6 FLATLAY HACKS EVERYONE NEEDS TO KNOW

Hey quirkiers,😊

I hope you are all enjoying the holiday season. I have been stuffing myself with so much food, if some curves do not get added to this body after this, somebody lied. Apart from all the amazing food, I bet you have been flooded with so many gifts and what better way to show them off than with a flat lay! Thanks to all the beautiful people who took part in my instagram (@quirky_indeed) poll and voted yes to tips on how to get the perfect flat lay. You can show off all your pretty gifts and buys from the massive Boxing Day sales in style by following these tips.

“Its not showing off if it’s on a flat lay.”

1. THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX

Now, you’re probably rolling your eyes because I bet you have heard this statement so many times. Guess what it applies to flat lays too! I’ve seen some of the weirdest items make the best flat lays. For instance, when I saw this really cute mini braii stand and thought of using it for a flat lay, my first thought was, “Nooo! It’s meant for food, not makeup!”. But then my other voice screamed, “Says who!?”, and I thought hell yeah, grabbed it and baaam look at that! I am so glad I did because look at how cute this turned out.

2. BACKGROUND

Just because the background is covered by your flat lay items does not mean that it should be ignored. On the contrary, it is the foundation of your flat lay. It has the power to brighten up the look of your flat lay or dull it down. Ensure that you try out different backgrounds until you find the best one. How will you know if it’s the one? Trust me you’ll know. Here are a few of my favorites; floors, kitchen counters, carpet and cushions.

My background here was the living room floor

My background here was this really cool wrapping paper from @theletterist. The leftovers had to go somewhere lol.

3. LIGHTING

Natural light is the best light when it comes to flat lays so ensure you open up the curtains or blinds to make sure your room is filled with light. I will let you in on my little secret, I always take mine close to a window or door.

4. EDITING

If your lighting is on point, you won’t really need this step except to maybe enhance colour and sharpen the image. You will especially need an editing app for those days when, no matter how many curtains you open, there just isn’t enough light in the room. Then you can cheat your way to the perfect flat lay by increasing the brightness and contrast. My all-time favourite editing app is VSCO,  it is easy to use and just has a way of finessing pictures. Oh yes the best part is it’s FREE!!

WARNING📵: If you have to do too much editing then, “ABORT MISSION!” because a good flat lay should highlight products in their natural form.

BEFORE EDITING

AFTER EDITING

5. HAVE FUN WITH IT

This is not even half the number of different shots, I took of this particular  flatlay.

For the best results ensure you take your time to arrange the items in different ways and try out as many angles as possible. I won’t lie, I spent so much time trying different mugs and items that before I knew it, I had moved from the kitchen to the living room. I often read that the birds eye is the best angle but I beg to differ as some of my best shots have been when I use a tilted angle, whatever that’s called, lol.

Birds eye

Tilted Angle

6. LESS IS MORE

A flat lay is a narrative, you need to leave behind all the unnecessary details and focus on the story. You know how every movie has one or two main characters and the rest of the crew help tell their story (see what I did there lol?), well your flat lay should follow suite. Avoid too many embellishments and remember, “less is more! ”

What tricks do you use when taking your flat lays? Do share them with me in the comment section below. 

Until Next Time,
Ciao xoxo !!