In its most basic form, flat lay photography is simply a type of product photo taken from above on a flat surface, the main advantage being that a bird’s eye view will show the product clearly and without distractions. But if that’s all your flat lay photographs do you’re missing a BIG trick.
Flat lay images offer an amazing opportunity for storytelling. Not just about the specific product in the shot but about your brand as a whole to help establish an emotional connection with your customers.
Ready to take full control of your visual branding? Want to produce stunning and evocative flat lay photos? Let’s take a look:
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How to do a flat lay photo in 10 steps
Ready to start shooting your first flat lays? Here’s a guide to all the practical steps you’ll need to take when setting up a flat lay product photoshoot:
1. Plan carefully
The more you prep the more productive your flat lay shoot will be. Save time with a plan of attack for your photoshoot. Create a timeline for your preparations and your photoshoot and build a shotlist.
Your shot list can identify each of the shots you hope to get and assign backgrounds and props to each scenario while still leaving plenty of room for experimentation. Having a shot list allows you to succeed and fail fast, so you can make any needed adjustments without bogging down your shoot. Sometimes the most creative and exciting ideas will only come to you after working through other less successful ones.
2. Build your story
Another key component of planning is creating your story. Product content should tell a narrative to really connect with people. Start with a strong narrative and everything else will follow. A good story = a strong mood or theme to your content that shows off your product and brand.
Picture this: swimwear surrounded by sunglasses, a palm leaf, and a fruity cocktail artfully placed on a yellow background with long shadows and warm light. There’s no beach, no sea, no blue sky, but few people will be able to look at that image without thinking of all three. That’s visual storytelling.
Make creative use of visual narrative techniques to suggest ambiguous stories in the mind of the viewer. Tell stories that elevate the product beyond mere functionality.
3. Create a color palette
Your goal is to create a well-coordinated and cohesive image, one that creates a visual punch. Just like with your clothing style, too many colors can become confusing and distracting. Keep your images focused by limiting each flat lay to a limited color scheme (a color scheme you’ll create during your planning process).
We recommend:
- Embracing neutral colors like nude or beige
- Limiting color palette to three colors max
- Playing with a couple of different shades of one color
- Using your packaging or product for color inspiration
- Referring to a color wheel (hello elementary school art class!) to find a complementary color for your product
Focusing your colors will create a beautiful cohesive look while ensuring your product pops.
4. Select a background
Next you need to choose a shooting surface. If you’ve got a clear idea of the story behind your flat lay then this should be easy peasy.
There are many options you can choose from, do you want a plain and solid background in a vibrant hue? A neutral but textured backdrop? Something rustic? Something quirky? Maybe a two-tone color-blocking? Or the luxurious look of specular highlights on plexiglass? There’s always room for creativity with the background.
For most flat lay shoots you’ll either want to set up on a flat surface like a sturdy table or directly on the floor. If you’re photographing clothing, prop up your shooting surface so it sits at an angle instead of totally horizontal. This will combine the advantages of both horizontal and vertical shooting—the clothes will lie flat just as if they were positioned on a horizontal surface while gravity will ensure they hang naturally.
A plain and neutral shooting surface will reduce the risk of the background distracting from the product. Plain and neutral don’t necessarily mean boring though! Even very subtle choices can make a big difference to the effect your flat lay image has on the viewer.
When choosing a flat lay background consider not only color, but also texture. For example, using a rustic wooden tabletop instead of beige poster board for your shooting surface will make a radical difference to the final result. Even just switching from a smooth paper stock to a heavily textured one can make a noticeable difference to your shot. Remember, choosing the right background will always be easier when there’s a strong story idea already in place.
5. Choose your light source
Consider lighting before you even start to set up your first shot. The first thing to decide is simply what kind of lighting you’ll be working with: natural or artificial?
If you opt for natural light then clearly this will dictate exactly where you should set up the shot. Keep in mind the light moves, so plan accordingly!
Even if you’ll be using artificial light you should keep an eye on the ambient light entering your studio space. Is there a risk that the sun might later shine directly into the room and interfere with your setup? If so, you may want to shoot in a different area or cover the windows with heavy black cloth.
6. Position your camera & tripod
It’s time to get your camera in place. This way you can see on the camera viewfinder exactly how any changes you make affect the shot. This is a particularly important step if you’re going to use natural light. You’ll give yourself time to see how the natural light looks on your product during different times of day and make any adjustments and notes of how to achieve the perfect light setup.
7. Prep the product
Spend time leading up to your shoot gathering and prepping your products. This gives you time to make sure your products are polished, cleaned, and steamed—or you have time to find and prep replacements.
The camera will capture exactly what you present, so make sure it’s in tip-top shape! Don’t rely on post-production editing to fix every ding and wrinkle (especially if you’re not a Photoshop wiz).
Also consider how the product looks in the context of the shot overall as a compositional element in relation to the background and framing. We recommend setting up your product to frame the shot.
8. Add props
Now it’s time to introduce props to help communicate your story. This is where the truly creative part begins! Start with one prop and then add more to the frame. You can really have fun with this part! Move props around and play with how they interact with your product to create a strong composition.
If you start to feel like your product is getting lost in your props, rearrange the composition so the props are less distracting or start to remove props one at a time until you find a balance you’re happy with.
Your product is the hero and it will always shine brightest when surrounded by a talented supporting cast. That’s why it’s essential to have access to a wide range of props when shooting flat lay photos. Props need to drive the narrative and add visual interest without competing with the product.
9. Tweak the lights
It’s time to perfect the lighting setup you created in step 5. A common issue at this stage is unwanted shadows caused by the introduction of props. These shadows may not be part of the look you’re going for. here are three possible solutions:
- Move the item that causes the shadows
- Move the lights
- Add an extra light source to illuminate the shadow area
Sometimes the opposite problem can occur where you have unwanted highlights and reflections. It’s especially common when shooting shiny and reflective objects. Here are three possible solutions for this problem:
- Move the lights
- Move the object
- Put a cover or poster board between the light source and the object if it’s not your product
10. Compose your shot
Double check your camera is in the best position for the shot. You might want to take it off the tripod and play around with different angles and shots until you’re happy with the result. You’re probably not going to use any of these shots so don’t worry about them too much. Just have fun with the composition and see if you come up with any new fun ideas with fresh eyes.
Once you’ve tried out a few different ideas you should review what you’ve shot. Check the camera to see which compositions work best. Now you know where to set up your tripod.
11. Shoot
Our biggest piece of advice is to shoot in RAW format. Not JPEG. Shooting RAW will capture the maximum amount of information in your image files. This will give you a lot more flexibility when it comes to the editing stage.
Essential equipment for flat lay product photoshoots
One of the great things about flat lays is they can be shot with relatively little gear. If you’re in a pinch, all you really need is a camera, a flat surface, and a window. For a high-quality content library, you’ll probably need to invest in a little more kit than this or find an all-inclusive photography service (like soona) to help you out.
For DIYing flat lay photos, here’s what you’ll need:
Camera
Many people capture flat lay shots with their smartphones. But they don’t offer much in the way of flexibility or technical control. We recommend using either a DSLR or a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. This way you have full control over every creative decision, from angle of view and composition to focus and exposure.
Tripod
Adding a good tripod to your equipment will save you a lot of time and headache. A tripod helps with framing up your shot and ensuring you capture perfectly focused images. Even the slightest blur can render your image useless.
Tripod arm
Adding a tripod boom arm is a simple addition that mounts horizontally on top of your tripod. It allows you to angle the camera so it faces down at exactly 90 degrees to your flat lay background. This is a key piece of equipment that will make your life easier and your images look more professional.
Poster board & foam core
Poster boards and foam core make for excellent shooting surfaces. They provide a cleaner and more graphic backdrop look. Having a selection of different colored backgrounds on hand can be a real creative boost, like combining two or more colors for visually stunning color-blocked flat lays.
Don’t forget to include some simple white boards in your stash! Even if you have no intention of ever shooting on a plain white background you’ll still want to have a couple of white poster boards around to use as light reflectors when needed.
Creative shooting surfaces
As essential as poster boards are for flat lays, you’ll likely also want to start hoarding other unusual backdrops for future use. These could be anything from sheets of slate or marble to a weather-beaten old wooden door. Anything with an unusual texture that will add interest to your shots and help to drive narrative is great to have available for your shoot.
Lighting & accessories
Natural light can be a joy to work with, and the results are usually stunning. You can create warm light and soft shadows by setting up your shoot by a big window. This is definitely the most cost-effective option for lighting your shoot, and the most unpredictable. Relying on natural lighting leaves you at the mercy of the sun and cloud coverage.
If warm & soft lighting isn’t the look you’re going for, try a dependable high-powered strobe. By investing in a set of studio lights you can be sure to have access to the exact lighting you need whenever you need it. If you have a more limited budget, you can also rent studio lighting for a reasonable price.
Best practices for flat lay photography
What makes a good flat lay photograph, and what are some common mistakes newbies make when shooting flat lay photography? Let’s take a look at some classic examples:
Consider the end use
Before you even begin setting up a shot, it’s essential you consider how you will use the image once it’s finished. There’s no point in creating great looking flat lay images if they don’t actually meet your practical needs.
Do you need images that are horizontal or vertical? Will you add text or graphics? Do you have platform requirements (think: Amazon requiring product-on-white hero images)? These are questions you should ask and answer as you flesh out your plan.
Stay on-brand
The stories you create must be deliberate and controlled. They’re not merely meant to entertain, but to capture your brand and product perfectly. Consider whether the narrative you’ve created helps to reinforce brand positioning. Does it underline what your brand stands for?
Everything from the color of your flat lay background to the angle of the light and the way you edit the final images must serve to strengthen your brand identity. Let’s say you want to use cutting boards as props in the background. What kind of cutting boards should they be? Will just any flat surface do? What does it say about your brand if you use marble instead of wood? The narratives in your flat lays should fit with both the product and your brand image more generally. Every detail matters!
Bend the rules
Technically a flat lay should be shot from directly overhead—a bird’s eye view of a totally flat surface, but that’s perhaps a little too strict. And rules are made to be bent and broken. We love experimenting with unique angles to create interest and depth to a shot. If you want to go for a more literal flat lay image, shoot directly overhead with a totally squared up frame to capture the best straight-on shot.
Ideas for flat lay photos
Flat lay is a versatile genre. One that lends itself well to a wide range of creative approaches. But before you begin, it can be helpful to have a particular type of flat lay image in mind - a goal to aim for. Here we look at a number of popular types of flat lay images to help inspire you when deciding how to present your products:
Bold minimalism
A side effect of shooting products from a bird’s eye view against a flat surface is that it removes all sense of depth by flattening everything in the shot to the same focal plane. This reduces all the elements to their most basic form and can make for a very graphic composition. It’s particularly well-suited to producing bold and minimalist imagery. Understated, but eye-catching. The secret to producing stunning minimalist flat lay photos is to shift your attention to the negative space within the image, the gaps between objects.
As you look at the composition, imagine the scene in negative form: The background becomes an object. Objects become holes.
Pay particular attention to the edges of the frame. Keep in mind that secondary items (like props) don’t need to be completely in the shot in order to do their job.
Give extra thought to the color scheme here too. Keep it tightly controlled, and maybe even reduce the palette to monochrome. This will put emphasize on composition and form.
And finally, consider the power of creative lighting when shooting minimalist flat lays. Careful use of either natural light or studio strobes can transform even the simplest image into a bold and graphic composition.
Rich maximalism
Shooting from overhead shouldn’t stop you from taking things in totally the opposite direction though. This flat lay technique of filling the frame to the max can be equally effective when done right and can produce images that are often every bit as fun as they are visually spectacular.
Organized chaos is the theme when it comes to a maximalist shot. You want to be strategic about how you lay things out. It’s all about finding balance. Too many props could turn your shot into a game of I-Spy. Your customer shouldn’t have to guess which object is the product and which is a prop.
Stage a hero product and then fill in around it with props that help tell your story. Don’t forget to use your backdrop as a narrative tool! Adding a fun textured backdrop can act as another prop to reach your maximalist dream shot.
Patterns
Another way to achieve a maximalist flat lay is by creating a repeat product image. These shots are a unique way to show off different versions of the same product (think: one candy bar in different flavors or drink mixes in different flavors).
There are a couple of different ways you can approach this. For example you might want to arrange all your props in a pattern around the product to help the product stand out. Or you can create the pattern from multiple copies of the product itself (our fav).
Give extra consideration to your lighting when shooting repeat patterns too. Shadows and highlights can really help to accentuate a pattern or texture and bring the shot to life. Pattern shots typically perform well on social media.
The human touch
People love buying from other people. Using models to show off your product is a great way to get your customer to envision how their lives will improve with your product. They want something to relate to. In the case of flat lay photography that might be as simple as adding some hands to the shot.
Hands holding things to show context, demoing features, and interacting with the product to give a sense of the feel of the product. Don’t have access or budget to hire a hand model? Don’t hesitate to call on a friend with nice hands to help you out!
Demonstrate the size + scale + features of your product with soona hand models >
How to edit flat lay photos
Careful editing will be essential to get the most out of your flat lay photos. In this section we explain exactly how:
Set exposure & white balance
First get the overall exposure & white balance of your image just right. It should be neutral and natural looking. You want to avoid your image looking yellow or orange from the lighting. We’ll get to more creative edits in a minute. For now, you just need a good balanced starting point.
Combine images
If you’ve captured any elements as separate images and want to comp them together in a single shot then now is the time to do so.
Dodge & burn
Use adjustment layers or masks to selectively lighten (dodge) and darken (burn) any areas of the image that need extra work done. The idea is to create a good compositional balance between all the different elements in the frame while also emphasizing the importance of the hero product. Be careful not to overdo the dodging and burning: a photo can quickly start to look unnatural if the lighting is edited too much.
Adjust color
Now you get to be a little more creative with the color. This might mean just a simple adjustment of the color balance. Or maybe you’ll use more advanced color grading techniques.want a little more warmth in the highlights? A hint of blue in the shadows for a cooler look? Split toning can work wonders. Keep in mind that you should try to match the colors in the photo to those of the real life product as closely as possible. Otherwise you risk disappointing any customers who order your product on the strength of the photos alone.
Adjust vibrance or saturation
Depending on the photo editing software you use you may have the ability to adjust vibrance and saturation. Here’s what that means: the saturation slider is fairly straightforward. Moving it to the right will increase the intensity of all the colors in the image. Moving it left will decrease their intensity. Go all the way to the left and the image will become entirely monochrome. You can either adjust saturation for the full spectrum of colors all together or choose to increase or decrease the saturation of one individual color at a time.
For example, you might be happy with the overall color grading, but feel like the reds could have a little more punch. Setting the saturation slider to affect only the reds will allow you to fine tune them to get the exact look you want. The vibrance slider is very similar to saturation. The one key difference is adjusting vibrance changes the intensity of only those colors that are not already highly saturated. If you’ve already adjusted the saturation of individual colors using the saturation slider you probably won’t need to use the vibrance slider.
Retouch imperfections
Even the most beautifully executed flat lay will likely need a little retouching in order to reach its full potential. Dust specks in the background? A distracting reflection on a prop? All should be cleaned up using Photoshop’s clone stamp tool or a similar retouching technique.
How to use your flat lay photos
It’s always a good idea to maximize your investment in product content to get the most ROI. Here are some ideas:
Shoot additional content
Producing awesome flat lay shots involves a lot of hard work and time. Maximize the effort by also shooting detailed shots of your products while they’re already styled and lit. Flat lay setups are only really intended to be viewed from above since the background is placed underneath the subject and not behind it. But, there’s no reason you can’t plan ahead and have a backdrop ready to put up once your flat lay images have been shot.
Cross-sell when it makes sense
Consider if you have multiple complementary products that could work together in a single flat lay scenario. Think about if and how you want to shoot product families or product categories.
Imagine you sell both swimwear and eyewear. It wouldn’t be any stretch of narrative credibility to add sunglasses to your swimwear shoots as props. Or, let’s say your main product line is bags, but you also produce a number of accessories. The public may know you primarily for the bags, but that doesn’t mean they won’t also buy a few accessories after coming across them as “extras” in your flat lay shots.
Repurpose the content for other uses
There’s no reason to limit your product content to PDPs and listings. You can—and should!—repurpose product visuals for other marketing and advertising assets.
For example, you might change the background of a pure white Amazon shot to add fun animations for a social media post. Or you can use your flat lay photography to create videos that you push onto platforms like TikTok or YouTube. The possibilities are really endless when it comes to maximizing the ROI of your product assets across all your sales and advertising channels.
Give life to your flat lay photo ideas
Have some ideas to create your own flat lay product photos? It’s never too late to get started. And if you don’t have the time or resources, you can work with our team of professional photographers who have shot thousands of flat shots for all kinds of products. When you work with soona, you’re in good hands.
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How to do a flat lay photo FAQs
How do you take a flat lay photo?
- Plan carefully
- Build your story
- Create a color palette
- Select a background
- Choose your light source
- Position your camera and tripod
- Prep the product
- Add props
- Tweak the lights
- Compose your shot
- Shoot
What is a flat lay image?
A flat lay image is a photograph taken from directly above, capturing items laid out on a flat surface. It focuses on arrangement and composition, often used in social media, blogs, and advertising to showcase products, outfits, food, or other themed collections.
How to make a flat lay for Instagram?
- Plan carefully
- Build your story
- Create a color palette
- Select a background
- Choose your light source
- Position your camera and tripod
- Prep the product
- Add props
- Tweak the lights
- Compose your shot
- Shoot
- Post on Instagram
In its most basic form, flat lay photography is simply a type of product photo taken from above on a flat surface, the main advantage being that a bird’s eye view will show the product clearly and without distractions. But if that’s all your flat lay photographs do you’re missing a BIG trick.
Flat lay images offer an amazing opportunity for storytelling. Not just about the specific product in the shot but about your brand as a whole to help establish an emotional connection with your customers.
Ready to take full control of your visual branding? Want to produce stunning and evocative flat lay photos? Let’s take a look:
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How to do a flat lay photo in 10 steps
Ready to start shooting your first flat lays? Here’s a guide to all the practical steps you’ll need to take when setting up a flat lay product photoshoot:
1. Plan carefully
The more you prep the more productive your flat lay shoot will be. Save time with a plan of attack for your photoshoot. Create a timeline for your preparations and your photoshoot and build a shotlist.
Your shot list can identify each of the shots you hope to get and assign backgrounds and props to each scenario while still leaving plenty of room for experimentation. Having a shot list allows you to succeed and fail fast, so you can make any needed adjustments without bogging down your shoot. Sometimes the most creative and exciting ideas will only come to you after working through other less successful ones.
2. Build your story
Another key component of planning is creating your story. Product content should tell a narrative to really connect with people. Start with a strong narrative and everything else will follow. A good story = a strong mood or theme to your content that shows off your product and brand.
Picture this: swimwear surrounded by sunglasses, a palm leaf, and a fruity cocktail artfully placed on a yellow background with long shadows and warm light. There’s no beach, no sea, no blue sky, but few people will be able to look at that image without thinking of all three. That’s visual storytelling.
Make creative use of visual narrative techniques to suggest ambiguous stories in the mind of the viewer. Tell stories that elevate the product beyond mere functionality.
3. Create a color palette
Your goal is to create a well-coordinated and cohesive image, one that creates a visual punch. Just like with your clothing style, too many colors can become confusing and distracting. Keep your images focused by limiting each flat lay to a limited color scheme (a color scheme you’ll create during your planning process).
We recommend:
- Embracing neutral colors like nude or beige
- Limiting color palette to three colors max
- Playing with a couple of different shades of one color
- Using your packaging or product for color inspiration
- Referring to a color wheel (hello elementary school art class!) to find a complementary color for your product
Focusing your colors will create a beautiful cohesive look while ensuring your product pops.
4. Select a background
Next you need to choose a shooting surface. If you’ve got a clear idea of the story behind your flat lay then this should be easy peasy.
There are many options you can choose from, do you want a plain and solid background in a vibrant hue? A neutral but textured backdrop? Something rustic? Something quirky? Maybe a two-tone color-blocking? Or the luxurious look of specular highlights on plexiglass? There’s always room for creativity with the background.
For most flat lay shoots you’ll either want to set up on a flat surface like a sturdy table or directly on the floor. If you’re photographing clothing, prop up your shooting surface so it sits at an angle instead of totally horizontal. This will combine the advantages of both horizontal and vertical shooting—the clothes will lie flat just as if they were positioned on a horizontal surface while gravity will ensure they hang naturally.
A plain and neutral shooting surface will reduce the risk of the background distracting from the product. Plain and neutral don’t necessarily mean boring though! Even very subtle choices can make a big difference to the effect your flat lay image has on the viewer.
When choosing a flat lay background consider not only color, but also texture. For example, using a rustic wooden tabletop instead of beige poster board for your shooting surface will make a radical difference to the final result. Even just switching from a smooth paper stock to a heavily textured one can make a noticeable difference to your shot. Remember, choosing the right background will always be easier when there’s a strong story idea already in place.
5. Choose your light source
Consider lighting before you even start to set up your first shot. The first thing to decide is simply what kind of lighting you’ll be working with: natural or artificial?
If you opt for natural light then clearly this will dictate exactly where you should set up the shot. Keep in mind the light moves, so plan accordingly!
Even if you’ll be using artificial light you should keep an eye on the ambient light entering your studio space. Is there a risk that the sun might later shine directly into the room and interfere with your setup? If so, you may want to shoot in a different area or cover the windows with heavy black cloth.
6. Position your camera & tripod
It’s time to get your camera in place. This way you can see on the camera viewfinder exactly how any changes you make affect the shot. This is a particularly important step if you’re going to use natural light. You’ll give yourself time to see how the natural light looks on your product during different times of day and make any adjustments and notes of how to achieve the perfect light setup.
7. Prep the product
Spend time leading up to your shoot gathering and prepping your products. This gives you time to make sure your products are polished, cleaned, and steamed—or you have time to find and prep replacements.
The camera will capture exactly what you present, so make sure it’s in tip-top shape! Don’t rely on post-production editing to fix every ding and wrinkle (especially if you’re not a Photoshop wiz).
Also consider how the product looks in the context of the shot overall as a compositional element in relation to the background and framing. We recommend setting up your product to frame the shot.
8. Add props
Now it’s time to introduce props to help communicate your story. This is where the truly creative part begins! Start with one prop and then add more to the frame. You can really have fun with this part! Move props around and play with how they interact with your product to create a strong composition.
If you start to feel like your product is getting lost in your props, rearrange the composition so the props are less distracting or start to remove props one at a time until you find a balance you’re happy with.
Your product is the hero and it will always shine brightest when surrounded by a talented supporting cast. That’s why it’s essential to have access to a wide range of props when shooting flat lay photos. Props need to drive the narrative and add visual interest without competing with the product.
9. Tweak the lights
It’s time to perfect the lighting setup you created in step 5. A common issue at this stage is unwanted shadows caused by the introduction of props. These shadows may not be part of the look you’re going for. here are three possible solutions:
- Move the item that causes the shadows
- Move the lights
- Add an extra light source to illuminate the shadow area
Sometimes the opposite problem can occur where you have unwanted highlights and reflections. It’s especially common when shooting shiny and reflective objects. Here are three possible solutions for this problem:
- Move the lights
- Move the object
- Put a cover or poster board between the light source and the object if it’s not your product
10. Compose your shot
Double check your camera is in the best position for the shot. You might want to take it off the tripod and play around with different angles and shots until you’re happy with the result. You’re probably not going to use any of these shots so don’t worry about them too much. Just have fun with the composition and see if you come up with any new fun ideas with fresh eyes.
Once you’ve tried out a few different ideas you should review what you’ve shot. Check the camera to see which compositions work best. Now you know where to set up your tripod.
11. Shoot
Our biggest piece of advice is to shoot in RAW format. Not JPEG. Shooting RAW will capture the maximum amount of information in your image files. This will give you a lot more flexibility when it comes to the editing stage.
Essential equipment for flat lay product photoshoots
One of the great things about flat lays is they can be shot with relatively little gear. If you’re in a pinch, all you really need is a camera, a flat surface, and a window. For a high-quality content library, you’ll probably need to invest in a little more kit than this or find an all-inclusive photography service (like soona) to help you out.
For DIYing flat lay photos, here’s what you’ll need:
Camera
Many people capture flat lay shots with their smartphones. But they don’t offer much in the way of flexibility or technical control. We recommend using either a DSLR or a mirrorless camera with interchangeable lenses. This way you have full control over every creative decision, from angle of view and composition to focus and exposure.
Tripod
Adding a good tripod to your equipment will save you a lot of time and headache. A tripod helps with framing up your shot and ensuring you capture perfectly focused images. Even the slightest blur can render your image useless.
Tripod arm
Adding a tripod boom arm is a simple addition that mounts horizontally on top of your tripod. It allows you to angle the camera so it faces down at exactly 90 degrees to your flat lay background. This is a key piece of equipment that will make your life easier and your images look more professional.
Poster board & foam core
Poster boards and foam core make for excellent shooting surfaces. They provide a cleaner and more graphic backdrop look. Having a selection of different colored backgrounds on hand can be a real creative boost, like combining two or more colors for visually stunning color-blocked flat lays.
Don’t forget to include some simple white boards in your stash! Even if you have no intention of ever shooting on a plain white background you’ll still want to have a couple of white poster boards around to use as light reflectors when needed.
Creative shooting surfaces
As essential as poster boards are for flat lays, you’ll likely also want to start hoarding other unusual backdrops for future use. These could be anything from sheets of slate or marble to a weather-beaten old wooden door. Anything with an unusual texture that will add interest to your shots and help to drive narrative is great to have available for your shoot.
Lighting & accessories
Natural light can be a joy to work with, and the results are usually stunning. You can create warm light and soft shadows by setting up your shoot by a big window. This is definitely the most cost-effective option for lighting your shoot, and the most unpredictable. Relying on natural lighting leaves you at the mercy of the sun and cloud coverage.
If warm & soft lighting isn’t the look you’re going for, try a dependable high-powered strobe. By investing in a set of studio lights you can be sure to have access to the exact lighting you need whenever you need it. If you have a more limited budget, you can also rent studio lighting for a reasonable price.
Best practices for flat lay photography
What makes a good flat lay photograph, and what are some common mistakes newbies make when shooting flat lay photography? Let’s take a look at some classic examples:
Consider the end use
Before you even begin setting up a shot, it’s essential you consider how you will use the image once it’s finished. There’s no point in creating great looking flat lay images if they don’t actually meet your practical needs.
Do you need images that are horizontal or vertical? Will you add text or graphics? Do you have platform requirements (think: Amazon requiring product-on-white hero images)? These are questions you should ask and answer as you flesh out your plan.
Stay on-brand
The stories you create must be deliberate and controlled. They’re not merely meant to entertain, but to capture your brand and product perfectly. Consider whether the narrative you’ve created helps to reinforce brand positioning. Does it underline what your brand stands for?
Everything from the color of your flat lay background to the angle of the light and the way you edit the final images must serve to strengthen your brand identity. Let’s say you want to use cutting boards as props in the background. What kind of cutting boards should they be? Will just any flat surface do? What does it say about your brand if you use marble instead of wood? The narratives in your flat lays should fit with both the product and your brand image more generally. Every detail matters!
Bend the rules
Technically a flat lay should be shot from directly overhead—a bird’s eye view of a totally flat surface, but that’s perhaps a little too strict. And rules are made to be bent and broken. We love experimenting with unique angles to create interest and depth to a shot. If you want to go for a more literal flat lay image, shoot directly overhead with a totally squared up frame to capture the best straight-on shot.
Ideas for flat lay photos
Flat lay is a versatile genre. One that lends itself well to a wide range of creative approaches. But before you begin, it can be helpful to have a particular type of flat lay image in mind - a goal to aim for. Here we look at a number of popular types of flat lay images to help inspire you when deciding how to present your products:
Bold minimalism
A side effect of shooting products from a bird’s eye view against a flat surface is that it removes all sense of depth by flattening everything in the shot to the same focal plane. This reduces all the elements to their most basic form and can make for a very graphic composition. It’s particularly well-suited to producing bold and minimalist imagery. Understated, but eye-catching. The secret to producing stunning minimalist flat lay photos is to shift your attention to the negative space within the image, the gaps between objects.
As you look at the composition, imagine the scene in negative form: The background becomes an object. Objects become holes.
Pay particular attention to the edges of the frame. Keep in mind that secondary items (like props) don’t need to be completely in the shot in order to do their job.
Give extra thought to the color scheme here too. Keep it tightly controlled, and maybe even reduce the palette to monochrome. This will put emphasize on composition and form.
And finally, consider the power of creative lighting when shooting minimalist flat lays. Careful use of either natural light or studio strobes can transform even the simplest image into a bold and graphic composition.
Rich maximalism
Shooting from overhead shouldn’t stop you from taking things in totally the opposite direction though. This flat lay technique of filling the frame to the max can be equally effective when done right and can produce images that are often every bit as fun as they are visually spectacular.
Organized chaos is the theme when it comes to a maximalist shot. You want to be strategic about how you lay things out. It’s all about finding balance. Too many props could turn your shot into a game of I-Spy. Your customer shouldn’t have to guess which object is the product and which is a prop.
Stage a hero product and then fill in around it with props that help tell your story. Don’t forget to use your backdrop as a narrative tool! Adding a fun textured backdrop can act as another prop to reach your maximalist dream shot.
Patterns
Another way to achieve a maximalist flat lay is by creating a repeat product image. These shots are a unique way to show off different versions of the same product (think: one candy bar in different flavors or drink mixes in different flavors).
There are a couple of different ways you can approach this. For example you might want to arrange all your props in a pattern around the product to help the product stand out. Or you can create the pattern from multiple copies of the product itself (our fav).
Give extra consideration to your lighting when shooting repeat patterns too. Shadows and highlights can really help to accentuate a pattern or texture and bring the shot to life. Pattern shots typically perform well on social media.
The human touch
People love buying from other people. Using models to show off your product is a great way to get your customer to envision how their lives will improve with your product. They want something to relate to. In the case of flat lay photography that might be as simple as adding some hands to the shot.
Hands holding things to show context, demoing features, and interacting with the product to give a sense of the feel of the product. Don’t have access or budget to hire a hand model? Don’t hesitate to call on a friend with nice hands to help you out!
Demonstrate the size + scale + features of your product with soona hand models >
How to edit flat lay photos
Careful editing will be essential to get the most out of your flat lay photos. In this section we explain exactly how:
Set exposure & white balance
First get the overall exposure & white balance of your image just right. It should be neutral and natural looking. You want to avoid your image looking yellow or orange from the lighting. We’ll get to more creative edits in a minute. For now, you just need a good balanced starting point.
Combine images
If you’ve captured any elements as separate images and want to comp them together in a single shot then now is the time to do so.
Dodge & burn
Use adjustment layers or masks to selectively lighten (dodge) and darken (burn) any areas of the image that need extra work done. The idea is to create a good compositional balance between all the different elements in the frame while also emphasizing the importance of the hero product. Be careful not to overdo the dodging and burning: a photo can quickly start to look unnatural if the lighting is edited too much.
Adjust color
Now you get to be a little more creative with the color. This might mean just a simple adjustment of the color balance. Or maybe you’ll use more advanced color grading techniques.want a little more warmth in the highlights? A hint of blue in the shadows for a cooler look? Split toning can work wonders. Keep in mind that you should try to match the colors in the photo to those of the real life product as closely as possible. Otherwise you risk disappointing any customers who order your product on the strength of the photos alone.
Adjust vibrance or saturation
Depending on the photo editing software you use you may have the ability to adjust vibrance and saturation. Here’s what that means: the saturation slider is fairly straightforward. Moving it to the right will increase the intensity of all the colors in the image. Moving it left will decrease their intensity. Go all the way to the left and the image will become entirely monochrome. You can either adjust saturation for the full spectrum of colors all together or choose to increase or decrease the saturation of one individual color at a time.
For example, you might be happy with the overall color grading, but feel like the reds could have a little more punch. Setting the saturation slider to affect only the reds will allow you to fine tune them to get the exact look you want. The vibrance slider is very similar to saturation. The one key difference is adjusting vibrance changes the intensity of only those colors that are not already highly saturated. If you’ve already adjusted the saturation of individual colors using the saturation slider you probably won’t need to use the vibrance slider.
Retouch imperfections
Even the most beautifully executed flat lay will likely need a little retouching in order to reach its full potential. Dust specks in the background? A distracting reflection on a prop? All should be cleaned up using Photoshop’s clone stamp tool or a similar retouching technique.
How to use your flat lay photos
It’s always a good idea to maximize your investment in product content to get the most ROI. Here are some ideas:
Shoot additional content
Producing awesome flat lay shots involves a lot of hard work and time. Maximize the effort by also shooting detailed shots of your products while they’re already styled and lit. Flat lay setups are only really intended to be viewed from above since the background is placed underneath the subject and not behind it. But, there’s no reason you can’t plan ahead and have a backdrop ready to put up once your flat lay images have been shot.
Cross-sell when it makes sense
Consider if you have multiple complementary products that could work together in a single flat lay scenario. Think about if and how you want to shoot product families or product categories.
Imagine you sell both swimwear and eyewear. It wouldn’t be any stretch of narrative credibility to add sunglasses to your swimwear shoots as props. Or, let’s say your main product line is bags, but you also produce a number of accessories. The public may know you primarily for the bags, but that doesn’t mean they won’t also buy a few accessories after coming across them as “extras” in your flat lay shots.
Repurpose the content for other uses
There’s no reason to limit your product content to PDPs and listings. You can—and should!—repurpose product visuals for other marketing and advertising assets.
For example, you might change the background of a pure white Amazon shot to add fun animations for a social media post. Or you can use your flat lay photography to create videos that you push onto platforms like TikTok or YouTube. The possibilities are really endless when it comes to maximizing the ROI of your product assets across all your sales and advertising channels.
Give life to your flat lay photo ideas
Have some ideas to create your own flat lay product photos? It’s never too late to get started. And if you don’t have the time or resources, you can work with our team of professional photographers who have shot thousands of flat shots for all kinds of products. When you work with soona, you’re in good hands.
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How to do a flat lay photo FAQs
How do you take a flat lay photo?
- Plan carefully
- Build your story
- Create a color palette
- Select a background
- Choose your light source
- Position your camera and tripod
- Prep the product
- Add props
- Tweak the lights
- Compose your shot
- Shoot
What is a flat lay image?
A flat lay image is a photograph taken from directly above, capturing items laid out on a flat surface. It focuses on arrangement and composition, often used in social media, blogs, and advertising to showcase products, outfits, food, or other themed collections.
How to make a flat lay for Instagram?
- Plan carefully
- Build your story
- Create a color palette
- Select a background
- Choose your light source
- Position your camera and tripod
- Prep the product
- Add props
- Tweak the lights
- Compose your shot
- Shoot
- Post on Instagram
