Flat Lay Photography

Dawn, from Essex, and her children have been making some fun photographic keepsakes. Let’s take a look…

What did you do?

When my children’s school had a half-term flat lay photography project, a few ideas came to mind. The project requirement was a birds-eye view of objects or things we would like to show.

We wanted something that we could treasure to remind us of all the things they had enjoyed during their time indoors and away from their normal routine.

The children gathered their favourite toys, games and their favourite book. Then I placed them in the shape of a rainbow to signify the importance of happiness. Giving them their book to hold helped them focus on the activity. I added their homeschooling folder and Easter bonnets they had made.

We have spent the majority of our time in our loungewear and dressing gowns so that was a must for our photograph.

Each child then lay in the centre of our rainbows. As my children are ages 10, 8, and 5, staying still can prove tricky for little ones but a natural pose can be just as beautiful.

As I’m not very tall I stood on a sturdy chair & I was able to hold my phone directly over the display and take a photo. Holding the phone parallel to the ceiling helped give a more precise shot.

As I’m not very techy I cropped and filtered the images through my phone and this is what we came up with. The black and white images are from using the android too- something called spot colour.

Any tips for others wanting to do this?

• Having a well-lit room really helps the picture stand out.
• I made sure the space they were laying was completely clean and clean while they were in bed the night before.
• Lay the items before getting your child to lay and place them as flat as possible.

Having three children to photograph and keep engaged we took breaks to make it all the more fun and spoke about each item briefly so they really knew what they were a part of and how special this photo would be.

What’s your next project idea?

I wouldn’t say it was a project but, early last month we made little pamper packs for our NHS staff to receive with little notes decorated by the children that we delivered to a local ambulance team who were very grateful.

My daughter, Scarlett, had an idea to have a party every Sunday so each child is taking it in turns with a theme and hosting. It’s nothing expensive just using bits we have around the house. Scarlett requested pizza and goodies which she served and we all played party games after such as musical statues. YouTube has a musical statues playlist to stay and stop so we could all join in.

Tell us a bit about yourself…

I’m Dawn and live in Essex, I have 3 children Sienna-May 10, Scarlett 8, and Daniel 5.

How are you finding being housebound with kids so far?

Not having the day to day routine, I thought it would seem quite challenging but it has actually been really lovely to relax and almost let the children take the lead in activities. We have done more baking and cooking – things that I admittedly didn’t think I would enjoy as mealtimes are usually quite hectic on a normal day. It’s been fun.

Any tips to help people when they are housebound with kids?

I know everyone is different and every child has different needs but what has worked for us is to just create a happy environment whether that is actively creating a game or just relaxing and watching a film or even just letting the children use their own imagination and telling them to entertain themselves (obviously with an ear listening in!).

Homeschooling has been a bit hit and miss, but a little storytime and discrete number challenges I’ve crept into our routine seem to be a success!

I’d say for us parents, our own downtime is just as important as the children’s so make sure you are making time for yourself and resting your mind. Whether its having a conversation with a family member or friend or watching a good series. I’m no gym shark by any means but fitting in a workout a day has really helped me. Without it, I’m not sure I’d feel as good.

How has the community helped you?

What a brilliant platform for people to share ideas during these uncertain times! There are so many of us that, in theory, are disconnected at the moment but Housebound with Kids really shows how we’re all here for each other and are, in some way, more connected than ever!