What’s a flat lay? It’s a style of taking photos that is taking Instagram by storm, putting together a single or group of things carefully laid down on a solid surface and taken from above usually with an iPhone.
To give you an idea of how “big” flatlays are, go to Instagram and check the hashtag #flatlay and you’ll see almost 700,000 of images under this label. It’s for this reason why fashion and creative brands are adapting with the style to market their products and services on the social media.
For today, we’ve found our partner master in flatlay: Ashley Biess of Artistrie Co. Ashley (@artistrieco) is a wedding photographer based in Chicago who is also one of our top clients. We are thrilled to shared how she did with her Zookbinders albums which we will showcase today along with a few tips on how to make a gorgeous flat lay.
P.S. Try this on Zookbinders albums and don’t forget to tag @zookbinders on IG!
Tip #1 – Choose a basic background
Bloggers and social media influencers are obsessed with a wooden surface for a flat lay background just because it gives their photos more drama. A white bed or white table are also favorites.
Tip #2 – Use natural light
To capture with minimal shadows and to have them in right places, take your flat lay by daytime. You don’t want that unflattering phone shadow on your photo. Don’t even think about fixing it on Photoshop.
Tip #3 – Leave space between your objects
The very purpose of flat lay is to make things look neat and organized. Make a breathable space to avoid things looking cluttered. Open one spread of the album and pile the parent albums on its side? It might work!
Tip #4 – Pick a theme and stick to it
Know your story. Is it about photography? So you don’t want slippers in there. Is it about summer? Then you can put the slipper back. The items on your flat lay must belong together to one topic/ subject. They have to be related to each other.
Now, you are ready to market your photography services using flat lay. Don’t forget to follow @Zookbinders on Instagram!
