This post may contain affiliate links which help support our business and keep the content on this blog free. These links are FREE to you and if you make a purchase using one of these links, YarnThrift will receive a commission. We thank you for supporting our business!
Flat lay photos are a great way to show off your knit or crochet work, especially works in progress. I especially love to use flat lays to show off outfit options, the texture on a certain stitch and to show sneak peeks of new designs. Sometimes, it can be difficult to take good flat lay photos. The camera can be harder to focus, the lighting can be too dark, and sometimes finding the right props or angle for your flat lay photo can be difficult.
I have come a long way since I first started taking flat lays of my work and I’ve learned a few tricks along the way. This blog post is all about easy tips to up your flat lay photo game.
Everyone has their own style when it comes to their business and photography aesthetic. I prefer simplicity over business in a photo. That being said, I still love including props and layers but I prefer to keep mine simpler. As we go through the below steps, remember that there are thousands (maybe millions) of ways to style these tips and you can easily make them your own.
Pin for later!
1. Add depth and layers
This is probably the best lesson of all that I have learned when it comes to flat lays. Oftentimes, it’s hard to make a photo look interesting when it’s all flat and has only one dimension. That’s why it’s so important to make sure your subject isn’t the only thing in the picture.
I love to use plants, my maker tools, books, mugs and other household props in my photos to give my flat lays some more depth and make them a little more appealing to the eye. You can stack things on top of each other or use plants to overlay props in your photos to give them some more dimension.
You can see in the below picture how I use regular household props to create layers in my photo so that my project isn’t the only item in the image.
Another quick tip is to not make your photo too busy – you want layers but you don’t want so many that you lose focus of your subject. I usually go for 2-3 since I like to keep things more minimal but you may opt to add one or two more depending on your style or aesthetic.
Don’t miss a stitch! Sign up for our newsletter.
2. Include props or seasonal items
As I mentioned, props can be a great way to add depth to your flat lays. Seasonal items are especially great for makers because they can help showcase your seasonal makes or even show off how one of your makes can be used across multiple seasons or holidays.
As an example, I love to make pumpkins for the fall. I found some cute fake leaves from the store and some other fun fall decor to photograph alongside my pumpkins. I also use my pumpkins as props for other patterns that I release in the fall. In the winter, you might find some snowflakes or fake snow to use. For summer, sunglasses might. be a cute addition to show off a summer accessory or garment.
You can check out some of my favorite photo props for makers here!
The best part about props are that you can re-use them in different photo scenarios and keep your pictures interesting with them. Seasonal items are easily re-used since they only come out once a year. My only recommendation for re-using is to make sure you are re-arranging your props each time you take a new photo so your feed doesn’t look too repetitive.
3. Texture
As makers, we focus a lot on the texture of our makes which is extremely important in a photo. Equally important is the texture of the background. Many times in a flat lay, if the photo itself doesn’t have a lot going on, the background can provide some great texture. In these scenarios, it’s important to find a background that has good texture and is interesting but doesn’t distract from the main subject of the photo.
Some of my favorite textured backgrounds are blankets and either wood or a wood-look photo backdrop. These provide great texture but don’t distract from the work you’re trying to show off.
My favorite background blanket is this one from Amazon. It’s plain white so it will show off the colors of my work and it has cute pom pom fringe for extra flair in a photo if needed.
Another background I love is this wooden plate which also acts as a prop for me in some photos. It just amplifies a photo easily so when I’m struggling to get a good photo of something, it’s an easy fix.
4. Look for good lighting
Lighting can make or break a flat lay photo. Often, it’s extremely difficult to take a close up photo of an object without making the photo dark. To help this, I always photograph either outside or directly in front of a well-lit window.
A great tip that’s helped me, especially if you have colors reflecting back onto your work from non-white lights or walls is to use a plain white poster board or foam board to reflect plain white light onto your work. This helps showcase the true colors you’re trying to photograph and brightens up your photo.
At the end of all of my photos, I always use Lightroom to adjust my images. I have a favorite preset I use that doesn’t dramatically change the colors of the image but helps brighten where needed. This also helps to provide a more consistent Instagram feed.
If you’re struggling with finding plain white light, this ring light is a great tool that can help. Before I found a great photo spot in my house, I used this light to help provide some faux natural light.
5. Get creative & have fun!
The best part about flat lays is that you can have fun with them! Don’t be afraid to try new angles and set ups. We all have our go-to poses for our work that are tried and true but some of the best photos we take come from creative ideas we try along the way.
Sometimes when I’m struggling with getting a good flat lay of a project I’ll take batches of photos while adjusting positions, props, and angles to see what images I’m able to create and if I can take a new one that’s more attention-grabbing than the last.
I hope you’ve found these tips helpful! If you’re looking for some other maker tips, you can check out some of the below posts and make sure to subscribe to our newsletter & follow us on social media @yarnthrift.
