Today I’m sharing a few tips on how I style my photography…

I don’t think I’m a photography expert by any means, but I’m always getting asked for tips on how to take nice photos so I’m trying to make more of an effort to do posts like these that may be helpful to some of you! This post will be quite similar to a previous post of mine on how to master flat lay photography except I’ll try to incorporate more on how I style the actual photo itself. My photography style is forever changing so even if I include some of the same tips, they’ll always be different to how they were a few months ago because I’m constantly improving and switching up my photography to suit the season. I do have a style but I try to make all my photos unique in their own way otherwise I think it would get so boring!

Cohesive Colour Palette

I think the colour palette for your photos is SO so so important. I have taken photos of products that don’t have the nicest coloured packaging and they barely get any attention. I’m not saying you need to avoid products unless they have gorgeous packaging because a lot of products don’t, but it just shows how important appearances are when styling your pics. The photos of mine that I get compliments on are always the ones that have a really strong colour palette. Whether that be pinks and purples, or greys and whites, as long as the colours compliment each other well, you’re good to go. I personally think I’ve always been quite good at combining colours, just because I’m an illustrator/designer and I think it’s come naturally to me. We all have different tastes on what colours we like and what we think goes together, but as long as they work well then you have nothing to worry about!

Theme

Like anything in life, having a theme always makes things look 10x better. Just like you might have a theme in your home decor, or your Instagram feed, or your outfit choice for the day, your photos need one too. This can either be a theme with the actual content in the photo, or the props you use. My favourite things to use lately in my photos are fresh flowers, I buy all different kinds of fresh bouquets and it doesn’t matter what kind of flower it is, they always makes my photos look so much prettier. A lot of my photos naturally have a theme because the main topic I blog about is beauty. So if I’m taking a photo of makeup, I generally pop things like makeup brushes, eyelash curlers and other beauty related objects into my photos. Sometimes I like to play around with a more lifestyle based photo and I’ll put things in that I use on a daily basis, like my laptop, a cup of coffee, or a nice scented candle. It’s all related to the same sort of theme and just makes the photo blend so well together!

Background

The background or backdrops you use has a lot to do with how you style your photography, depending on what ‘theme’ or ‘look’ you’re going for, you need a background that fits. I generally keep my backgrounds nice and light or simple as I think it compliments beauty products well and makes them stand out. I like to use marble and wood in my backgrounds as they’re two things that are full of texture, yet look amazing behind objects! Playing around with textures for your background is such a fun thing to do and can really help you style your photography well. If I go out and see a beautiful tiled floor or some pretty floorboards, the first thing I want to do is take a flat lay on them!

Adding Character

Adding character to your photos is basically focusing on what sort of props you’re going to use. If I’m taking a lifestyle flat lay, I like to add in props such as cups of coffee, or food – for example, a pretty donut! For beauty flat lays, things like ribbon and candles are super pretty bits that I like to add. These tiny little touches add so much character to the photograph which gives you a much more pleasing aesthetic.

Angles

The angle in which you shoot your photo from can really make or break your photo. Obviously if it’s a flat lay and you’re just pointing to the floor then you can’t really go wrong. But if you’re focusing more on the depth of field, the angle can play an important part. Sometimes shooting from the side rather than directly in front can make your photo look waayyyy better, not always, but I find it does quite often!

Composition

I always say this, but composition is so important when it comes to photography. There’s no specific rules since photography is a creative outlet but thinking about how you construct your photo really helps give you a great result. Think about how you’re placing your items in a flat lay – think about how you’re going to arrange the props around them. Don’t just spread everything out evenly, take lids off beauty items, pile things up on books! This all helps to add character too!

So there’s a few tips that may help you when it comes to styling your photos, let me know if they were useful in any way!