With over 1 million #flatlay posts found on Instagram daily, this top-down photography has been gaining its popularity for many years. According to Creative Trends 2016 by Shutter Stock, flat lay has made it to the top 4 visual global trend by 160%. Australia has the most flat lay photographs in the world. So, what actually is flat lay? Well, it is a photography styling technique which several elements are laid out in an eye-pleasing way. Usually theme-focused, these elements can be products people want to sell, fashion outfit for the day, fun little crafting materials or ingredients before baking a cake.
In August, Canon Singapore invited me for a “Creating Better Content With Canon” event. Hosted by my good friend, Claudia, she shared with many other Singapore parent bloggers on her experiences and tips about creating visual contents online. As the Mid-Autumn Festival is coming soon, there is a flat lay event challenge conducted by Canon Singapore. Since I was one of the winners, I will share with you on my 5 step secrets for creating flat lay photographs for Instagram.
Keep It Simple
I believe less is more. Therefore, always have a main focused element and choose other accessories to compliment on it.
Use Natural Light
Natural light are usually soft and cast minimal shadows. Therefore, you can place your objects at a nearby window to make your flat lay photographs fabulous.
Choosing The Right Background
When comes to creating flat lay photographs, choosing the right background can be really tricky. Usually, I would use white as my background as it creates dynamism. Other popular background includes marble patterns, rustic wood designs and printed fabrics.
Use Square Format
As the best format for Instagram photographs is square, it is important that all my elements are fitted well into the photographs when cropped. This in return will give me a more balanced Instagram photograph.
Inspirations
I usually get my inspirations from my favorite #flatlay Instagrammers. From their visual contents, I will get ideas and I re-create them to suit my personality and photography style.
Voila! With my 5 secret steps, you can now create your aesthetically beautiful flat lay photographs. Here are my latest flat lay photographs for you to get inspired. Have fun!
