Flat Lay Photo Set Up
Here is some information about how I set up for flat lay photography. See the next post for information about lenses and how they affect your ability to capture your flat lay subjects.
First, I choose a nice open space on the floor with some indirect natural light coming from the side. Generally, I prefer that light to be coming from the upper left hand side of the image. It really doesn’t matter which side you choose, but I suggest that you have it come from the side because light coming from the bottom or top edges may feel too forced or unnatural. Indirect light is light that is being reflected on to your subject, rather than their being a direct line to the sun. I hope that makes sense and I’ll try to show that in my video.
Next, I choose a background that will allow the colors of my elements to really sing and that will support my preferred aesthetic. I love the natural wood grain of our rolling cart work spaces, so I just take one down and use it most of the time. Flower colors generally pop so beautifully against the dark contrast of the background. If I’m working with very detailed or darker subjects, I’ll use a painted canvas or other background so that those objects are visible. If you’s like to experiment with some beautiful backgrounds for flat lays or still life work, check out Poppy Bee Surfaces. Clare Barboa at Poppy Bee also offers some great flat lay photography workshops at her studio in Vermont where you can learn from her (a professional cook book photographer) and try out all the Poppy Bee backgrounds you like. I loved my time there and highly recommend it.
Next, if I’m thinking specifically about posting my images to Instagram I’ll use some painter’s tape to mark of the dimensions of an Instagram post (4:5) or reel/story (9:16). I’ve found these tape boundaries to be super helpful because without them I end up preparing compositions of the wrong dimensions and they will be cropped in disappointing ways when added to Instagram.
One of my favorite tricks is to use a portrait scale (4:5) and divide my subjects up so that I can create long seamless scroll or make a new tape boundary that fits a panorama. Dimensions that are 16x5 allow for 4 vertical panels, for example. 20x5 would make for 5 vertical Instagram posts. As always- I recommend vertical posts over horizontal.
Next I turn off any lights in the room. They will cast an unnatural glow on the subjects.
I either snag some images using my phone or I prepare my favorite tripod to hold my camera. I use a Manfrotto tripod. This tripod has an arm that can positions horizontal to the ground. I attach a ball head so that I can adjust my camera and angle it easily in any direction. This tripod combination is so smooth. It’s also wonderful for creating smooth panning movements for filming. I love it. If you don’t have a DSLR camera and you’d like to capture flat lay work with your phone I suggest a Canvas lamp or, grab one of these cell phone holders with a camera mount and attach it to your tripod.
And then I adjust my camera and shoot away! I’ll be back soon to share more information about lens choice and camera settings for flat lay photography.