How I Shoot a Flatlay

Flatlays are a photography genre of their own. In my last post, I shared a little about the props I use when I shoot flatlays. I also shared a little about the genre itself. Today I’m going to jump into the technicals of how I go about shooting flatlays.

All of the images in this post were taken with my Fuji x100v, the greatest point-and-shoot I’ve ever used. Enjoy this slightly-modified Kodak Tri-X 400 film recipe from FujiXWeekly.

The Physical Setup

I begin by setting my camera up on a c-stand. I use to use a Benro tripod with a horizontal arm, but eventually got a c-stand and attached the Benro head to it. If you’re going to be serious about shooting flatlays, ditch the tripod and get a c-stand. They’ll make your life so much easier.

Next up, I determine the backing I’m going to use. When I shoot in my home studio, I use a small board I built that I easily store in the closet when I’m not shooting. In 2018, I bought an old tobacco barn (1930’s) and dissembled it with my friends. We built some furniture, guitar pedal boards, and I eventually sold the rest off before moving to California.

The most used thing I built was a this backing I use in flatlays. One side is light from sun exposure from nearly 100 years, and the other is a deep brown. I can flip it and get two different vibes. I also use different fabrics and leather, so I have those on standby.

Once I have the backing and camera ready to go, I switch on my SmallRig RC120B light and throw it whatever way I think will be best for what I’m shooting. This is the only light on in the room. Sometimes I bounce the light, other times I go direct. For this shoot, I actually bounced it off the ceiling to get some soft and even lighting across the entire flatlay.

With the backing down, lighting on, and camera on the c-stand, I throw a small level cube on the back of the camera and make sure the camera is perfectly level. You don’t want to shoot flatlays at an angle. You want it directly above and level.

The final thing I do for the setup is tether my camera to a computer. As you’ll see in my camera settings below, the last thing I want to do is touch the camera once I have the framing and composition dialed in. I shoot tethered so I don’t have to touch or even approach the camera at all when I’m shooting.

Sony’s Remote app is perfect for tethered shooting, giving you full control over the camera settings and autofocus. I have no complaints, other than the app doesn’t currently work with OSX 13 Ventura, but I’m hopeful they’ll resolve that. Thankfully, my iMac wasn’t updated.

The Camera Setup

Now that I’m tethered and have everything in place to create the flatlays, I get the camera settings dialed in. Below are my basic starting points and why I use them.

1. I always shoot flatlays at ISO 100. I don’t want any noise. I want a completely clear and sharp photo.

2. I usually shoot at the highest aperture possible, usually f/16 or f/22. This is so that everything is in-focus even if it’s at different heights. The props I use may be paper-thin like a photo or map, or several inches tall like a plant or camera. I want it all sharp and in-focus, so I shoot the highest aperture possible.

3. Since the ISO and aperture are non-negotiables for me, the only thing that can be a variable is the shutter speed. I end up shooting anywhere between 1 second and 10 seconds, depending on the lighting.

I shoot many of my flatlays at night with no natural light, and using only my own light sources. This lets me set-it-and-forget-it. Once these settings are dialed in, I don’t have to change them throughout the shoot. This let’s me focus on the composition and building out interesting flatlays.

Regarding lenses, I typically shoot flatlays with a 50mm or an 85mm lens. It depends on how much punch I want. The 50mm is very natural, as it doesn’t have to be too far to fill the frame, and the 50mm f/1.2 GM is so incredibly sharp I can get every detail. If I want a bit more top-down compression, I’ll use the 85mm. Eventually, I want to pickup a macro lens, but until then I’m happily shooting the 50mm and 85mm.

The Composition

This is the hardest part of any flatlay shoot for me. I want it to be full, but not busy. I want it to focus on and elevate the product I’m shooting, but also create a bigger story. We’re all a little different in how we approach order and chaos, and when I’m shooting flatlays, I just love the chaos.

I get every prop that I feel helps me tell the story I’m looking for, and I lay it all out around the flatlay scene. I leave a small space where I can sit on the floor, and from there I grab things and build out the scene.

Tethering is really helpful for composition, because I use live-view to see exactly what I’m building. Since I can view the composition live on the computer screen, there isn’t much guess work as to what I’ll be getting. The live view helps me space things out, orient things evenly, and create the flatlay paying attention to the relationship between the props.

Here are the five main things I’m looking for when I compose flatlays.

1. Am I telling a story that makes sense? For instance, this shoot was for the upcoming Life Atlas by Monk Manual. They were looking to contextualize this new product with a sense of adventure and movement. I shot for them in Wyoming in big landscapes, on trails, and putting the Life Atlas in epic places. To accompany those images, the flatlays also needed to convey a sense of adventure and movement. Therefore, I used props that told the story of adventure - from maps to matches to cameras to hats and so forth. Everything conveys the story of adventure and movement. It wouldn’t make sense if I incorporated props into the story that had no relationship to adventure.

2. Is the orientation correct for the application? I shot this series of flatlays for a website, marketing, or print materials. I didn’t shoot with the social media crop in mind (4:5) for this set. Understanding where your flatlays will be used is very important. If Monk Manual tried to crop these images to a 4:5, it would cut off their product. Rather than expect them to just crop these wide images, I provide a different set of unique flatlays for social media.

3. Is the image correctly balanced? I shoot and review. Flatlay shooting is slow. Part of the reason it’s slow is because you need to review every image to make sure things are balanced. I’m looking for symmetrical spacing. I’m looking for parallel lines. I’m looking for balance left and right, top and bottom, and diagonally. I want the image to feel full without distracting your eye.

4. How are my shadows playing with the flatlay? This particular shoot was meant to have very top-down or slightly angled shadows. Shadows are no different than props, and you must consider how they are landing. I used a black hat in this shoot, and the brim cast a small shadow around it. If I’m not careful in my edit, the brim could disappear into the shadow. Rather, I’m paying attention to these shadows on the front end and anticipating how to make them work for me, not against me.

5. I shoot with the final edit in mind. In nearly every flatlay, I’m going to cut the border off a little. I do this because I like the mystery of the larger-scene you cannot see. Therefore, I actually build the flatlay bigger than what you see in the final image. I’m doing this because I can see the final image in my mind.

The Results

Now let’s review some of the final images from this shoot. Can you see the story I’m telling?

These flatlays should be compelling to show the product, and help you imagine the kind of person using it. Is it you? Do you aspire to adventure and movement?

Life Atlas is coming soon from Monk Manual. They also have their classic planner and other great products. They are wonderful people and it’s always a joy and honor to work with them. Hit them up see what they’re all about!

If you enjoyed this blog about flatlays, keep following along! I have something fun coming that will go into much greater depth about product shooting flatlays. And if you want to see some more, check out my flatlay gallery!