THE SSP JOURNAL

Joyful, fine art wedding photography for real couples. Serving Chicago, Washington DC and beyond.
Based in South Bend, Indiana. Available for travel.

Flat lays – Why details are important – South Bend wedding photographer

 

Flat lays are referred to as the way a couple’s invitation and details are laid out for photos. There is a specific way to do this that is both pleasing to the eye and shows off the best parts of each detail. In the last few years, couples have been getting more and more excited about their details and how they will be portrayed in their photos. For that reason, I thought I would explain what goes into these types of photos and how you (the couple) can add to the look.

 

 

Joining forces with florist Leah of Floradashery and Graphic designer Jen of Siwo Studios, we set out to show couples how beautiful their details can truly be if you properly prepare.

The elements:

Floral:  Ask your florist for extra florals for your wedding day. This normally comes at a cost so make sure to discuss this at your first meeting so you can be on the same page. Most florist will not have extra stems available on the wedding day because they use everything they purchase. This is also true of your cake. If you would love your florist to accent your cake with fresh florals, you’ll need to tell him/her in advance so they can prepare.

This particular flay lay was done by Leah of Floradashery. Notice how she wraps the florals around the invitation to bring context to the photo and the “C” shape is asymmetrical which is allows the focus to be on the invite.

Stationary: When picking your invitations for your wedding, the more detail, the better. RSVP card, colored envelops, raised seals, etc… add more depth to your photo and are a terrific way to bring more of your personality and wedding theme to your invites. Depending on the amount of guests you have, this could be quite costly so ask your designer to do just a few full suites of her invitation verse very single one. This will greatly cut down on the cost and will give you the chance to personalize more since its not going out to every single guest.

Jen of Siwo Studios was gracious enough to provide us with several different colored envelopes (3 large envelopes and 3 small ones)so that we could change the look for each flat lay. Along with the correct florals and details for each flat lay, it gave us variety and ultimately resulted in more photos.

Details: Rings, jewelry, family heirlooms, watch, personal items (movie stub from your first date) are just some of the details you’ll want to bring with you on your wedding day. The more details you have, the more your photographer will have to work with. It may take more time to capture these images so sit down with your photographer and discuss how much extra time he/her needs in order to capture all the beautiful items you brought. Your photographer might also bring some filler details (ribbon, tray, stamps, etc…) to fill in the gaps so that the image is artistically appealing. Also make sure to tell the photographer your wedding colors so that he/she can bring the right colored background.

This image is my favorite because it’s a in the shape of a heart. The ribbon creates the outline and the other details fill in the space to complete the shape. I always photograph the details first thing in the morning so that its done and all of the elements stay together. I normally allocate 45 minutes for this, depending on how many details my couples have.

The main thing to take away from this is with a little preparation, you too can have gorgeous images of your details in a way that’s unique to you. So talk with your vendor team about your vision and how we can help make that a reality.

Photography: Sarah Sage Photography LLC

Florals: Floradashery

Stationary: Siwo Studios

 

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