7 Easy Steps to Create Flatlays
by Michelle Pacheco-Gallo | Business Mentor | Founder MiamiMompreneur
Flatlays are a great way to capturing your audience attention, they are fun, they can have great composition, feature your product creatively and the best part: making great flatlays is easier than you think.
Different industries can benefit from flatlays. For example, Hospitality: restaurants can create amazing flatlay of dishes. Another industry: Boutiques: hello amazing fashion trends! And even if you offer a service, you can create a flatlay about it
All you need is: your phone or camera, natural light coming from a window, your product and props, a little knowledge on picture editing and a background.
Here are 7 easy steps to create flatlays
- CHOOSE A CLEAN BACKGROUND: Clean, uncluttered backgrounds are the best and give your flatlay more impact. Avoid busy patterns or bold coloured backgrounds because they’re distracting and compete with the objects in your flatlay.
Inexpensive Background Ideas:
- WHITE POSTER BOARD / FOAM CORE
- FABRIC
- CARD BOARD / POSTER PAPER
- CHALKBOARD OR CHALKBOARD POSTER BOARD
- TILES I love this one and use it all the time. Get them at Home Depot for like $2 each,
- FLOORS, maybe I’ve been taking my terrazo for granted.
2. LIGHT YOUR FLATLAY
I love natural light, so search for the corner in your home or apartment that works well for this purpose. The key is to avoid direct rays of sunshine so you don’t get harsh shadows and extreme contrast in your image. I usually use the outdoor sunlight by placing a tile in my terrace dining table.
3. PLACE YOUR MAIN PRODUCT
What are you selling? A product or service? Even if it’s a service, like an online course or consuting, you can use a laptop in the picture as your main product. Start styling your flatlay by placing your main product first and then adding the other major elements.
4. PLACE YOUR SECONDARY PROPS
Place your secondary items around the major elements of your flatlay to fill in the gaps. Play around with their position and angle to see how they best fit into the overall composition. The idea is to balance the spacing of your props in your flatlay so your details don’t overwhelm your main product.
5. STICK TO A SIMPLE COLOUR PALETTE
What are your brand colors? The rule is not to exceed 3 colors and remember that when in doubt, black and white goes well with any color.
6. TAKING THE PICTURE
Make sure you are directly position above the composition you have created. The goal is to get your camera parallel to your flatlay so the lens is aimed straight down.
7. EDITING YOUR PICTURE
There are ways to do this. Apps I love are: Lightroom, Camera+ and Snapseed. If you want to use a premade filter preset Presco has good ones.
NOW GO MAKE SOMETHING AWESOME
Experiment a little bit, try something new, and take your time to get everything just right. You are a busy mompreneur, but rushed pictures don’t get the same attention or love as a proper photo.
If you really want to get a jump in your Instagram followers, you need to start thinking of your photography as an investment. Build a beautiful, consistent feed and they will come. Now all you gotta do is go out there and build it!
+See more Business Tips
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