Creating Flatlay photos for your Instagram : Tips and Tricks

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If you have been following me on Instagram and Facebook, you'd have noticed my recent flatlay pics seem to have been revolving around marble theme. Guess what? It was totally on purpose.

After my home renovations last year, I was constantly on the lookout for pretty home decoration to beautify my home. My preferred picks are always along the colour themes of either feminine pinks or minimalist whites.

When I saw marble trays at the mall, I was immediately allured to them! I mean, who wouldn't? However, marble slabs are pretty heavy weighing a few hefty kilos and it was pretty inconvenient for me to lug them back home by myself, so I kept putting off the idea of marble-shopping.

Then I turned to online shopping... it was a total game-changer due to its delivery option!

Was comparing between some available options and honestly, there weren't too many in Singapore yet. And I was pretty picky about my marble decor. The ones I saw instore at the local mall were a little too greyish.

So when I saw the range of clean, white and beautiful marble range from Beyond Basic on their website, I was ecstatic!  

I went ahead and placed my orders with Beyond Basic..and never looked back.

These high quality trays and slabs are not just for flatlays - I used them to hold things and also to serve desserts!

PROMO CODE: BBFAITH20 for 20% OFF all items on https://beyondbasicstore.com/

Tips For Styling Instaworthy Flatlay Photos

I know that you're probably here to read about my flatlay styling tips, so I would just go on to share my tips for creating a nice flatlay! Disclaimer: I do not market myself as a professional photographer but I do have years of flatlay photography experience under my belt. I enjoy creating pictorial content on a regular basis as a form of destressing, and also, it has become my side hustle after Faithy Vanity Table established in 2015. And some of you have been asking how come my shots are so pretty, what camera am I using, etc. hence I thought why not just put it out there for you guys? :)

Things to Note Before Shooting Your Insta-worthy Flatlays

1. Lighting: Daylight is the best for taking flatlays so schedule your photoshoot in the day between 10am-11.30am or 2pm - 5pm. However, if it is rainy season, you can seek the help of artificial white lights. Remember, WHITE. And lighting should be coming from all angles, so yes, MORE than ONE light source.
2. Camera: Needless to say, DSLR with prime lens is the best. But you'd be surprised mobile phones can produce amazing results too. I am a loyal fan of iPhone.
3. Decor: Prep your decor according to a theme - be it a colour or festive theme, a lifestyle topic, or in my recent case - theme of marble! And you know where to get your marble goods!
4. Background: A big sheet of white paper/white furry rug as your background is a good start for flatlay noobs. Otherwise, you can use any simple (un-messy) background of your preferred scenery or colour. Taobao.com offers plenty of photoshoot styling materials at unfathomable cheap prices! 

Additional tip: Clothings, bags, jewellery, hair clips, hats and stationery are excellent everyday materials to use to style a gorgeous lifestyle & beauty flatlay image.

Things to Note During the Shoot

1. You should have ONE focus point, unless you want to feature everything in the frame - then you really need a good camera that can capture such details.
2. Take many many shots! You aren't playing Call of Duty, so no need for One Shot One Kill. Influencers who seem to always post flawless photos on their Instagram actually take numerous NG shots before selecting one satisfactory pic to post.
3. Composing & framing: This is one broad topic and that's also where the talent & skills come in. Practice makes perfect! So just try taking more photos from different angles!
4. Postures can get really awkward for us "chronic flatlayers" (LOL) so be prepared to contort your body to get the best angle or to stand on a really tall chair, etc. Not kidding.

Things to Note After the Shoot

1. Filter: This is a very personal preference but many influencers do use a filter even for flatlays. They usually stick to one or two so their Instagram feed looks clean and uniformed. I personally never use filters but I created my own Lightroom preset just for my flatlays.
2. Post-processing: Sometimes for convenience sake, I use mobile apps such as FotoRus, PicsArt and Snapseed. When necessary, I will also use Photoshop on my PC. In the case when you don't own a good camera and your photos are a little blurry, remember to use the sharpening tool in the apps I mentioned above.
3. Watermark : Again, up to individual preferences. I usually watermark my pictures with Lightroom or Watermark (paid) app. Find out more about the proprietary laws in your country. Whether you choose to watermark your photos or not, know that you own all rights to your images and you can claim damages from individuals or companies which use your images without your permission. 

Hope this helps if you're just beginning to spark an interest in flatlay photography! Feel free to comment below and share with me some of your best tips for that perfect Instaworthy flatlay!

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For amazing marble goods to style your home or your flatlays, visit Beyond Basic Singapore store on the website: https://beyondbasicstore.com/. Remember to key in promo code <BBFAITH20>!