Aside from social media usage, you’ll often find flat lay photography used in a professional setting when capturing lifestyle scenarios, product advertisements, or food. These genres tend to overlap. Sometimes, you’ll find that all the items in the picture will be just as important as each other but, oftentimes, there is one main element (such as a prepared meal) supported by extra elements that add to the narrative (such as ingredients or kitchen utensils).
It would seem that flat lay photography has got a lot going for it!
It requires a relatively simple photography set-up, it’s extremely versatile to adjust to your or your client’s liking and it can provide some consistency across your social media feed or portfolio. However, it’s important to bear in mind that flay lay photography is better suited to capturing smaller objects rather than larger ones, that some objects can look distorted when laid flat or when photographed from above, and that there’s more to a good flat lay image than simply laying a few objects out and shooting down on them.
So, what makes a good flat lay photograph? Let’s get into these 5 important flat lay photography tips together.