I love flatlay photography – it’s my favourite type of product photography. I love pottering around the house, looking for objects that work perfectly together in the shot. This pink shoot had been percolating around in my head for a while. I started this morning, by stopping off at my local bakery on the way home from the park, to see if they had a pink cupcake. I didn’t plan on doing a consecutive group of shots, but hey, it works for me 😊

So here’s a little bit of fun that I set up today.

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We get so caught up in things, don’t we? How does something become so big in your mind that it takes over all your thoughts, most of your conversations, keeps you up at night? It’s not our fault, it’s just the way it is. We take things to heart, we want to please others, we want to do a good job, we want to make things right, we want to be content with ourselves.

Do you ever have those nights where you just can’t switch off? You can’t switch off all the thoughts running around in your brain? And then you get so frustrated at not being able to sleep, the frustration then stops you from sleeping. Isn’t it all just a viscous circle?

So how do we slow down? How do we turn off the brain, just long enough to get to sleep? And when we wake up during the night, how do we go back to sleep without waking up those thoughts that mess with our heads?

Meditation. Deep breathing. Pills. Think happy thoughts. Get up. Walk. Drink water. Drink milk. Count sheep. Alcohol. Read.

Those are some of the ideas that I’ve been given over the years. A “body scan” meditation does work sometimes – where you focus on each part of your body separately – there are guided meditations on YouTube that are pretty good. But you have to be in the zone.

Lately, I’ve been putting on P!nk’s new album and focusing on the lyrics – this seems to help me get to sleep. And if I wake up, I just play it again and get through a couple of songs before I’m out. This has helped before as well, with Sam Smith, Ed Sheeran….

But I wake up pretty often and so my sleep is not so restful.

Anyway, today I managed to switch off the brain completely (during the day), with a little bit of flatlay fun. I have forgotten, over the last few months, just how much I love being behind the lens. The camera and I are best friends, we get along so well, it makes me happy to be right there, figuring out how best to style a photo and then see the results of my hard work.

I don’t know how I forgot this. I guess after my shoulder surgery I couldn’t hold the camera anymore and maybe I just got out of the habit. That horrifies me. Something I love so much, just forgotten. I don’t carry my camera with me anymore, trying to keep the weight of my bag lower, but maybe I’m going to have to change that back. I miss it so much that I’m going to have to start carrying it again.

The other thing I’ve missed is writing. I was reminded recently about all of the stories I used to write, mostly when I was travelling. I got back into it a little for a while there, but then it fell over again. It might be the way to get to sleep easier – put all those thoughts into words.

Well, that was an unexpected little life update. And maybe a different tone than I had planned – certainly different to the title and photograph content of this post! But it’s what I’m thinking right now, so I thought I’d put it into words.

Best wishes for a great week!

x desleyjane

Posted by:desleyjane

photographer, blogger, planner, scientist, dog lover, frequent flyer, daughter, sister, BFF, human

28 replies on “A Little Bit of Flatlay Fun”

  1. Flat lay is a new concept for me, but it’s doing you good! As for weight in your bag…how about a smaller camera, or even your phone? Whatever, keep taking those images, Desley!

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  2. I love the flatlay. I knew this was you as soon as I glimpsed it in the Reader. Re using a phone for photography – you can get comfortable with it, but it took me a lot of practice to hold one well enough. I had a few months of using a camera and then reshooting with the iPhone. Gradually I realised I often preferred the phone (it’s the colours I like) and I hate carrying weight around, even though my shoulder is OK. I’m still tempted by the idea of a big, heavy camera though – an advert for one is stalking me this morning!

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    1. Oh which one?! My camera is quite a bit smaller than the big ones, being mirrorless. But it still adds weight. I’ll have to forgo the extra lenses though! I don’t mind the phone but I absolutely prefer my camera. Thanks for reading 😊😊

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      1. I’ve fancied a Canon 6D plus macro lens since I started taking pictures for the blog. It’s completely impractical given I have no hankering for carrying a tripod 🙂 but I still fancy one.

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    2. Got carried away with the phone – I meant to say I’m sorry you had another sleepless night. I hate that feeling when your mind replays an ongoing question or situation you are not ready to solve. When I recognise that happening, I can just insist on thinking about something else. It’s worth a try. Ban those thoughts for that point in time with an iron discipline, then perhaps you could try idly dreaming a camera shoot – one so impossible, you don’t feel tempted to leap up and write it all down, but one you’d enjoy just dreaming about. It wouldn’t work in a really dire situation, I’m sure, but hopefully things are not dire.

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  4. Another new concept! And how well you do it. I hadn’t realised you were still having trouble with the shoulder; I suppose you will need to be very careful with it for a while, but not using your camera? You wouldn’t be who you are without a camera. I rarely use my phone, only if I don’t take the camera and do take the phone (it’s usually the other way around, I am just NOT a mobile phone person), and find it very awkward to hold and focus with. My daughter however, takes great photos with her phone and has pretty much stopped using her camera. Still, they probably wouldn’t be much good printed. As for the sleeping issues, I have no magic wand. I have had years of not being able to fall asleep, waking up, not getting back to sleep, worrying about not waking up at the right time. I have found that being physically tired helps. So get those walking shoes on and start walking… 😀 😀

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    1. Yes I’m sure you’re right about that. Gidget has been waking me up a bit and I swear it’s because she’s not done much throughout the day and is full of energy at night… I do take photos with my phone and they can be pretty good but I’m a macro lover and I’m often in lower light and the phones just can’t handle it. Plus it’s just not the same feeling as holding a “proper” Camera. It’s so much easier to lose yourself behind a real lens I find. The doctors told me about 18 months before the shoulder is normal again. It still hurts to lift the arm and so lifting heavy things is not good. I can do so much more than before surgery and the Camera- handling is almost back to normal. I just can’t do long hours with it yet. But I will!! Thanks Jude 😊

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  5. So cute and very pink. Ties in nicely with your listening to Pink… do you think that influenced your shot?
    You have my total sympathy…. am also a fellow insomniac and have had shoulder problems in the past.
    I too switch off from the world when I have my camera…. just for that brief time, there is nothing but me, my camera and my subject. Bliss. Mindfulness at it’s best. 🙂

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    1. Thank you so much. Yes it definitely is bliss. And I had missed it. Yesterday with all the pink was just perfect. Unfortunately P!nk didn’t influence the shot. I’m just a very pink person when it comes to stationery products. And I’ve had that backdrop for ages, I love the colour. Thanks again. I hope your shoulder problems are resolved.

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  6. You introduced me too to flatlay and you do it so well … and pinkly. I’m presuming it doesn’t have to be pink?? Separation from your camera must be really weird, and oh do be careful when you start carrying again! May you sleep the sleep of the just.

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  7. love this, so cute with the cupcake idea!, Sleep oh it can be so elusive for us creatives, the brain refuses to switch off. I have tried the music thing a few times (drives Hubby nuts), but the full body meditation works sometimes, I also learned many years ago self-hypnosis, which can also work, but sometimes those thoughts in your head are too loud and demanding. I also find writing notes in my journal helps, or failing that just getting up and getting something done is the only way to switch off

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  8. It seems as if you and I run in the same on/off cycles with writing. We started our blogs at the same time, began to ignore the writing at the same time, picked it back up again at the same time, then let it slide again at the same time. Now here we both are declaring we want to get back at it. In my case, I gave up my other blog(s) and started a new one.

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