Flat Lay Friday Featuring Emily March Payne

You're going to love learning from Emily this week! She has such a refined eye for designing wedding day flat lays not to mention a stunning wedding portfolio. You'll definitely want to follow her work on @emilymarchpayne

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your wedding photography business!

I began my business when I was a senior in college after interning for a wedding magazine. I fell in love with the romance, meaning and storytelling behind weddings - it was a perfect match with my love of photography, and I haven’t looked back since! These days I focus on shooting a select few weddings each year so I can devote a lot of love and attention to my clients. I adore weddings rich with meaning and intention and still think it’s incredible that I get to bear witness to such a pivotal day in a couple’s life. Outside of weddings, I love gardening, baking and planning my next trip. I’m a wife to my best friend, mama to two little ladies and foster parent for any kid that needs a home. 

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How long have you been shooting weddings, when did you start incorporating flat lays? 

Nearly 13 years ago! In some sense I’ve always photographed details, but I didn’t really have a lot of intention behind it until several years into business. My first flat lays are not cute haha.

invites by instagram.com/jcpaperandco featuring the oval georgian ring box in sage

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invites by instagram.com/wouldntitbelovely featuring the traverse bay oval ring box

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How do you prepare your clients for wedding flat lays? Do you ask for anything specific? Any tips for being prepared? 

I almost always ask couples to mail me copies of their wedding invitation suite and paper goods before the wedding (or at least send me pictures of it). This allow me to plan out flat lays, ensure that any supporting details I bring coordinate with the day’s color palette and style. I also try to request styling florals before the wedding vs trying to find them on the day-of. Additionally, I have my brides gather all their details in a singular location so they don’t have to go finding everything when I get there. All these preparations save time on the wedding day so I can focus on actually photographing details vs deciding how to photograph them.

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I shoot with a Contax 645 and prefer the 80 f/2 for details. I’ll also use Hoya macro filters for smaller details, like rings and jewelry.

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What aperture do you like to shoot at? 

Generally f/2.8 or f/4 for details to ensure things are in focus. 

invites by instagram.com/craftsmanpapercompany featuring the oval georgain ring box in sage

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Any tips for how you find/make good light for flat lays? 

I always arrive a little early to get a lay of the land and scout out a good place for details. Good light is critical for details, so I often opt for a window with indirect or soft light if possible. I also always carry a collapsible reflector to help brighten settings that might otherwise be a little dark.

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Are there any rules of design you try to follow?

Truthfully no 

 haha I often just go with what feels balanced and authentic for the event at-hand. I am generally a less is more type person when it comes to details and find that my favorite flat lays are often the ones where I didn’t go crazy with flowers AND ring boxes AND ribbons AND trinkets, etc. I chose a few intentional objects and let them support the details that are a part of the wedding day story.

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Do you have a shot list for morning details you try to stick to?

Loosely, yes! I have couple provide a list of the details they’d like photographed and work from that.

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What are your go to items for flat lays? 

Flowers all day! I adore florals and think I’d probably be a florist if I wasn’t a photographer. Flowers can say so, so much - they can provide color, texture, balance and more to a flat lay. A very plain invitation suite can be given a lot of wow-factor with stellar florals.

invites by instagram.com/mulberryandelmdesign.

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How do you feel adding flat lays to your portfolio has affected your photography business? 

Flat lays seem to attract people who value the artistry within wedding photography. That’s something that honestly didn’t matter much to me when I first started, but as I’ve gone through different seasons as a person, business owner, photographer, etc my role as an artist who creates heirlooms has become central to how I work and the place I operate from as a creative. Flat lays have also added a lot of dimension and color to my portfolio, as well as an opportunity to show off my love of flowers :)

Practice, practice, practice! A while back I was feeling a little meh about my flat lay game, so I reached out to a few calligraphers/stationers and offered to style and photograph some of their suites for free. I sourced flowers, got faux engagement rings off Amazon and bought a few new styling mats and just let myself have fun! I played around with all these details without any time constraints or agendas except to be creative and have fun. I would highly recommend it :)