Behind the Flatlay: Rylee & Cru
I have been learning A LOT when it comes to creating the perfect flatlay, and I am still learning.
Numerous factors come into play, including even lighting, props, styling, shooting angles, and editing. Since working with the creative team at Rylee & Cru, I have learned so much while continuing to refine my craft with each shoot. Let’s dive into my most recent shoot and possibly favorite drop of theirs: Rylee & Cru’s first AW drop!
Creative Direction: New York vintage back to school
We focused on vintage props like postcards, wooden pencils, wooden rulers, notebooks, brass clocks, brass paper clips, and dried florals! I use paper backdrops for the majority of my flatlays, but some are also fabric materials I get from local craft stores.
To Do’s before shooting:
Steam all clothing pieces
Gather all props
Gather all inspo
Prepare shot list and clothing combos
Charge camera/clean lens
Make sure soft box light is working properly if I decide to use them to support natural light
Make sure all pieces from the drop has been sent
Keep the team in the loop for the tentative date of shooting
LIGHTING: Natural vs. studio light
I have done a large amount of trial and error when it comes to lighting, and came to the conclusion that natural light beats everything, but you can’t always just rely on it solo. When I first started working with Rylee & Cru, I only used natural light that came from the top. The problem with this placement is that the bottom of the flatlay always looked darker than the top.
With that being said, I started using soft box lighting that I placed on both sides of the bottom to try and even out the dark that was flooding the bottom. I make sure not to have the settings on 100% and keep it at a cold setting as it will cause an imbalance again and create intense shadows on the pieces. It’s still a work in progress, depending on the sun situation, and may even start having a sheer curtain over the window to make sure it’s still not too bright.
STYLING: Playing with angles & posing
Styling has to be my FAVORITE part of shooting flatlays because that is where your creativity can really shine!
I usually shoot each styled shot in a few different angles: full frame directly overhead, playful angles, and detail shots. Because Rylee & Cru has a playful, effortless look, I focus more on playful angles for these shoots. Whatever I am shooting, I try to incorporate visual balance that makes sense for the shot. Examples could be folding a sleeve, layering, and using no more than three props. If I’m not quite sure what style I like best, I just shoot it all and cull what I like the most when editing!
EDITING: Finding balance in warmth and shadows
Product photography 101: never overedit the product to not be true to color (unless the client says otherwise).
With this specific brand, they lean towards warm, soft, true-to-color edits for their flatlays. One thing I struggled with in the beginning and sometimes still struggle with is editing warm ENOUGH. As a photographer, I naturally edit more cool and true-to-color, so when something looks WARM to me, it actually looks not that warm to someone else. Lol. Knowing that, I have been able to create a preset for them that I can adjust depending on lighting and shadows to make sure the edits are aligned with the brand’s warmth.
With shadows and blackness, I ramp those allll the way down for these edits to give that soft look that the RC team is looking for. Because lighting isn’t exactly the same each time, it takes a little bit of tweaking with each drop I shoot.
Flatlays have become a new favorite of mine to shoot, and they are perfect for filling out content libraries, drops, and website product listings. It has been so fun to see how the RC audience has reacted to the drops since incorporating my work into campaigns, and I can’t wait to continue to improve and shoot more pretty pieces!
If you are interested in incorporating flatlays into your content strategy, don’t hesitate to reach out on Instagram or the website form!
Until next time,
xoxo, Madi :)
