How To Create The Perfect Flat Lay

I've been asked by a lot of you to share my secrets on creating my flat lays. If you're unfamiliar with the term flat lay, you probably still know what it is! A flat lay is essentially a way of creatively displaying items in a photo with a birds eye point of view. It can be a tough thing to master, as it requires a bit of photography skill and the careful balance of objects in an image. Now, of course I'm not the queen of flat lays (I believe that title goes to miss Aimee Song of @songofstyle) however I do have a lot of experience with creating them for my Instagram and have learned so much about what to do and what not to do!

Although each flat lay mostly requires a similar set of steps, there are a few different styles of flat lays that require different techniques. I'll be describing each type of flat lay and what I do to achieve specific looks for each, and then I'll just give a few more examples of flat lays at the end just to demonstrate! So be warned, this post is photo heavy!

Food Flat Lay

I might as well get the hardest flat lay out of the way first! I'm honestly not sure how food bloggers always create these perfect food shots. Food is a tricky subject to photograph, and can often leave you feeling frustrated, and if you're eating with other people, can often make others mad at you (what can I say, hungry people are vicious, myself included.) I believe the easiest way to get a nice flat lay is to first have desirable looking food. That may sound obvious, but there have been many food photos that I've seen on Instagram where I've questioned why someone thought it was a good idea to post their "meh" looking food. It also helps to have "clean" looking food. For example, we all know pasta is delicious, but that sauce can look extra messy and lumpy if being photographed. However something like the tacos above where there is a definite shape, can be more appealing to the eye. Although the food itself is "clean," the display of the food is allowed to be more free and real. Again, look at the tacos as example. The lettuce is sprinkled about the whole plate, however it doesn't give it a "messy" look, but more of a realistic appealing dish. To achieve one of these "clean" food flat lays, you first have to get rid of any excess food spillage (crumbs, sauce splatter, stains on silverware/napkins, etc.) and avoid anything that has a naturally messy look to it. I used spaghetti as an example before, but sauce/dips don't have to be an automatic "no" for these flat lays. Take the taco image above (can you tell that I really love this photo? It may or may not be my phone background...) the salsa is great as it's another detail that adds to the overall value of the meal/image. Just as long as everything works with one another and strikes a balance, it should look fine!

The 'Organized' Flat Lay

Similar Striped Shirt | Similar Booties | YSL Perfume | BioClarity | Lip Palette

Bite Lip Crayons

Capture Your Style | YSL Perfume 

The organized flat lay is one of the easier ones! Essentially you take all the items you want to share in your flat lay and organize them in a symmetrical way. You align all or most of the objects in perpendicular angles so they are all equa-distant to one another. It's as simple as that! 

The 'Messy' Flat Lay

Bite Multistick in Macaroon | Carli Bybel Palette

Eva Hair NYC

Similar Sweater | Similar Bralette 

As you can see by the examples, the 'messy' flat lay isn't as messy as it sounds, it's more like organized placing of objects. It's crucial in this type of flat lay to achieve a balance with the objects in the photo. You don't want to leave too much empty space, but you don't want to have your items cramped against each other either. I've found that it's better to have an odd number of items in the photo since it looks more casual rather than styled. Also, I've heard that photos with three items typically do best on Instagram, so you might want to give that a shot as well. For these shots, you shouldn't be afraid to let some items fall out of frame. This adds to the real-ness of the photo, and makes it look like you just took a snapshot of your life (even if you spent a half hour styling it!). 

The Simple Flat Lay

Similar Mules

Along Came A Box

Another easy one, can you tell by the name? These are when you really want to showcase a single item, such as a great pair of shoes or a beautifully intricate bralette. As for every flat lay, you should keep the background simple and on theme. Since I love light backgrounds, I always try to go for an all white background.  Then just place you item in an attractive looking position and snap away!

Overall Flat Lay Tips

1. Always keep a simple background. My favorites are marble (you can buy cheap marble contact paper on amazon!), white sheets, textured blankets, and fluffy rugs.

2. Always have about an inch of space between each object so things are not cramped.

3. Maintain balance in the flat lay. Never leave a photo with too much empty space or not enough empty space.

4. Always take the photo from above so you can get the best view and that "flat" view of the objects.

Other Examples

Similar Sweater | Plaid Scarf | Similar Glitter Flats

Breakfast at the Hotel Maison De Ville 

Patchology Lip Gels

Bite Multisticks

Hope you all are having a great start to your week! If you try out any of these tips be sure to tag me @samimast in your Instagrams so I can see! :)