5 TIps to Nail Flat Lays

We all have that Instagram account that we follow for flat lay inspiration. Sometimes we have thoughts in our minds like how they achieve that perfect, minimalist, clean and tidy flat lay photo.  Moments later, we find ourselves on Pinterest for some tips and inspiration. 

Well, I've actually gone through hundreds of pins and I've summed a few tips that I'd like to share with you.

1. Find your go-to backgrounds. 

Backgrounds can be anything like blankets, duvets, scarves, clothes, tiles, marbles, or coloured papers. The first thing I really wanted to get that I think I could use a lot of times is a marble-feel wallpaper. I headed to Modern House to look for some contact papers and I found a nice wallpaper, which I got for HK69.90. It's not exactly like this but it could work. 

2. Get your props ready.

The other day, I bought a small pot of plant from Living Plaza for only HK12. We always see those small pots included and the greens always add balance to the overall feel of the photo. I'm excited to use it and be able to play around with it. Aside from plants, we could also use flowers, magazines, books, makeup and their packaging, candles, shoes, bottle of perfume, jewelry, accessories, stationeries, candles, food, or of course, a cup of coffee. I opened my bag, got some stuff, laid them on out my wallpaper and snapped. 

3. Strategize your layout. 

It's best to plan and think your flat lay's goal. Is it to share ingredients of your recipe, show the tools to make something, highlight certain products? So with this in mind, it's easier to organize the products/props in a way that you want to convey your message. If you want to add some texts on your layout, then you probably want to have more room on the side, bottom, or top. 

4. Choose your colors. 

Playing well with colors ties coherence and atmosphere of your photos. For more minimalist photos, I would also play on white and black to achieve this feel. Oftentimes, your color choice would depend the product/s you want to highlight/feature.

5. Find your light. 

The most crucial element in photos - lighting. As I don't carry lighting equipment just like that, I have to make do with ambient light. I usually do my styling near windows so I wouldn't bother much about under lighting or shadows. Natural light gives even crispier photos. 

Now, we're ready to snap. Still I have a lot of techniques to practice and must require patience. If you're looking for other tips, there are a lot from these amazing blogs - Bloguettes, Thirteen Thoughts, The Edit. 

Do you also have other tips you'd like to share? Let us know down below.