How To Shoot The Perfect Flat Lay

Ever wondered who’s behind the beautiful content you see on the instaxHQ Instagram and how we go about creating it? We caught up with Photographer and Stylist duo, Harriet Langsbury and Darcie Judson to find out how to shoot the perfect flat lay.

Harriet, can you tell us how Darcie got into photography?

Darcie got into photography at school and was lucky enough to have an art teacher who really supported her talents. This led her to go to college and then university, where her passion for narrative-rich, beautiful imagery truly blossomed. She’s since been published in titles such as The Simple Things, Homes & Antiques and Vogue online. She’s a huge Taylor Swift fan, so her favourite camera is the SQ6 Taylor Swift edition!

And Darcie, what do you know about Harriet’s journey into styling?

Harriet started working in the fashion industry straight after school, working as a visual merchandiser and, later, fashion stylist. After gaining a love for content creation and editorial styling, she eventually moved towards a full-time career working as a freelance stylist for fashion and lifestyle brands. Harriet loves to travel and always keeps a scrapbook of her trips. She loves how easy the instax SHARE Printers are to use and it’s a great way of keeping hold of those memories.   

How To Shoot The Perfect Flat Lay
(Darcie and Harriet’s top tips):

1. Always have a narrative or a story. Each flat lay should makes sense.
2. Remember: it’s all in the details.
3. It all needs to flow. The more realistic, the better.
4. Natural light always works best.
5. Don’t make it too busy. If you are working on a commission, make sure the product/brand is the focus of that image.
6. Alternate your backdrops. Try different fabrics, for example. Don’t be afraid to mix it up!
7. Gather your ideas – constantly looking at new work helps you improve your own. We both love Pinterest and use this regularly when planning shoots.

What do you love about shooting flat lays and why do they make great content?

Harriet: The most enjoyable part about shooting flat lays is it forces you to become more creative with your thinking. The easy part is putting a well-styled flat lay together with all its components, but the challenging part is then putting an inanimate object like an instax camera into it and the narrative still making sense. So, of course, when it does and everything comes together, it’s a real ‘YES!’ moment.

Darcie: They also make great content for brands because they’re relatable and not ‘try hard’. It’s a great asset for audience engagement, especially with a brand like instax, where the majority of its audience is made up of young people who like to see how a product they already love can be adapted into scenarios that inspire them.

See more of their work

Follow Darcie @darciejudson
Follow Harriet @harrietandthebees

Share your flat lays with us #FILLTHEWORLD