We all love sharing our favorite photos on Instagram, but there’s a difference between a curated flat lay and just snapping a a quick photo without putting any thought into it. Flat lays are all the rage these days and are very aesthetically pleasing, which can generate new followers and lots of likes on Instagram if you do it right.
Whether you’re a blogger, business owner, or just an Instagram enthusiast, following these tips on how to master the flat lay will help.
HOW TO MASTER THE FLATLAY IN SEVEN EASY STEPS:
Use a White or Marble Background
You can never go wrong with a plain white or grey marble background and the easiest way to get one is to use a white foam board or contact paper. A white background will make your photos pop by allowing each color to be seen without distraction. White and grey marble backgrounds are also a big trend these days that anyone can achieve.
Don’t have marble countertops? No worries! All you need is some marble contact paper and craft wood to DIY your own photo background prop.
Shoot in Natural Light
For best results, always shoot in natural light. Find the brightest spot in your home, usually by a window for the best lighting. This is how to master the flatlay in the easiest way possible. If natural light is not an option, I recommend you use a mini light box kit or large lighting studio kit (my personal favorite!) to mimic natural light indoors and avoid dark or yellow toned photos from poor lighting conditions.
Edit with Apps
A great app to start off with for basic editing is AfterLight. Brighten and adjust the contrast and exposure if needed. Another great app is Snapseed. Use the selective tool to brighten specific areas of the photo and make your background and white space even whiter.
For a full list of recommended editing apps, check out this post on the best photo editing apps for Instagram..
Find a Flat Surface
Make sure you place your items on a flat surface to keep them in place. Sometimes round objects can be tricky, even when they’re on a flat surface.
*Pro tip- use a small piece of double sided tape or sticky tack to hold objects in place.
Focus on Placement
Take the time to carefully place each item you want to feature. Be sure to leave enough whitespace between each item. If you’re working with both small and large items, make several arrangements until you find a desired proportion.
Shoot in Square Mode
For Instagram purposes, you will want to shoot your photo in square mode. This will help you see exactly how your photo will look in regards to placement and proportion and you won’t need to use an additional cropping app to fit your whole photo into the frame. If you don’t shoot in square mode, you may not have as much white space in your flat lay, your photo may look zoomed in when uploaded to Instagram, or even chopped off when viewing your profile in the gallery mode.
Work the Angles
Typically flat lays are shot directly above the products. This can be challenging depending on how tall of a surface you are working with. Don’t be afraid to bust out a stepping stool and do what you have to do to get above it.
If you found this post on how to master the flatlay in seven easy steps helpful, please pin this post so others can learn how to master the flatlay too!
Psst.. let’s be Instagram friends!
[bctt tweet=”Learn how to master the Instagram flatlay in 7 easy steps” username=”thesouthrnthing”]
Jasmine says
I'm still trying to master this but it's a working a progress. Thanks for sharing tips 🙂
WorkingMomMagic says
Great tips! I totally suck at creating artsy instagram shots.. I think having a good eye helps! (I dont have one, apparently.. haha)
Becca Dorr says
I started using those tiny clear hair ties to put under round items to keep them from rolling around! But as far as square mode, I'm not sure. IG will let you upload portrait and landscape photos, so a vertical photo may not be so bad!
Marissa Pedersen says
Great tips! I'm not very good at that, so I'll have to try your advice.
Carrie Kalasz says
great tips! thanks for sharing this 🙂
Allison Jones says
Thanks for sharing this! It's something that I'm still trying to master.
All the Best,
Allison | http://www.LiveLifeWellBlog.com
Keating Bartlett says
Great tips!! I've been working on this for a while now. Some photos look super awesome and then others, not so much haha it's a work in progress.
Kaeleen Stone says
looove flat lays and playing around with different layouts! Thanks for the tips 🙂
Sandra Sturm says
Great post! Merci!
Anonymous says
I literally got my white foam board yesterday, I can't wait to kick some instagram butt 🙂 Thanks for these tips, I knew about afterlight but not snapseed.
Elisabeth Hayes says
These are great tips, thank you for sharing!
Helene in Between says
awesome tips!
Seeking the South says
I'm really glad you posted this because I'm planning on doing some of this soon. Great post!
Emma | Seeking the South
Katy says
I love this! I need to be better about shooting on white surfaces!
Katy l http://www.alittledailyhappiness.com
Meesh Nguyen says
Great tips! I'll definitely keep these in mind the next time I attempt a flat lay 🙂
XO Meesh, rightwhereileftoff.com
Breakfast at Lillys says
I definitely needed this post because I have been wanting to take more flat lays but feel like they don't always look good.
xoxo, Jenny || Breakfast at Lillys
Strategic Management Accountant says
Great tips. Thanks for sharing
Logan Cantrell says
These are great tips! I also use Afterlight and Snapseed and love them both!
Kait says
These are great tips — I'm constantly on the lookout for ways to improve my feed 🙂
Justine Y @ Little Dove Creations says
Using natural light is such an important tip, it really does make such a difference in your photos! And I love the tip about shooting in square mode, thanks!
Mrs ABC says
thank you thank you thank you!!! i've been working hard on my photography of my products and this is a huge help. thank you!
kenzie negron says
flatlays are my favorite type of photos! still trying to work on how to “master” them, haha. Great post! x, kenz http://sincerelykenz.com
Thabs says
I just started my blog and I’ve taken my first couple of (out of a thousand!) flat lays and boy is it a struggle. I’ve been using white printer paper as my solid background ahh. I’m probably gonna stop by the dollar store and pick up a card stock white poster board so I’m not limited by an 8×11 PAPER hahah