#35 – Lighting technique to create depth in flat lay photography

What is flat lay photography? 

Flat lay photography, top down shots or overhead photography is a really powerful way to not only create large compositions that tell a story but also really focus in on the details of food when needed.

It is easily created by looking straight down at your composition and taking a food from above.

Flat lays are beautiful, they really catch the viewer’s attention and the opportunity to get creative with flat lays is endless. 

However, flatlays can look flat, not have enough depth, be blurry, they can miss the mark of making an impression on the viewer and they can make the food not look appetizing.

It takes many factors to come together in the right way to make a powerful flatlay photo. Even when we talk about the height of light, the distance from the light, lens, size of the light source, time of the day etc all make a difference. There are many factors, but I want to start by talking about the height of the light source because it is the key consideration when creating flat lays.

What is the importance of shadows?

Think of it, when you’re shooting in any other angle, there is height, there is more dimension but in a flatlay you’re shooting from the top and all you see is the rim of the glass or the flat plate, so to bring out the 3-d ness, to give it depth to add that feeling of height, shadows become prime. 

To bring out the shadows and also have a well-exposed photo, the height of the light source becomes very important.

Height of the light source

You neither want your light source to be too high nor too low.

Too High  

We don’t want the light to only brush over the top layer and not reach the base. We want it to settle down and then cast shadows that make the food pop. When the window or light source is too high that is what happens.  We lose the intensity and there’s more distribution. 

If that situation is not in your control, then the light will need extra manipulation. Using black foam core boards where you need more shadows and using white foam core where you want it bouncing back.

Too Low

When the source of light is too low and your composition is higher, the problem is similar but opposite. Similar because we still don’t get the desired intensity, and opposite because in such cases, there is not enough light vs. having too much. 

The situation could be used to our advantage if we are looking for a mood but overall, it might not give the pop we are looking for. The light will travel in its path and might not travel up to the composition height.

Again, manipulation will become important either blocking or bouncing light and it needs more work & more attention.

If we know how to manipulate light, we can work in tricky situations too but it’s good practice to create powerful light right from the get-go & then manipulate it to enhance it rather than rectify it. 

The Ideal situation 

Whether you’re using artificial light or natural light, when our light source is about the same height as the composition, it is most powerful. 

Let’s say you’re shooting on a 3’ high table top. There is a window to the left and you’re using pure sidelight for the shot.

What would be too high – a window that starts at 5’ height and goes up to 8’ or higher. That window is 2’ higher than the composition height and so the light will travel differently.

Now lets say, your window height is from floor level to 2’. It stops 1’ short of your 3’ table. Are you getting the most out of that window? Probably not.

So, what would be ideal?

If we are on a 3’ high table shooting in a flatlay angle with a window to the left, it would be amazing if the height of the window is starting a lil lower, maybe at 2’ from the floor and goes to 7’ which is typically door height.

What that does is that it controls the amount of light, brings it to a height where we can manipulate it, modify it and use it as we wish vs. trying to fix too much or too little of it.

It is a workable height and gives us the freedom to get creative with it.

Even with this height, there could be too much or too little because we haven’t talked about the extent or length of the window. That also matters but the height has a huge impact of creating shadows and it is one aspect that is often missed.

We don’t always have the liberty of having the perfect windows or optimal lighting situation in our homes. If we shoot with artificial light then we can place at the height we need but unfortunately it is hard to move windows around.

So what do we do when the light source height is tricky? 

Well, If we can’t change the height of the light source, we should try to change the height of the composition. 

If we have a low height window, move the composition to a lower table or even the floor. See if that makes a difference.

If the window is too high, then move further away from the window and see if that gives even distribution of light.

You might have to move around and study the distance or height that creates the best solution for your photo and the mood you’re trying to achieve.

There are many factors that play a part in creating a beautiful and balanced photo and even within the components of light, shadows are only one part but definitely a game changer.

The next time you’re setting up your camera for an overhead shot, do a quick check – is there too much light, too little, is the setup too high or too low, can something be changed – so you can create that beautiful depth in your flatlay food photography.