How to photograph a bikini flat lay
In this product photography tutorial we'll show you how to style and photograph a bikini in 5 steps.
Shooting a bikini flat lay gives a lot of room for creativity and is an effective, versatile technique - but requires some technical styling ability. So in this product photography tutorial, we will show you how to style and photograph a bikini for your web store, lookbook or catalogue.
Styling a bikini flat lay can be tricky, especially when it comes to arranging the straps neatly, but it does offer a little extra versatility in your styling. That's why we’ve compiled a few useful techniques to make it look professionally styled.
To learn how to photograph and style a bikini, read on. But first, let’s run through the essential tools you’ll need to get prepared:
The equipment you'll need
- Camera - Any camera will suffice but a Canon EOS 5D Mk III is recommended as a standard for professional product photography
- Studio lighting - Continuous cool LED lamps are recommended to ensure exposure, shadows and contrast are kept consistent
- Your bikini top and bottom
- A tabletop - A white tabletop surface is recommended, although you can always superimpose a background in post-production or get creative with your choice of surface
- Double-sided tape - A few pieces of double-sided tape can be very useful in keeping the bikini in place.
Shooting the bikini
1. Lay the bikini out on the table top
When placing the two pieces, it’s essential to maintain a realistic distance between the bikini top and bottom, just as it might appear on a human body.
2. Secure the body of the bikini to leave straight, even lines
Once you have laid out the bikini, we recommend using small pieces of double-sided tape to hold the top and bottom in place and to ensure that all lines are straight and even.
3. Hide excess straps
It’s best to conceal any excess straps or strings that you do not want to feature. Simply tuck them behind the top or bottom.
4. Tie straps
There are many choices of knots, but we’ve chosen to tie our bikini straps with simple bows.
In order to make sure that everything stays in place and bows stay neatly rounded, use a few small pieces of double-sided tape where necessary.
And shoot...
