Flat lay photography is a kind of special style to shoot commercial products, tech and specially clothing items. Flat lay photography is highly used and loved by product photographers as it it one of the best way to shoot products.
It is simple and minimal arrangement of one or many key objects forming an organized composition.
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What is flat lay Photography?
Flat Lay Photography is a special type of photography where a set of products or a key product with bunch of other props are arranged to form an organized chaos on a flat surface captured straight from above.
It is also known as Birds eye view. It is referred as flay lay because everything is laid on the flat surface for photography.
Is flat lay Photography possible with iPhone?
Yes, flat lay photography is absolutely possible with iPhone of the recent generations.
Flat lay is more about organization, composition and the background rather than camera gear so there is no doubt that we can shoot beautiful flay lay using iPhone.
How to capture Flat Lay Photography with iPhone?
Flat lay is a really essential style for the photography of products as it is perfect to show the entire product along with its features.
All you need to learn is about the composition and arrangement of products along with other props to make the key object look attractive. Flat lay is for commercial photography as well as to shine your social media.
Once you started using flat lay photography for social media, your posts and stories will step up from “Nice” to “Are you a professional production designer?”
Some of the basic tips and tricks along with the required items for product photography are described below in detail.
Gears required for Flat lay Photography with iPhone
1. Tripod: We use the top angle for flat lay photography so using tripod is a must to achieve that angle. Unless you are shooting in a perfectly illuminated studio or setup, using a tripod is recommended while shooting products.
Using a tripod stabilizes the shot reducing motion blur. Using a tripod helps capturing sharp and shake free product images.
You can checkout Best Tripod For iPhone if you are willing to buy a new one and searching for the best tripod to compliment your iPhone camera.
2. Backdrop: Generally solid color backdrop is required for Flat Lay photography and for this purpose either you can buy proper professional backdrop or you can also use chart paper of various colour is your subject is small enough to fit. You can also use any of the flat surface such as a clean floor.
The actual idea of using backdrop is to make contrast between the background and the product and to highlight the key product properly.
Get Started by learning from social medias
While start something new or something exciting then you can use social medias to get inspired. If you are not sure about how to get started or where to get started then you can browse #flatlay in instagram or pinterest.
You can find various composition, organizing style as well as the shooting style for flat lay photography in social media platforms.
Find a flat surface or setup your backdrop
Flat lay photography will look amazing when the products or the items are laid against a blank flat surface. If the surface is not neutral or contains several patterns then viewers may get distracted from the key item.
So, to emphasize the key item you must use a blank background or a less distracting backdrop.
It is not necessary that you must use a professional backdrop. The background for flat lay can be anything such as coffee table, your couch or simply a clean floor.
Arrange your key item along with relatable props
The most vital part of flat lay photography is to arrange the objects properly within the frame.
You can ether place the key object at the centre of the frame with negative space surrounding the object. You can also fill up the entire frame with some items spilling out of the freme while other are in focus.
The objects can be arranged in straight lines, grids, in the “S Arrangement”; where key objects are placed at the S curve and other props for filling negative space or you can also follow the Rule of Third.
Add Hands inside the frame for candid look
Capturing hands inside a frame while shooting flat lay will add life to your image and gives a candid look.
Using hands inside the frame will prove the sense of action or movement and makes the image look more interesting. You can use hands for the look of adjustment of the key object.
Unless you are using timer or a shutter button it will be impossible for you to use your own hand so it is recommended to ask for a favour with your friend or the one who is near to you at the moment.
Leave space and add text or graphics
Flat lay photography is often used for product photography so it is good to use text and graphics in your image displaying the brand name, product name or the tag line.
You can also use the brands logo or your own logo if you are doing flat lay for your social media account.
For creating a inspirational look you can always use a good relatable quote.
Make sure you check out Best Gimbal for iPhone to learn further about the best iPhone gimbals and extend your passion for iPhone cinematography.