4 Ways to Get Creative With Flatlays
As bloggers, we don't always have the luxury of getting every piece of content photographed by our amazing photographers out there. Sometimes, we have to get creative with products we need photographed for collaborations and this often results in the ever-so-popular at home flatlay. I'm a huge fan of flatlays because they challenge me to get creative when shooting with my DSLR at home. Throughout the last three years of blogging I've tried out various backdrops when it comes to flatlays and more often than not people are surprised as to how I come up with them! And so, I thought I'd share my 4 different ways to achieve a creative flatlay that will leave your followers in awe and your content looking polished.
1. Use a graphic/patterned piece of clothing | Believe it or not I actually use items of clothing often in my flatlays. I recommend using items of clothing with a bold graphic or print. My go-to tends to be flowy, floral printed pants or a patterned blouse. I simply lay the item flat on the ground and assemble products on top of the prints and take close-up shots or overhead shots of product. These photos always tend to let the products pop against the background!
2. Flip open a coffee table book | I own so many coffee table books I hardly know what do with all of them! It wasn't until a year ago I started leveraging them as a backdrop for my flatlay photos. I often use my Kate Spade or Tory Burch coffee table books for jewelry blog collaborations or other dainty/small pieces like makeup. I find a photo, saying or pattern in the books I want to use and lay the products on top of the page and photograph overhead or zoomed into the product. Who knew a coffee table book could have so many uses!
3. Buy rolls of wrapping paper designated for flatlays | When I'm not purchasing wrapping paper for gifting, I stock up on wrapping paper I love to use for flatlays. Paper Source and Target tend to have my favorite selections. When assembling my flatlay, I simply roll out the amount of wrapping paper I need and tape the ends to the ground so it doesn't curl. Then I assemble the product on top and I'm ready to photograph!
4. Go minimal | If you're into a more minimal approach with your flatlays consider purchasing a go-to flatlay background element to incorporate for consistency. This is up to you and your content and personal aesthetic! My recommendations for going minimal tend to be a marble slab (purchased from Target or Crate and Barrel for a reasonable price), a fur throw or rug (Ikea has great options!) or simply using a floor -- hardwood floors and industrial floors tend to look the most polished for flatlay shots.
What are some of your favorite ways to get creative with flatlays?!