively portray flat lay photography by using products already available in your home. To do so, you can consider white backgrounds or use bedsheets. White chart paper, wooden tables, or light-colored craft papers also make a good backdrop for your photoshoot.

Avoid using prints or patterns as your backdrop because they can blend with the objects that need to be in focus. But, sometimes, beautifully styled and floral backdrops can prove to be great if it goes well with the theme you want.

STEP 3: Use Natural Lighting

beginners guide to flat lay photography!

Natural lighting can make any flat lay photo more enhanced and perfect. The light sources can bring out more vibrant colors in your photography without any additional photo editing or filters. Just grab any corner or a window and adjust your camera to the falling rays of the sun. You can either do the shoot on the balcony so that it doesn't result in extreme contrast or shadows in the image and make it look flawless.

STEP 4: Place The Main Subject Of Your Shoot

beginners guide to flat lay photography!

Your flat lay photos must have a hero subject that should be placed in the center to grab the attention of the viewer. But, remember, the subject alone is not sufficient in a flat lay. It needs additional props to complete the concept of your photo. You can refer to the blog images for your flat lay photoshoot if you are learning how to do the placing of the subject.

STEP 5: Place The Additional Props

beginners guide to flat lay photography!

Once you have placed the hero of your flat lay photography, it's time for the props. The props help in giving a finishing look to your photograph. It depicts the whole story behind that photograph. So, you should also know how to style your shoot with the props. Choose your styling props that help in enhancing the subject without stealing the limelight. These props will fillup the negative space and complete the story behind the composition. Make sure to implement these styling tips in your shoot.

STEP 6: Go With A Neutral Shade Palette

beginners guide to flat lay photography!

Choose a contrasting color palette while considering the props so that it blends perfectly with the theme. This increases the eyeball's attention you need for your photograph. For beginners trying their hands on flat lay, photography should avoid experimenting with colors and rather stick to neutral shades. Or you can pick 2-3 shades, which can go together and enhance the photo. If you are confused about choosing the color, then go with black and white, which are neutral and go perfectly well with any shades of the palette.

STEP 7: Capture The Perfect Shot

beginners guide to flat lay photography!

The most important point to understand is, flat lays are always shot from the bird's eye view. Hold the camera from a higher level by getting yourself positioned on the top of the frame. Take the help of a stool to do so. Make your camera lens parallel to flat lay and for that, you have to be directly above the subject to be captured. The camera setting should be placed such that it captures the perfect flat lay images of the shoot.

If you are capturing the flat lay using a mobile phone, you must go with a square crop mode option or portrait photography. Don't just end with one click. Always go for multiple shots to have better options ready with you. This will help you choose the best Instagram flat lays for your profile to get maximum traction.

So, these are some important flat lay photography tips for beginners. You can also take some help from photo editor apps that will enhance your photo. You get various editing options like adjusting the sharpness, clarity, or saturation and cropping the picture with these tools' help to give it a finishing touch.

Some of the most recommended apps for editing your photos can be Lightroom, VSCO, and Snapseed. You can also leave some space for adding text and graphics while creating Instagram flat lays for ad or brand name. Or else go with some inspirational quotes to add more vibes to the photo and that is how you can flaunt your photography skills.