If I am being honest, flat-lay styling and photographers have a love-hate relationship! They are so fun to create, and style, and when you get the shot it makes it all so worth it. However, the curating, setting up, designing can be a great challenge. I refer to finding styling props as a I-Spy game in an antique store; if you have ever spent hours in antique stores just looking for things to use for flat lays you understand what I mean!
Today I wanted to highlight a few of my all-time favorite styling props and where I find most success when looking for props.
To start, a few of my favorite flat-lay backdrops are from:
A few staple items I have in my styling kit include:
- Acrylic blocks used for stacking paper goods to make things elevated
- Ribbon
- Vintage stamps
- Wax seals
- Ring boxes from Amazon, Etsy, Antique stores and The Mrs. Box
- Braces wax for keeping the ring placed if needed
- Various trays from Etsy, Antique stores, Thrift stores, Amazon
- Dishes
It is important to ensure you are curating pieces that you will actually use move your images forward in the way you want them to be portrayed. My work leans editorial and Victorian, so I keep that in mind when I am looking for new pieces.
The best places to find flat-lay styling props are antique shops, thrift stores, Etsy, and Ebay. I have found a few things on Amazon, but for the most part I stick to local shops. There is a TON of luck involved with it and not every time is a win. But when you do find something, it makes all the searching worth it!
Having a good flat-lay surface is the key to starting off on the right foot! I always make sure I have a variety of colors and neutrals in an effort to suite every wedding’s details.
Two of my all time favorite courses for flat-lay styling education and styling are Trish Allison’s detail course, and CULTIVÉ. Check them out for more tips and tricks to up your styling game!
