If you have been reading my blog for a while you will know that I love a good flatlay, I think 99.9% of my blog photo's are flatlays and I love creating them. So I thought for this post I would put together all the tips I have to create (what I think is) the perfect template. 

Over my time blogging, I think I've changed my flaylay style quite a bit when I first started my blog I didn't really know what I was doing with my photos and just randomly placed my products on a nice background and that was it. Over the time I have taken major inspiration form Makeup Savvy and Katelovesx, their flatlays are amazing and I always love looking at what they come up with. I also have a How I Edit My Photos post if you would like to know more in detail about how I edit. 

Props I add to my flatlays:

  • Magazines (mainly Cosmopolitan)
  • Notebooks 
  • Candles 
  • Glasses 
  • Makeup
  • Makeup Brushes 
  • Jewellery & Watches 
  • Scarfs 

Most of the props and items that I add to my photos I've actually got from Amazon or eBay or they were things that I've had lying around the house like my millions of candles or stacks of magazines. I think with my flatlays sometimes I go overboard and put a little too many items all in one picture and usually have to remove a few bits, to do this I usually remove the last item that I added. I also find it easier to take a few photos and then look over them and then I can sort of see the items that I need to move around and rearrange. 


Prop Ideas
For the different flatlay props, it depends on what my posts are actually about and what products I'm going to be featured on the post. I try to have the main product as the focal point of the photo then have all the props and items around to fill in the spacesSome of my favourite props to use are anything rose gold, probably pink and flowers are always a must!


Backgrounds 

I like to change up the backgrounds for my posts all the time, I have a select few that I like to go through for my different images. I actually get my backgrounds from B&Q they are actually wallpaper samples that you can get for FREE! I try to keep my backgrounds pretty plain so it doesn't overpower the products and props. 

For my backgrounds I also go onto Amazon and look for different contact papers, which are sticky sheets that you can stick onto different surfaces, they have so many different patterns and designs that would fit anyone's theme and they are also really cheap!

Background Ideas



Beauty Flatlays 

If I'm doing a post and the main product is makeup or another beauty related item I tend to change up my props a bit. For this, I usually go with more makeup brushes and candles surrounding the product. I've also been adding more colour to these photos by adding ribbons and changing up the background. 

For my beauty flatlays, I try not to clutter the photo up too much so you can still see what the main product/products are. In the photo below the main products are the different perfumes and to fill up the space I have added a magazine, diary, makeup brushes and some makeup items. 


Lifestyle Flatlays 

For my lifestyle posts, I find it quite hard to have a main focal point of the picture for example if my post is about my favourite bloggers I would probably include my iPad with a picture of the posts to bring the photo together.

Once I've decided what the focal point of the photo is I then add whatever props I think fit in, with different makeup items, brushes and candles. With my lifestyle posts, I think you can have the most fun with and just play around with the different items until your happy with the look. 

In the photo below I have put together a flatlay that can be used for any type of general flatlay, these types of photos are really great to have if you're stuck with ideas on different photo layouts. In this photo, I have also added a photo frame which I think is a perfect way of making the image look a little different. 



Flatlay Tips and Tricks

  • Try to keep within a colour palette with the background and products - adding too many colours may distract from what your feature product or item is.
  • Remove the last item you added - if you think your photo is looking a little busy then I find removing the last item or items will fix this.
  • Take a few photos and then look back - looking back at your photos you may see a few tweaks that you would like to change on your image. 
  • Layer your props - Layering your different props like your magazines and notebooks can make the image have more depth and fills the image out. 
  • Try to stay within a theme to not make the image look too busy.
  • Keep the photo balanced - If you have different props make sure to spread them around and keep the image balanced and fill in all the gaps!

Pin For Later...



*Amazon Affiliate Links used in this post which means that if you purchase anything through my links I will receive a small commission at no cost to you x


I hope this post wasn't too rambly and it can actually help you! How do you take your blog photos?


If you aren't already don't forget to follow my Socials!

Aaliyah xo

24 comments:

  1. Your photos are some of my favourites! You're so talented!

    Love, Amie ❤
    The Curvaceous Vegan

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  2. Every blogger should read this if they are stuck on how best to do flatlay's! This is such a great post! x

    Lucy | www.lucymary.co.uk

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  3. I really like your flatlays, they're well structured and I can instantly tell it's your photo. I like the tip of layering products to bring depth to your image! Thanks for sharing Aaliyah 😁

    Natonya | https://justnatonya.wordpress.com

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    1. Thank you! I love using the layering tip, it just makes the photo look a lot better! Xx

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  4. Your photos are always so beautiful so these are really great tips. I'm awful at flatlays, I can never get the dimension quite right x

    Sophie
    www.glowsteady.co.uk

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    1. I definitely struggled with the dimensions often Flatlays too but it’s all practice! Thank you! Xx

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  5. I always love your flatlays on Instagram so it's so interesting to see how you achieve them- I've just gone on the B&Q website but can't seem to find a way of ordering wallpaper samples- do you have to go in to store for them?

    Soph - https://sophhearts.com x

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    1. Thank you so much! I always go into a b&q and get the samples it’s the easiest way and you get them straight away! Xx

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  6. Oh my god your flatlays are insane! I stopped doing them a while ago but need to pick them back up so this has been super helpful. I love the B&Q wallpaper! What an awesome hack!

    Sophie | https://sophieschoice.co.uk

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    1. Thank you!! The wallpaper hack is such a good trick and you don’t need to spend anything to do it! Xx

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  7. Those tips are super helpful. Sometimes I really struggle with flatlays - especially if the products (usually a foundation) has almost the same shade as my background. Yikes

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    1. I totally get that, changing up the background can be good or even just adding a few more props to fill in the gaps works well too! Xx

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  8. I used to be way more into taking photos for my blog and I want to get back into it as it was so much fun, this post and your different tips have definitely helped me in getting some ideas for the future. Thanks for sharing and it wasn't rambly at all! I love more conversational posts anyway so it was great.

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    1. I find it so much fun as well, I usually have a dedicated day to getting all of my photos done! Glad you enjoyed it xx

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  9. This is such an amazing post! I've never quite figured out what I'm doing with flatlays but this gives so many great tips. I love that you're using wallpaper samples, that's genius! Thank you!

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    1. Thank you! Practicing your Flatlays definitely helps, the ones when I started out my blog aren’t great at all compared to the ones I’m doing now! Xx

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  10. I use so many of these! I started taking my blog photos with a sample tile from Topps Tiles and while I’ve expanded what I use, I still go back to the tile and go back to my ‘traditional’ formula of a magazine (Vogue/Cosmo/Elle), a marble notebook and the tray insert of my Birchbox!

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    1. Love the idea of using tiles for backgrounds! These are really great tips too, I have so many Birchboxes lying around I should use them for my photos too! Xx

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  11. Your photos are beautiful! I love eBay for props. Photography is my weak point when it comes to my blog so hopefully these tips will help!

    Chelle | www.chellebelle2016.blogspot.co.uk

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    1. Thank you! eBay is really great for inexpensive props, my photos weren’t great at the beginning but I just keep practicing and changing things up and you’ll get the hang of it! Xx

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  12. I love your flatlays! There are some really good tips in here

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