Transcripts
1. Flat Lay Intro: Hi, I'm malaria. I'm photographer and Traveller, based in Czech Republic. Originally from Ukraine, I was interested in photography since my childhood. First I was taking pictures just for fun. But once I realized that I want my pictures through better and I want to move them to the next level. I started Learn more about photography. Instagram. It's a great community which inspires me and motivates me every day. Instagram makes me want to capture and share my pictures every day. Wherever I go, I have my camera with me. I take my pictures everywhere while traveling. When I hike during my breakfast or city book photography became a big part of my life. For this class, I chose flatly photography. This is one of my favorite 1000 photography. It makes Instagram feed through more stylish and more interesting. When I take my flight like pictures, I really enjoy restyling process. I love to play with different compositions and toe errant objects. Different ways. This class can be interesting for bloggers photograph furs, small business owners, artist and just curious persons who want to learn something new In this class. We will go from composition calor, Siri lighting, shooting editing. And also we will talk about inspiration, background and props for our class project. You will create your own flat light picture. I'm super excited to see what to make.
2. Class Project: for your class Project Euro style capture and added your own led light picture. We're class project. You will meet camera. It's up. A new water values can be camera on your smartphone or your DSLR camera. Anything you are used to take a picture. So your smartphone for editing pictures, background reflectively, some props for decoration and finally objects. You will take a picture or
3. What is a Flat Lay: before we get started, I want to explain what is a flat play. So gladly is a picture taken from directly above all, to be exact at a 90 degree angle. This is a picture off objects laid out on a flat surface family. There is one item in the front light that is in the main focus. Off the shop that I am is known is a hue. All the other items are compliment in here. Peace. Sometimes there are few hero pieces, but in that case they should be related. Let's say you're taking picture off for breakfast, so happy, in pure sense, our hero pieces and, for example, flowers in newspapers are props.
4. Types of Flat Lay: in this video, I invite you to figure out the most common types off blood. Like knowing my plate types will help you understand which type er, Kui and also help you to decide which kind of picture you will be shooting for a class project. First time we will talk about is a full photo. It is a picture whether food is in the main focus. It can be picture off their breakfast or put off their cooking closes. The second type is oppression Portal. Have seen the pictures off. Quote nicely placed on effects. Your face, this oppression flight flight. These kinds of pictures are popular of expression. Bulger's as the main object oppression. Photo can be closed shoes, Becks or any other accessories because on slightly even calls off more interesting. Some fresh in stores use fresh input, like to present their products, and it makes their Easter Gram profile to look more stylish. Next time, beauty photo on these portals are shown some beauty products. It is for Purvis beauty bloggers, especially for their cap Medics review. Well, quarters expressed the mood and atmosphere at the articular moment of shooting. I'm sure all your so these pictures have a poor cocoa and marshmallows. Prairie lights around in some blackness. Record to show that most often come in Christmas. Or let's I picture responding and dry leaves before Halloween or flat lives. Pineapple and Sweden's you next to a swimming pool. All these pictures are creating in order to show emotions off. Author workspace These pictures show where person works and stuff around onward space. Let's play can be placed everything. What is it related to a profession? Our job, for example, laptop or notebook? Or, if you are artists, it can be some pain and brushes. Or maybe you meet so you can shoot war and needle. And so on. Waas. I saw blood like this hammer news, screwdriver and other hand tools. You know, the upper just wanted to show his working boats is It was really uncommon, but it looks so cool. So be creative and try anything that comes to her mind.
5. Inspiration: before your stock photo working. You need some inspiration, right? That's why all this section is about inspiration. So let's get started. I think the biggest source off inspiration is being first. And the best thing about Pinterest be that you can sort the type of pictures, right? Let's say you're looking for efficient packed light so we will talk questions or beautiful . It's like insulin. Let's it would create lie, pull out the picture so I will type oppression. But life for Andi. I will see all these ideas with sweaters and leave straight. That's what you cannot do. Instagram. You cannot sort the type of picture or for some particular. That's why I mean the P dress is the biggest and the most comfortable source of inspiration . Second place, for I seek out inspiration. Instagram. Well, it's not so easy to find something there as on Pinterest, but I have some tips to make your seeking easier. I follow some accounts where the repost amazing place every day. Here are my favorite pounds. You can follow these or try to find some other, try to find some slightly bloggers. They usually have it written in their profile in about section. So if you're type flat light in the search, you will easily find them. Here is example off bloggers. Andi, As you can see, all of them have written red light in there. A cow hedge takes well. It is harder to find some worse content and it takes longer time, but definitely worse to try here. Some put brought his steaks. You can try to search by. I have my plight collection on instagram and each time have I see beautiful, inspiring picture, I said in my collection and the last advice, which I can give you that if you are new in fact line or have no idea for plant like open your board on Pinterest or collection on instagram Fine picture, which why Andi try to replicate you will never get exactly the same picture, but this is way how you can practice and photograph be. It's so much about practicing
6. Tell Your Story: In this video we will talk about how to tell a story with your picture. Each flatly has a story. It can be anything. You're out feet breakfast or maybe want to Sure, Working space, My viewer, Our peace. And you want to show you in your work. It doesn't matter What you shoot important is what story want to tell. Remember that your flatly should have a story And all pieces in your flatly should be placed Their logical, very simple. You should your work out out any put their doughnut. It looks ontological, right? All use what makes sense, don't you? Spares just include more products in the picture before you start are in junior flatly Try to ask yourself questions. What is the meaning off my picture? What I want to tell with my picture and after arms were you're is a Children help is and props for decoration
7. Background: in this part, they talk about what I backgrounds and how to choose the best one for slightly the main grow about background, instant color and texture help too much put like items. It can be a wooden board timber surface. You're This is so paper or card. War come quick backdrop for every blankets, pieces off quote. And so how do you figure out a background, which is perfectly? Try to sing with what associate your bed ground on before you associate your flight. Layton's, for example, wouldn background also shades with nature or count? Recite. So it's better to use wooden background for some hand, great stuff or items made from nature materials for its member goes well with some wooden trendy or lecture in peace. If you're not sure about background, try different options. Take pictures and then compare anyone see which one is the best. It is better to use one afternoon's come big grounds. If you use a mortal background with the bride pre, there is a chance that your items will be kind of falls on. Your picture will look not a harmonious. Compare this to pictures. Yes, you can see the second picture book more balanced and objects on picture, which to background more than on first
8. Props: in this video, we'll talk about crops. Crops are really important in slightly because it helps to complement your hair. Opie's. You can use for decoration whatever like, but here is my list of post flowers and plants. Fresh are the best, but sometimes artificial plants also hum breaks with interest in texture or prince. Please remember her brakes to don't draw attention. It is better to do some hostile cars. Office supplies, such a snow books take cares, Paper cleats and for creates are perfect for tonight. If I pulled out my flat plate, it's missing something. I after some priests and it gets better. It can be magazines, newspapers, post cars and so paper. Where is also good for flat line? Next, These crossed my legs and accessories. Elements hope decor such as Kendall's kennels. Deeks places Antle equipment up, drove Smart Bull's head falls, etcetera. Who can be also used? A suppose throats, cupcakes, doughnuts. Always good on picture. Other stuff. Press sports by sport covers cases for a smart, full and sore. Try to collect some props. Probably speech I gave him for sure you will find some of them around your house, but we'll have all our props ready for photograph. We try to choose some, which go nice with your help
9. Light: this section will be all about like life. It's one of the most important thing in photography, so it's important to know basically concepts. Did you know the photographic color largely depends a light source used for shooting in other wards. The color temperature off the light source strongly affect a calorie production. The color temperature defines color toe off articular light source. Dependent on color came creature like can be warm. Who are you? Trump? One. It's on picture Has orange or Eckstine cool when picture is bluish and finally neutral. When picture has clear natural colors? Let's give some advice. Do not shoot under artificial life unless you have professional lighting equipment. Otherwise expecting yellow photos. If you take a photo one hour after sunrise for one hour before sunset, you're in so called golden hours. Your pictures are golden or orange. Golden hours are really good for Portland, but north for flex Man. If you take photo on cloudy day or my life, your pictures are Jewish. So the best time for taking pictures is it? No. When, like you now. Did you know the best time potion? Try to find really place. It could be balcony our sport next to a window, Try shooting indirect natural life. Harsh like give strong shadows. I got a little tip for you. If you're sure and like this harsh, try to put tracing paper or something textile at the window. In this way, you will get sucked your supply If you see that not, oh, pieces are really in your flat flight. Here's a reflector. If you don't have reflector, you can use white paper or foil instead. Also your videos reflector to decrease shadows. I might small light experiment to show a different life and color temperature. You to better understand this lesson. So let's check these pictures. I was shooting the same object at different times and different weather conditions. A site older before on car today and twilight pictures have core temperature during golden hours, warm temperature and, as you can see light on a sunny day. New is the most troll, the pair attention, then these pictures I made with diffuse in direct line. But let's check how it looks with harsh direct flight. As you can see on the first picture, the shadow is really strong. On second picture, I used reflector. It made shadow kind of soccer, But still, it's not perfect. The short summary of this lesson severe that, like can be warm or neutral. It is not a good idea to shoot under artificial life unless you helper oppression like so should in endearing nature. Life. The best time for shooting Sunny day New. The best place for shooting Well, it place something like balcony or sport next to window use, tracing paper or something. Textile to defuse life. Yours reflector to reflect light or decrease shadows.
10. Color: you need balance and harmony while choosing color. Spur Flatly, colors should interact with each other and complement each other. So how to find the best color scheme for flight play? First of all, let's check the color wheel. Basic Trooper Combining colors a color wheel is that we draw the presentation off colors ends according to their relationship. There are primary colors in each color wheel. Mixing up them gives us in other colors, also called secondary colors. I don't want to go to keeping Syrian. I just wanted toe understand the importance of car in photography and how we can mix colors . So based on color wheel, there are different schemers off car Mitzi, which gives us nature of Bill's picture, which is praising the I. Let's check killed them 1st 1 model premise. Kema. This combination is compelling only tones off a single color. As you can see on the picture, there is one main color. Red and other colors are just shades of gray. Next one is complementary schema. Complementary colors are cars, which are placed opposite each other on the color wheel. Take a look at the picture. Pay and green are placed in front of each other on Carl You together they make complementary where also keep in mind that you can use not only colors but also its shades . Next time is an allergic combination. It is complaining cars that are next to each other on the color wheel. Take a look at the picture. Lemon, yellow, gold and battery alot are placed next to each other or car. That's why these cars like perfect combination together. Next one is try attic schema. Try attic colors are three cars Equal position on car will peak green and yellow. Make triangle on car view and go well together. There are many other medicines. Came us, but I think it's enough for beginning this. What I told me about when I end what My flat place. I chose color scheme based on European, so I know the color on May object. Then I choose some probes which I want to use. And finally I check on color wheel. All cars complement each other. You not. I changed. My Popes try to don't weeks more than three colors also keep in mind. White and black are neutral colors, so they don't count. There are many wreck pledges for combining colors. One of my favorite ease color scheme. Designer dot com. Were you consumed? Refined any other page on the Internet by typing colors, King online or color palette? Or so now, when you know different colors? Kiemas. Let's practice Lee. Analyze the pictures, which I will show you and try to guess which Paris scheme was used There. This pain you will practice how meets colors. So let's get this one. So on this picture are orange, red, green and yellow cars. This is a non logics king. What about this one here? Pink and green colors. It means that this is complementary scheme. And what about this one On this picture? All cars are shades of orange. It means monochrome skiing. One were secret. How to make picture bells. He's complementing the call. What does it Me if you have in your quite like piece of one car at drops off the same count each car on blood play. It's a suffered off the same car, the whole car pieces, Mike picture on bones. So if you're a direct noble, don't even tell all it's something right. Compare these two pictures on 1st 1 There is only one red piece on only one green. On second picture, I added war red and green pieces, and it looks much better.
11. Composition: and finally bridge the most exciting part composition. I think you already heard it. Composition is really important in photography. There are many composition rules and techniques in port of Referee, and I will tell you some which I find useful and applicable in front life photography. For a start, I'd like to give you some general bits of advice, which you can apply in every plant life photo. And then we will talk about some particular composition techniques. Start of your composition from hero piece and gradually at crops. Remember that you know, peace is the main object on the picture, and props are just compliment. So were the composition around a hero piece. Start a bill your composition from largest item first and then place more objects. The smallest object place is the last in case toe. Feel the space. Don't our crowder played tonight? Lose some negative space around each item and let them breathe without the kills. Don't use props. Just put your product in the picture. Try to keep each object in your let light evenly spaced. Also, remember that all pieces should complement each other. Move your objects, moves things around your bed. Ground try to place them a totally different way. And once you like this styling, you may take a picture, but never stop once time. First have less on done more. Start from a medium set of objects and step by step at more Popes at each step. Make a picture and after a few steps, check your pictures. Compare. It will help toe Understand. When you stop reading problems, use all numbers off course. I don't ask you to count all even the smallest props on a picture, but I mean the biggest objects on Don't take it like some strict too. But I paid attention that up numbers off object, more bans and prison on a picture. Try to capture the same picture with an old number off objects and an even number of objects, and you will see that yourself. Now we can move to the second part, but I don't talk about some particle composition techniques, which you can use in place light. Patoka Negatives. Praise is one of the composition. Pick me can be used a sustainable technique ing flat like photography or in order to add some text to the picture. We are objects all around the edges or one edge or corner and leave a lot of negative space in one car. Next one is there were doctors. This is basic composition rule. Let's imagine your picture is divided into nine equal parts by two horizontal lines and to work, account your picture, look good and balance anyplace. Points of interest in the intersections or owned lines. Place objects. You want to focus on other words or hero people in the intersections and then complement of flood levees. Decoration. Turn on. Agreed on your camera before taking a picture. It will help you toe find intersections and composer slightly effectively. Next technique is agree. Imagine agreed and put our products following horizontal and vertical lines. It's really simple to Mike if you want to make what in my back picture or sure equipment. In my opinion, this technique is perfect. This is really eye catching because the person who will see your picture we want to check the smallest piece in your flat line. Use triangles, draw an invisible trying you on your background and put our major pieces there, then from negative spaces. Decoration following diagonals arranger Major PC's diagonally and then come demanded miss decoration. The secret is that our eyes look at the picture from bottom to the top and from left to the right. That's why it there is an object on picture placed I. Currently, other eyes will follow diagonal and look at that object use reason or pattern repeat singer or the same object to create the Potter or read in the picture. This is a simple but very effective composition. Techniques in brings balance pretty picture, and if you want to highlight some object, then break the partner with that 100 on a few more examples how you can mean this composition technique. Potter and negatives place negative space and greed. Daigle's and Potter. As you can see for this lesson, I use the same objects in the different compositions this way. I wanted to show you how much you can change picture just by your change composition. So it will be really yet to come for you to choose a few simple objects and practice different composition techniques
12. Shooting: Before I started to record this video, I was thinking, Which kind of flatly I want to create Andi. I decided to create a mood for Tom. You know, it's full outside and I have this kind of mood when I want to cover myself with a blanket, prepare coffee and read some interesting book. So I want to tell a cause a story with my picture and share this four mood. Then I was sinking. What I associate with my it was fall and coziness and answer is my props, which I collected for this picture. So let's do put a hell here I have here sweaters, candles, leaves, pine cones, pumpkins, Andi In order to feel this flat lay, I have this nice trey, uh, plate magazines, envelopes and postcards. As you can see, I have her monochrome scheme and all props has shades off yellow color. So it's mainly badge brown, golden yellow colors. So let's get started. I'm going to stop slightly, and I decided for triangle composition. So I have to choose three main objects. And remember I told you that you should start from the largest object and gradually at smaller objects, so I decided for three the biggest objects. It would be my train sweater and my kissing so like this. And I want also add coffee here. It already looks good on bond. Let's check it through my camera. I I take your picture and I check how it looks. It looks kind of empty. So I would like to get more objects here at your candles. Andi, I will take a picture. Okay. Oh, cause I want toe highlight office. Um, How so? I will add some and ropes under the coffee. He's Yeah, and I want toe Add something else here because it's kind of empty. And to complement this pumpkin, I will add one more. Okay. Don't ever check it. I would little bit here, and I would like to add something else to this wet through. So I will ender envelope and postcard like this. I don't like, covet. He's placed. Be like what? And now I can start to fill my flat lay with the smallest object. So I have here leaves and other Adam randomly. Here, here something. And now over port the smallest leaves I have It is a cool piece. I always tried to edit like toe end leaves or this most object like it wasn't arranged. It just fell down there. I must have my sweater here. You know, I feel that this corner is kind of empty, So I want to make imbalanced. Yeah, like this. It's already good. I go closer now I check it. And if it it looks good, I can light, kindles and and put water to make coffee and make my file picture. And and now I take my pictures closer that I'm on my camera here year Good. So I took my picture in this composition and I can try toe orange a different way. Yeah, So I will try to use rule off hurts. Have a coffee here. I will check where I should place my objects. So here is intersection and here is intersection. So I will put your sweater Then I have a put here my trade and it's kind of them to hear, so I feel it with pumpkins, please. Okay, let's take a big, true, more close king. We're here And more pictures. Great. What else we can do? We can try toe orange it diagonally. How we are going to do it were poured, Days magazine diagonally on, and we were for this sweater also very good night and put it a little more. It's a bit more. Oh, yeah, this then the pumpkins here. Yes, Andi, our trade with Kendall's two left bottom corner on. Let me check it, people through it with leaves. And now you're going to take one more picture, repair some help and then taking more pictures. Good. So this is what I wanted to show it today. How you can start your flat play with the same objects. Different ways on use. Different composition. Eso some final thoughts about the shooting protests. Check how our urge mint looked through the camera. The camera sees the picture different in our eyes, so take your pictures through the camera. Take pictures continuously each time when you at something toe composition or move your object different way. As a result, you will have many pictures, and you can choose the best one or use a couple of them. Move your camera back and force. Take pictures from different distance and always take your pictures while shooting. It's really useful recommendation, so please keep it in mind. You know it happened to me so many times that I took one or few pictures from the same distance, and I didn't check them while shooting. And after I realized that I cropped something or I did not fit something in a frame or it was better to more something different way and so on. So believe me, it will be really happy after when you how many pictures from different position and distance and final advise. Remember that flatly is a picture taken at a 90 degree angle, so be sure that you hold your camera horizontally and perpendicular to the surface. Also, for this purpose, you can. It was try poured. Put your camera to try poured, and it will be is there for you to keep your camera horizontally? That's it on and good luck.
13. Editing: in this video, I will show how I added my flatly pictures. I lose toe applications, snap seat and light room. Both are free. When I added my pictures, it's important for me to keep them airy and light my editing process. I can spread into two parts basic correction and car correction. While basic correction, I edit light and as you may have guessed, while color correction, I adjust colors and add filters. I highly recommend you to do basic correction before color correction. I will edit this picture already opened it in slept seat Andi. I considered It's too dark and I want to bring some light era. Looked at a picture how I can do this first they is curves. So I go to the tools and I select curves toe and whatever do is click online here in the middle. I'm done. I expand it. You don't beat just little bit because if you will for more then your picture will be burned. So just like this, Onda Ari conceded, picture became brighter on If I click here, I can see how it has changed and I think I even Bill bring give back just a little bit. Yes, and so we can see how it was before and after before and after. Okay, second thing What I can see on this picture that my background is not really white. It's little bit bluish to change these. I go toe tools and I select why White balance tool on draw three different ways. How to change white ballons. 1st 1 is the easiest one, and it's Baltimore. So if I click odor Barton here, I can see that it Recalculates for me, my white ballons. But I think it's too much orange. No. So, fortunately, I can change it manually. I click here, Andi. I bring back my temperature like this and think, Think I think it's OK. So that's how it looked before and after. And one more tool how to change Right Bonds is car picker tool, and I see that magazine has very good white car or Kendall, for example. So I select car picker tool and I moved it to my simple and as you can see, background has changed. And that's how it was before and after before and after. Okay, so one more to water use is a selective tool with this tall I can edit parts which are selected Let me show So I click select you told here and what I can see that this part on Trey is little bit dark So I want to break it up. So I a hit it here on Trey And then I change radius by pinching it back and force. I just want to move it little bit and I think like this It's OK Then I slide my fingers right toe at some brightness. You see to the right, his bride and to the left. It's more dark. So I want Ed Brightness. I think it's OK. Yeah, What else I can do is added my sweater. So I added by hidden this plus button and then I clicked us better and Christian traders. I think I want to make it more saturated smoke days and then I want to its structure just like this. Maybe I can edit my pump king. So I hit plus button and I chin Grady's on pumpkin and I might Kate more saturated. Okay. And what else? I can see that on the bottom part of the picture are not nice shadows so How can I remove them? First way is by Make it making it more bright So I quick here I changed my radius and then I bring brightness, negatives and but chicken result Or I can use one more tool which also lets may toe chew some particular area and sold me Show you how I do this I click tool brush and then I I choose exposure I click this I toe add misc and then I just draw the mess Kier Mm practice And if you want to remove then you choose razor tool and and removed from my cuisine Okay, so can I un cricket and I can see that it's already brighter I think it's enough So click ok and let check how it was before and after So before and after second application Where I do my basic correction is light on mobile And I opened the same picture as we edited before in snap seat in order to show how I edited in light room So this picture is dark and I want to bring that light an area Look to the picture So have I notice I opened it in Lytro Mobile. I choose light section. First I move my shadows up to bring some details in shadows. And as you can see, it might picture already more right. Then I decrease my highlights five days and I wouldn't toe Ed White's. I want o achieve this pure white color. Then I bring back my blacks even more. Also, I will bring back contrast and I will add exposure because for me, it's not enough. Clyde. So that's how it has changed. Also, I can I can sit it. I want toe edit my white bones by Edin Temperature Andi tend Oh, more pre chairman. Okay, so it how it looked before and after. And that's how we edited it in light room and to compare Harris picture from Snap State. So this is snaps aid. I liked room, snap seat and like True. Now we can move toe color correction. I opened my picture in light room on bile I click car that I click mix and what I'm gonna go is toe correct Some particular colors. We were added yellow and orange. So let's start from yellow and we will bring We will move our your cider to the left to change the hell off yellow, and we want to achieve these caramel color. Then we will bring back saturation and we will bring up Luminess is then we will edit orange color. We also will change its hill, then bring back saturation and we will bring back from Nissen's. So, as you can see, we ate you these Boesch caramel cars. And that's how it was before and after. And I will not touch other colors because it doesn't make sense for me as far as I chose monochrome schema and I have just orange and yellow colors here. But usually I added almost all of them, So we click done and we can check how it was before editing and after.
14. Final Thoughts: during this curse, we went through composition, lighting colors. Theory. You have learned how to capture an editor flatly. Picture. Now you know where to seek out for inspiration, how to choose props and background for flatly. Since you have this theoretical knowledge, it's time to practice. For a class project. You were creator own floodlight picture. I'd like to least for you some key steps for successful completion. The Cast Project. First of full. Find out which type of flood like you want to make When you decide. I think what you want to tell with your flatly and what is the story off your flatly. If you stuck sick out for some inspiration when you already have an idea for her photo, it's time to choose hero peas, background and props Tried toe. Understand what you associate is your idea. It will help you to choose the right background and props. Remember that all props were to use in flatly should complement each other. Think about color through the colors came for flatly. Try to don't use more than three colors and remember about compliment in color. Choose the best time and the best place for shooting natural neutral. Diffused light is the best for shooting the floodlight picture. Prepare camera for shooting, clean up your camera and eternal degreed. If you use a smartphone, remember to shoot at 90 degree angle. Try different compositions and take pictures continuously on its step off styling. Always check your pictures while photographing, Edit your picture and finally post the picture to the Project gallery. It will be great if you post a few pictures with different composition and styling. I'm so excited to see your work.
Valeriia Cherpak, Graphic Designer,Photographer & Traveler
