Learning to Flat Lay with Burt's Bees

I am a huge fan of Burt's Bees and the story behind the brand, so when I got the chance to go along to a masterclass with Burt's bees and food stylist and Chef Anna Jones for a flat lay masterclass, I was really quite excited. One aspect of blogging that I know I need to work on is my photography, sometimes I wing it and hope for the best, sometimes I can spend hours just getting one shot I am happy with and other times, I just go for the easiest shot available to me without experimenting.

We all know that bloggers do love their flat lays and some do it so amazingly well I am green with envy, so the chance to be given hint and tips was something I looked forward too and enjoyed. Designed to give the present a chance to experiment, we learnt about fresh ingredients that go into making the Burt's Bees lip balms and it was those ingredients that we were to use to create that flatly. Being taught that textures and shapes can give a photo that little something extra, Anna told me not to be afraid to mix colours and textures and that there is no right or wrong way. Start with what you think will show off the centrepiece and then add or remove other items until you are happy and take photos as you go along so you can see how the photo takes its shape.

Using one of my favourite Burt's Bees lip balms as inspiration - Blueberry and chocolate, I chose a few textures and patterns and then chose the items that I felt would work and this is my end result:

Along with the table of food and getting to meet Anna we were gifted with an amazing box of all the current Burt's Bees lips balms which included a video about the brand which is just such an education in itself. I love the philosophy:

Your skin is beautifully alive. It’s a living, breathing thing—your body’s largest, loveliest organ—and when it’s healthy, it shows. Just as the right mix of foods from the earth nourish your body, the right mix of ingredients from the earth help nourish your skin, giving it a fresh vitality that comes from balance.

If you have never tried anything from Burt's Bees then you need too, it is an amazing brand and though Burt Shavitz himself sadly died last year, his memory lives on.

*this post contains PR samples unless indicated otherwise