Whether it is to promote a product or just to make your Instagram look more aesthetic, flat lays will definitely make your followers stop scrolling and take another look at your photo. While flat lays may look easy to recreate. It actually can be very time consuming so make sure you clear you schedule for at least 3 hours before beginning. 

Here are some tips and tricks to creating the best flat lays for your Instagram:

1. Use a plain background

The best colour is white as it helps your coloured objects stand out but at the same time you could also use other pastel colours that compliment your items perfectly. 

If you want to add a little texture, there’s no harm in that. Instead of using a sheet of paper or cardboard, use a blanket or some kind of cloth. The ripples in the fabric will help you to achieve that white and bright look. 

2. Lighting is key

Just like any other photo, lighting plays a huge role in making your photo extra pretty. So before taking the photo make sure you find a place in your house where you can get great lighting from a few angles. This will help the light spread more evenly on you flat lay. So, try setting up your flat lay next to a window for natural light.

To reduce shadows, you can use white boards, not the one to write with markers but just random white coloured boards that you can get at the nearby stationery store. These white coloured boards reflect light back onto your flat lay, reducing the shadows. 

3. Preparation and planning

Before laying out your flat lay, make sure you have everything you need. Plan out your props first and list them down so that you don’t miss out any props. When planning your props make sure the colours match and blend well with each other. Here are some props you can use when shooting a flat lay:

+ Magazines

+ Jewellery

+ Flowers

+ Clothing Items

+ Stationery 

+ Books

+ Cups of tea or coffee

4. Get inspo from Insta or Pinterest

Honestly, if you can’t really think and be creative enough then just head over to Instagram or Pinterest and look for inspiration. You can use this link for some flat lay inspo on Pinterest, and this link for Instagram. 

5. Try different techniques

When arranging your items, play around with your prop placements and try out different techniques until you feel like “Yes, this is perfect”. If something doesn’t really look right, then try changing something up. 

Here are some techniques you can use:

+ Layering – Layering helps to add more volume and depth to your flat lay so that it doesn’t look too flat. Add layers to your flat lay by stacking two magazines or notebooks or even some flowers! In the photo below, the papers, menu and sunglasses are stacked to give volume and depth to the photo. 

+ Framing – Framing involves using your props to make it look like your photo has frame. You can do this by putting some of your props like a pillow or a notebook at the edges of your flat lay to frame your photo. This helps to bring the focus to the main objects within you flat lay. In the photo below, notice how the pillows are strategically placed at the corners of the photo to frame it. 

+ Contrast – If you are using a light colour palette then use one or two darker objects to bring in a little contrast to your other objects and background. The same way, if you are using a darker colour palette then bring in come bright objects. In the photo below, the black bag and note book add contract to the white and pink colour palette.