The Perfect Flat Lay Photo

There is one style of photo that is my absolute favorite and if you follow me on Instagram then you probably already know what it is.

FLAT LAYS!

Flat lays are super popular on the 'Gram and understnadly so. They are so simple and convey so much peace and order and beauty. It is impossible to not fall in love with something portrayed in this flat lay style.

So in this post I will give you 5 tips to get that Instagram perfect flat lay shot.

Tell a Story

The first step in crafting the perfect flat lay is to think of the story you want to tell. The story can literally be anything you want it to be. Your morning coffee, the book you're currently reading, what's in your bag, your outfit of the day.

Gather the Props

Now that you know what story you're telling, gather the props that tell that story. Are you sharing your morning coffee? Then grab a coffee mug and pour some coffee in there, maybe a little spoon that you use to stir the coffee and a little cute flower to add a pop of life and color.

Flat lays work best if you keep props to a minimum and in odd numbers. In the morning coffee example, you would keep your coffee as the star of the shoot and the spoon and flower as details bringing all the players to three and therefore creating an interesting photo.

Backgrounds

White backgrounds are my favorite for flat lays. Very simple, clean backgrounds are the best to make these kind of shots work. It can either be a wall, a countertop, your comforter, a cloudless sky, the green grass, and so on. Make sure that it's a solid color and no patterns, otherwise your subject will get lost.

Color Palette

Consider the colors you will be using in your shot and the feelings that they convey. Are you going for a light and airy effect or a more moody, blue tone? Adjust your palette accordingly.

Also think of the way you want this photo to play into the rest of your Insta feed. Do you already have a theme? Think of the colors to include in your shot and not to include to remain loyal to your theme.

Edit, edit, edit

Editing your photo before posting is super important because it allows you to give your work of art your signature edits.

I use Lightroom to give my shots the light and airy feeling most of my IG photos have. Other good ones are also Tezza and Afterlight. They all have your basic edition tools like exposure, brightness, contrast, shadows and highlights and filters.

My signature style is achieved by using low exposure, high brightness, medium contrast, low highlights and low shadows and I like to overlay pinks and peach colors over my photos.

You can also download pre-made pre-sets (or make your own) and apply them to all your photos to avoid all the editing and get right into the posting.