Flat lay photography

[togan]

Hey guys...wasn't sure where to post this, but it's photography related so I figured this would work? *shrug*

Anywho...as I mentioned before, one of the most common things people say to me is that they love my work but have no idea what they'd wear it with. So I recently decided to do some flat lay photos with outfits from my closet. (Thanks to my generous mother for all the cool clothes lol) 
After playing around with settings....i.e. the carpet, the deck, a table top....I settled on this faux fur blanket for my backdrop. 
Here's some of the shots showing various styles of jewelry: 







The interesting thing was that these photos increased my Instagram following and traffic to my Etsy and Shopify stores drastically. I guess people could relate more with the added context of an outfit suggestion/style. It worked out better than when I tried modeling for photos to show the scale of pieces, particularly earrings. Lol I wasn't sure how to take that...It definitely didn't encourage me to want to be in front of the camera anymore though. 

[togan]

It's also a new hobby...I tried photographing other things too:
 
So I did buy some holiday stuff each season last year at the Dollar Store. So I started using them in February and now for March. This is a recent post I did on Instagram. 
 
This is another fashion one with my Romance collection earrings....this one is my 2nd favorite. 

I was getting ready to study and decided to get a shot like this for use later in a blog post. Maybe I'll start making stock imagery lol 

More of my stationery.. .....I made some bookmarks for my journals. Thought it'd be a cool picture. 

My mom left this dress in her room at my house...so I was like..hmmmm...I can use this....and I threw it into the prop pile. She saw the photo and wanted the dress back and the jewelry 

So yeah...I think it's good for marketing...but I'm also just having fun making little compositions. I really didn't need a distraction like this...lol 
My setup is the couch by the window in my studio. (I have weird modern couch so it has lots of flat surface) I put the blanket down there and I got an ottoman to stand on for taking photos since I'm short. I alternate between my cell phone and my camera for taking shots.

[DawninCal]

Togan, when you mentioned that you were photographing your jewelry with outfits, I expected to see the entire outfit and was wondering if the jewelry got lost in the photo. Now that I see you how you are using the outfits, I get it. What a great way to give people ideas as to what they would wear your jewelry with or how they would add accessories.

Marketing articles are always telling us to photograph our items with nothing but a stark white background so that nothing distracts from the jewelry. I have pretty much followed that advice, except that I love props, so I'll stick a rock or a piece of coral in my photos, but I've never really agreed with it. I feel that photos should tell a story and yours certainly do!

I may have to steal...*ahem*, borrow your idea!

LOL, that's funny about your mom!



Dawn

[togan]

Yeah! When I first read about how to 'professionally' photograph jewelry...the articles were very specific about white backdrops. I bought a kit for that and I hated the....well everything about the photos. lol They felt...dead/cold/surgical? I don't know how to put into words the feeling they gave me but I didn't enjoy it. Usually when I buy jewelry...something about the photo catches my eye...particularly in Etsy shops and around the web. I love seeing a beautiful composition where the jewelry is the focus but there are other objects that add visual interest and colors! So I totally agree with you in that the photos should tell a story.

[michelle]

Oh Togan, I love these flat lay photos! I love your jewelry anyway, but yes these photos really shows it off. I, too, will be stealing this idea. LOL! Like everyone else, I’ve been photographing my jewelry on plain white (or occasionally using Daisy the mannequin for scale). I’ve never found it inspiring, but figured I was just weird. 🤷🏼‍♀️

Love the story about your mom!

[Sophy]

These are great! What a clever idea (and how nice that you have such fab clothes).

[togan]

Thank you guys for the feedback! I hope I gave you a bit of inspiration. And I hope you guys have as much fun as I do when you give a try! It's by no means an original idea, but definitely a fun one!

Sophy lol...yes...Fab clothes I seldom wear. I am thankful for them though...My mom is so generous (mostly) lol

[michelle]

So I did my first lay flat photo. I liked it so well that I decided to keep this set for myself. LOL!

[caeterle]

That's a fabulous idea.
None I can steal because of lack of cool clothes, but thank you for sharing!