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All shot recipes

Plate IISample

The first cup

A flatlay for slow mornings, shot straight down, with diffused window light falling from the top of the frame. Calm and easy to repeat, which makes it a good backbone for a feed with a consistent look.

Mood
Quiet morning
Gear
Phone and window
Suits
Cozy mystery, Romance, Literary

Light

An east-facing window in the first hour or two of the morning, softened with a sheer white curtain, or any window out of direct sun. Put the table about three feet (1 m) from the glass and arrange the flatlay so the light comes in from the top of the frame: the shadows then fall toward you, which reads as natural.

Bounce or flag

Fold a sheet of white card into a tent and stand it along the bottom edge of the scene, just outside the crop. It fills the shadows under the cup and along the book's lower edge.

Angle

Straight down, ninety degrees, with the camera parallel to the table. On a phone, turn on the grid and the level: the two crosshairs line up when you're flat. Stand on a sturdy step if you need the height.

On the table

Five things, counted

  1. An oatmeal linen tea towel, loosely creased
  2. A white cup and saucer of black coffee
  3. Folded reading glasses
  4. A pencil
  5. The book, closed or open face down

Settings

On a phone
1x main lens, held 20 to 24 inches (50 to 60 cm) above the table. Press and hold on the book to lock focus and exposure, then pull exposure down a third of a stop.
On a camera
f/4 to f/5.6, so the whole flat plane stays sharp · 1/100 s · ISO 200 to 400. A 35 mm lens on full frame, or about 24 mm on a crop sensor.

Method

  1. Lay the tea towel at a slight angle to the edges of the frame, so it looks dropped rather than placed.
  2. Set the book a little below center, square to the frame.
  3. Put the cup and saucer at the top right, with the handle pointing to four o'clock.
  4. Lay the glasses lower left with one arm open, and the pencil along the book's edge at a slight angle.
  5. Pour the coffee last, just before you shoot: a fresh cup holds a soft highlight on its surface.
  6. Stand the card tent along the bottom edge, check the level and shoot. Then take one prop away and shoot again.

What we used

  • A sheer white curtain panel, to diffuse any windowLink coming soon
  • White foam board or a sheet of heavy cardLink coming soon
  • An overhead phone arm, or a sturdy stepLink coming soon

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