As both wedding stationers and film photographers we know first hand the frustration that can surround flatlay styling. As stationers, we know how bumming it can be to pour your heart into a suite only to receive a poorly styled flatlay image. And as film photographers, we know how hard it can be to style and photograph paper goods -- especially on the fly and in high pressure situations weddings often present.
This is why we created Cultivé No. o1 - a stationer's guide to flatlay styling. We are here to help you cultivate your own styling skills by walking you through exactly how we transformed our own lackluster, blown-out, upsetting flatlays into eye-catching pieces.
We've been in your shoes...
- unintentional layout
- unrelated props
- flat, with no dimension
- poor lighting and edit
- unplanned styling
- unbalanced
- distracting vertical lines
- uneven lighting
- Brie Thomason
Cultivé took my confidence for styling paper goods from a space of guesses, to intention behind every design decision. One of my flatlay's was chosen as a finalist for SMP's "Best of Flatlays" award. I feel confident in saying this course is to thank for the skills to style an award-winning flatlay.
style me pretty best of flatlays 2021-2022 finalist
- Heidi Davidson Design
Taking this course should be top priority. The skills you gain from this course are not being taught elsewhere and can transform your styling. Cultivé was developed by stationers who know the exact sizes, papers, etc. used in a flatlay, and their course hones in on "the why" behind every styling choice.
- Morgan Riley Design
Cultivé is not only illuminating, it’s an experience that restored my confidence with styling and photographing my work. Shasta and Mikyla left no detail untouched and whole-heartedly laid out all their tips, tricks, and thoughts.
- Plume Calligraphy
I had become accustomed to adjusting my flatlays until it "looked okay" without considering the theory and intention behind my flatlay styling. Mikyla and Shasta have created an incredible system that guides you through the process of styling to create a flatlay that showcases the most important parts of a suite.
- Samantha Meyer Studio
Mikyla and Shasta have distilled so many easy-to-remember principles that can be applied over and over again to build a beautiful flatlay every single time. My favorite part of the course was watching their live styling demos - I find it so relaxing to watch them play with their beautiful work!
- Allison Parker Photography
I purchased a styling course from a top photographer before, expecting to transform my work, but left feeling more confused. Enter Cultivé. While the visual transformation in my work is obvious, what I didn't anticipate is the confidence I've gained. I'm now excited when my couples have a full invitation suite for me to style!
- Vanessa Rose Photography
Mikyla and Shasta are experts at their craft. I loved watching them work and hearing directly from a stationer how and why to do things, as well as, what creates visual interest and what detracts from it. The course felt like I was hanging out with two friends, it was so relatable and a genuinely good time!
Q: Do I need to have a film camera to get something out of this course?
A: Not at all! While film photography is our personal preferred format (mind you we have very different camera gear!), a film camera is not required for this course. We both photograph just as many flatlay images we took on our iPhones as we do our film cameras. Whether you're an iPhone shooter, digital, or film photographer the editing tips and tricks, as well as the rest of the course content, apply!
Q: Do you talk about lighting?
A: You bet we do! Lighting plays such an importance in the success of a flatlay so it is one topic we definitely talk about in our course. We teach how to find great light, and what to do if your lighting isn't always ideal.
Q: Flowers are frustrating, how do I get them and how do I use them?
A: We feel you on this. While flowers always add such a lovely touch to flatlays, they can be difficult to use and hard to source. In our course we show how to style flatlays with and without flowers. And, if you are using flowers, are tips on where to source them and how to use them!
Q: Do you talk about what settings you use on your camera for flatlays?
A: Honestly, this is something we PREACH! We both have strong opinions on what settings work best for flatlays to ensure detail retention and your whites are not blown-out. We share our camera settings candidly, and we are crossing our fingers this is one detail people take to heart!
Q: I'm not a stationer, I shoot jewelry - will this be helpful?
A: Cultivé focuses primarily on how to style invitation suite flatlays. With that being said, a lot of the content in our videos apply regardless of what you are styling! How to style impactful layouts, photograph and edit your images, etc. are all topics we teach that apply regardless of the item you are styling.
Q: I struggle with speed. Do you teach how to style when working with wedding day time constraints?
A: Styling on the go is definitely tricky to do! Especially when eye-catching flatlays take time to create. We talk about how to plan for flatlays, our philosophy when styling, and what to prep ahead of time so you show up to the wedding day ready to style with confidence. In addition we have created Cultivé Blueprint, a PDF guide with 75 different flatlay blueprints you can reference when styling. These blueprints give you pre-designed layouts for single cards to full invitation suites.
Q: Do you talk about sourcing props and building a styling kit? I have a hard time knowing which pieces to invest in.
A: Yes! When we were first budding stationers, we both splurged on unnecessary props and styling items because they "looked pretty." In our course, we teach how to curate a styling collection that is versatile and timeless, knowing when to splurge and when to DIY, and share all our favorite places to shop for those perfect styling elements.
Q: Finding the right placement, composition and balance is hard for me. Is this something you teach?
A: This is the bread and butter of Cultivé! As both wedding stationers and film photographers, we have spent years refining our styling skills. We've seen, received, and even created some really terrible flatlays ourselves before digging deep into the details of hot to style paper goods. Theres no room for shame in this course, we are all about growth and grace, and we are excited to share the styling secrets and skills we've cultivated over the years!
ready to get started?
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