How to: Create a dynamic flat lay
Chances are you have never heard of a “flat lay” but you have seen them - they are the birds-eye views we see every day of food, fashion and countless consumer items.
Commercial and advertising photographers have been shooting flat lay for decades but soon after the internet became a shop, almost every web-store and home blogger began making use of the idea too.
Despite the commercial applications, a flat lay can also be a wonderful technique for describing personal stories, be it fun photos of trinkets gathered while on a holiday, or a more meaningful image of mementos gathered during a life less ordinary.
As with any photo though, the secret to a strong flat lay lies in the mix of interesting content, strong design and some clever lighting.
As lighting is often a biggest challenge for most photographers, the aim of this story is to illustrate how one simple lighting technique can add some drama to the otherwise flat light you might find on most flat lay compositions.
All you need to make this image work is some window light, a camera, a tripod and a flash with a remote trigger. Oh, and did I mention a few interesting items to photograph too!
1) Subject and background
Find some interesting objects to photograph and then place them on a tabletop or floor space that is preferably situated near some window light. Remember, this surface will become your background for the photo.
2) Camera and tripod
Set up a tripod on the surface and, if your tripod has a lateral extending centre column, place it across the tripod legs. Mount the camera with a mid range zoom onto the tripod and aim it directly downwards.
3) Exposure settings
Working in manual mode, set the aperture to f8 (for good depth of field), ISO to 400 and adjust your shutter speed to suit the ambient light. Make a test exposure.
4) Composition and styling
Bring your hero items and props into frame and then move them about until you have a pleasing composition remembering that you might have to orientate them to suit the ambient light.
5) Adding in flash
Connect your flash to a remote trigger, set the flash to a manual power setting and then aim the flash towards your flat lay. Make a test exposure, then adjust the flash power up or down until it appears slightly brighter than the ambient light. For this shot, I added an orange gel to the flash to warm the light temperature a little.
6) Crafting the light
Having set-up the flash power, now fire the flash between two pieces of cardboard so that it creates a slot of light across your flat lay. Now slightly increase the shutter speed to subtly darken the ambient areas. ❂