Definition
Flat Lay Photography
Flat lay photography shoots a product arranged flat on a surface and captured from directly above, giving a clean top-down view.
Also called: flat lay, flatlay, flat-lay, knolling.
A flat lay is a product styled on a flat surface and photographed straight down from above. For apparel it means laying a garment out neatly, often with sleeves and hems arranged to suggest shape, and shooting it from overhead. Flat lays are quick, cheap, and consistent, which makes them a workhorse format for catalogs, social feeds, and marketplace listings.
The limitation of a flat lay is that it shows the garment but not how it looks worn. That is the gap flat-to-model fills: it converts a flat lay into a realistic on-model image, keeping the garment faithful while adding a model, pose, and scene.
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Related terms
Packshot
A packshot is a clean, standalone product photo, typically on a plain or white background, used to show an item clearly on a listing.
On-Model Photography
On-model photography shows a garment worn by a person, so shoppers can see fit, drape, proportion, and how the piece looks in real wear.
Hero Product Image
A hero product image is the primary, most prominent photo of a product, the first and largest image a shopper sees on a listing or landing page.
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