How I Slay That Flatlay

Flatlay is essential in every social media- savvy, millenial's life; it's so popular nowadays that I think it will soon have a spot in the Oxford Dictionary just like Selfie; mark my word, sooner or later, it will become an official word!

In essence, what is a Flatlay? It's a newer style of photography that showcases an individual's lifestyle in a creative format, specifically in social media. I'd like to believe that Flatlay is born out of the need to squeeze in multiple objects in one photo inside the standard tiny frames allowed in popular social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Flatlay is literally formed from the elements of this certain style of photography: FLAT- the products are shot from top view, giving it a flat look; LAY- the products are laid flat on a surface; Lay could also mean LAYOUT to some, as it's simply a photo layout.

If you're a Blogger, I believe it is essential to know how to do a decent Flatlay simply because it's part of the profession. Flatlays make your social media feed look more professional, attractive, and well- put; if you're a Beauty Blogger, Flatlays will come even more handy to you because it lets you feature the tons of beauty products you have in one go! But if you don't give a fook about what I said, then it's alright; let's go on with our own lives on social media. :)

If you want to learn how to do a Flatlay, here's a 101. I'm not claiming to be an expert; there are far more Bloggers who can do Flatlays better than me, but I don't really mind as long as I know how to do it nicely; this is just a jump off point; It helps to check out these Bloggers also for some tips and inspirations!

Now let's get down to business!

Step 1: Choose your surface. Go for wood, art papers, tables, floors, or whatever; this is the base for your Flatlay. As for me, I'm into white background nowadays so I bought a couple of canvas boards in varying sizes.

Tip: A clean, minimalist background is always better, most especially if you're always shooting products.

Step 2: Choose your accents. I never thought I'd frequent craft stores and furniture sections one day, but Flatlay made me do it. Accessorizing is one of the keys to doing Flatlays so invest in a few.

TIP: Be creative. Look around the house for items that can embellish your Flatlays. Believe it or not, you can use cups, bowls, and certain ceramics to make your Flatlay attractive!

STEP 3: Choose a theme. This will put some sense into your Flatlay. Do you want to portray luxury, nature, fun, romance, or childhood memories in your Flatlay? You decide.

TIP: Your subject can inspire your theme too.

STEP 4: Know your Flatlay. I believe that there are two kinds of Flatlays:

Flatlay- a general layout that uses all sorts of items.

Product Flatlay- a product- centric layout

At the end of the day, they're Flatlays anyway, but it's nice to put a distinction for variety and to differentiate.

Here's a sample of a Flatlay. I've utilized most of my Flatlay accessories in this layout.

Here's a Product Flatlay. No fuss. No beating around the bush. Just the product. That's all. I just changed the background for variety; I used a piece of silk cloth. Yes, you can use cloth as background!

And here are my Flatlays in action!

 Flatlay

Product Flatlay

Just a recap, here are the basic foundations of creating a Flatlay:

1. Choose your surface

2. Choose your accents

3. Choose a theme

4. Know your Flatlay (Product Flatlay or Flatlay)

Hope you learned something new today. Now go slay that Flatlay, sistah!

Got some Flatlay techniques? It's Christmas time, be generous; share it with us at the comments section of this blog post! :D