Lights. Camera. Flatlay!
Flatlay is one of the most effortless and popular product photography styles. No wonder more brands use flatlay photography in most product shots today. Flatlay photography suits most product categories, from food to technology to books and more. The color theme, the props you choose, and the background you decide to go for all come together to tell your brand’s story.
Today, we cover everything you need to know about flatlay photography. In addition, we discuss how you can create your DIY flatlays and how to take killer flatlay photographs for your website.
Let’s dive right in!
A flatlay photoshoot is basically arranging your hero product facing up, along with a few props to complement the product. Then, a shot of your flatlay is taken from the top angle.
A flatlay photography shot is also known as a bird’s eye view shot, primarily because this shot gets you a clear view of all the elements in the frame.
When done right, flatlay photography can help you tell a fantastic brand story in one picture alone. You can use flatlay photography to photograph a wide range of product categories, such as -
Flatlay photography is the most simple photography style. It allows you to play more freely with the props and your hero product to experiment with different ways of telling your brand’s story. All you require is one hero product, a few complimentary props, the right lighting, a background, a camera, and one angle.
Let’s help you take your first (or next) DIY flatlay photography.
Following are seven steps to frame flatlay photos for your product photoshoot.
We suggest you plan how you want your shoot to turn out before you pick up your camera. Create a mood board of the color, theme, and props you’d like to use. Mood Boards help you plan out the look and feel of your photography. It gives you a roadmap of how your work should turn out.
Pinterest is an excellent app for searching for flatlay photography inspirations. If you like certain elements, colors, and patterns, Pinterest allows you to save different pins to come to them later.
Instagram is another great place to check out many different flatlay photography ideas. Type the hashtag #flatlayphotography or #flatlayoftheday, and you will see several pictures you can save for later.
If you are going for a specific type of flatlay inspiration on Instagram, For Eg. Flatlay for Clothing, you can type #flatlayclothing or #flatlayclothes. Similarly, if you are shooting flatlays of cosmetics, you can try the hashtag #flatlaycosmetics, and you will get several ideas to choose from.
Your flatlay should tell your brand’s story. Hence, be picky about what you choose to put in your frame.
For flatlay photography, choosing a plain white background is always wise. However, depending on your color theme and branding board, select a different colored background.
There are several backgrounds you can choose from for your flatlay photography. Consider investing in a Vinyl backdrop if you will be taking several flatlay photographs over time.
DoMyShoot allows you to choose from 1000+ different backgrounds. Click a clear photo of your hero product via DoMyShoot and easily select from a wide range of backgrounds within a few clicks to see what best suits your product.
Next up, assemble your props!
Your props are to support your hero product and not to steal the audience’s focus. Hence, choose appropriate props of different sizes to complement your main product. Some common props include plants, books, stationery, and newspapers. You can also ask a friend to be a hand model for you. Using a human element can help humanize your flatlay photography.
How do you want your target audience to feel?
Try to understand from an audience’s perspective what you want them to feel when they look at the flatlay photography. Even though we said to be selective when choosing your props, we don’t mean you limit your options. Keep a wide range of props ready - select different sizes, volumes, and colors. If you have a color palette in mind, select more props according to the theme.
Finally, trust your gut.
If you feel a specific combination of props will make the flatlay look better, so be it. In the end, this is your brand and your audience. You know better than anyone how you want your audience to perceive your brand. Go back to step one if needed to search for inspiration.
Experiment and find what feels right.
Location! Location! Location!
Choose where and where you want to take your photograph. Photographing a flatlay next to a window is wise. Photographing a flatlay in a closed dark room can be tricky!
If you are looking for natural lighting, the morning or the time just before dusk is the best time for flatlay photography. Don’t mix artificial lighting with natural lighting, as artificial lighting won’t be much effective with natural light.
Find the right balance.
Avoid overcrowding your frame. Several flatlay photographs are crowded and still steal the show. However, if you use flatlay photography for eCommerce websites and marketplaces, you want to ensure your product gets attention rather than your props. If you are new to flatlay photography, a minimalist look is your safer bet.
For a more robust and structured look, experiment with arranging your props in different shapes, such as -
Play around with layers.
For example, keeping a newspaper underneath a book gives a certain depth to the image. You can use cutting boards, plates and saucers, metal trays, and cloths to create layers in your flatlay photography.
DoMyShoot helps you take flatlay photography depending on the social media platform or eCommerce marketplace on which you choose to upload your product photographs.
Many eCommerce store owners often want to add text about the features of their product or their brand’s logo. Leave space in your image when setting up your props if you’re going to add some graphics or words later.
After setting your product and props for your frame, the next step is to take a picture of the flatlay from the top angle. You can take the help of a ladder to take an image from the top and avoid shadows. You can also use a tripod to prevent taking shaky pictures. If you consistently have several product photoshoots, it would be best to invest in a good tripod and camera for the long run.
The following are a few pieces of equipment you can invest in for flatlay photography.
Tripod - If you don’t have steady hands, investing in a tripod is your best bet. You will easily find good quality tripod stands from $20 to $100 on Amazon.
Camera - If you want a long-term investment, purchase a good quality camera. Again you will find good cameras on Amazon from $500 to $1000. If you are tight on your budget, a smartphone with an excellent camera works just fine.
Lighting - Good lighting is everything when it comes to flatlay photography. Not only does it help elevate your setup’s look, but product photoshoot taken with good lighting also helps the most while editing your image.
At all costs, don’t skip this step!
Once done with your flatlay photography, the last step before uploading your product photograph is to polish it a bit. Editing your flatlay photo helps enhance the look of your image. Several artificial intelligence photo editors not only allow you to edit your product images by brightening them up or changing hues and contrasts, but they also help you cleanup pictures by removing backgrounds or distracting elements you don’t like.
Once you’re happy with the outcome of your post-production, you can show off your flatlay to your audience.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) photo editors like DoMyShoot help you take product photo editing and cleanup for eCommerce marketplaces to the next level. Let’s find out how!
If you are an eCommerce seller with your product listed on more than one platform, you know that you need to update your product image per the platform’s requirements for the best results. Many of these rules are hard to keep track of.
DoMyShoot’s Artificial intelligence takes product photos and enhances them not only as per your product’s category but also as per the platform or eCommerce marketplace guidelines you are uploading your product photograph to ensure 100% acceptance.
DoMyShoot’s AI allows you to -
- Take product photography using smart angle scales to guide you with the right product photography angles without the need for a professional photographer.
- Remove an existing background
You do not have to arrange a background or props for your flatlay photography separately. You can photograph your product from the top/top angle using DoMyShoot, select the background of your choice and let the app do the rest. Once done, the DoMyShoot team will enhance your product images and deliver high-quality photos via email within 24 hours.
Request DoMyShoot for a demo today!
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