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Smartphone photography 101: Taking flat lays

Keeping it straight and casual for beginners

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If you frequent Pinterest and Instagram, I’m certain you encounter a lot of flat lays. In case you didn’t know, it’s one of the most popular genres of smartphone photography. Despite the popularity and abundance of tutorials, people still struggle with taking flat lays.

As someone who always takes flat lays both for work and personal reasons, I’m going to give a few tips and tricks on how you can maximize your smartphone for your flat lay needs. Take this as a refresher if you’ve forgotten all those flat lay tutorials you’ve studied in the past.

Setting up

Before you start pulling out your smartphones, use them to find inspiration first. Browse and scan excellent flat lays on Instagram, Pinterest, and other inspiration-filled platforms. Soak up all the goodness and the shots you like and let it sink in.

When you’re done, decide on a theme for your shoot. What story do you want to tell? Once you figure this out, you can start assembling your props.

Make sure you follow a color palette,  and pick different shapes and sizes to ensure balance — which is the most important trick in shooting flat lays. Remember, the message is important. Don’t shoot just because you want to shoot.

Shooting

Pick a background and compose your shot

Grab your props and set them up on a table. My ideal time to shoot is always in the morning or late afternoon when the light isn’t harsh. Shooting at noontime will produce strong shadows and contrast, deeply impacting the quality of your flat lays.

Shot on Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (1x Auto) | Cookies by @ovenfulbyian

If your spot is a little bit dark, never use flash. Just move somewhere with ample lighting. For instance, I set up next to a window. Sometimes, I shoot at the shaded area of my porch.

Shot on Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (1x Auto) | Cookies by @leezipotato

When you’ve assembled your props, make sure to leave spaces between objects to make your set breathe. And don’t forget to mix up and play around with the props.

Shoot it straight from the right distance.

Cameras use different focal lengths, which is why sometimes taking flat lays using a smartphone or a certain lens can cause a distorted output. It’s difficult to straighten the photo when your primary camera uses a wide lens.

Shot on Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (1x Auto) | Chocolate crinkles by @ovenfulbyian

Finding the right distance by standing up on a stool, an elevated block, or climbing a ladder is the key to taking proper flat lays. If you think you’re too cool to make an effort by standing up to get the right shot, girl, bye.

Kidding aside, once you find the right distance, you have two options: Shoot at 1x then crop it later or shoot using 3x optical zoom. In my stint with the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE, I used both 1x and 3x to achieve a straight shot.

Shot on Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (3x Optical Zoom) | Chocolate crinkles by @ovenfulbyian

Although, you need to balance yourself while shooting. Not all smartphone cameras are made equal, some struggle maintaining focus when using optical and digital zoom features.

Consider this before you complain about how you can’t take a proper shot or blame it to your smartphone. You always need to adapt and be smart in the way you handle different situations.

Post-processing

Have fun editing, but don’t go overboard.

Forget those who glorify using and uploading raw photos. Import your photos to an editing app, and make some magic. Turn an ordinary photo into something even more captivating.

Shot on Samsung Galaxy S20 FE (1x Auto), Cropped and increased exposure via Adobe Lightroom Mobile | Cookies by @ovenfulbyian

Just make sure you don’t edit it too much that it’s borderline unrealistic. You can use existing presets, or you can tweak around the settings to learn more about post-processing. The possibilities are endless.

SEE ALSO: Samsung Galaxy S20 FE review: Premium phone you can afford


Smartphone Photography 101 series:

Smartphone photography 101: Foreground element

Smartphone photography 101: How to take slice of life photos

Smartphone photography 101: Capturing festivities

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Dyson is making it very easy to upgrade everything this May

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From a three-day takeover at SM Megamall to an exclusive Super Brand Day on Lazada, the brand is bringing its best deals and newest launches together in one compelling window.
If you’ve been quietly adding Dyson products to your wishlist and waiting for the right moment, May is making a rather strong case for itself.

The brand has two major events lined up in quick succession — a one-day sale on Lazada on May 11, followed by a three-day immersive experience at SM Megamall from May 15 to 17 — and together, they cover just about every reason you’d want to upgrade your home or beauty routine.

First stop: Lazada’s Super Brand Day, May 11

Kicking things off is Dyson’s Super Brand Day on Lazada, a one-day event that brings the brand’s most recognisable products together with vouchers worth up to ₱5,000 off, free shipping, and installment options of up to six months.

The floor care lineup leads with some of the sharpest discounts of the sale. The Dyson V8 Slim Fluffy moves from PhP28,900 to PhP19,230 after discounts, while the Dyson WashG1 sees the biggest drop of the day — from PhP45,900 down to PhP31,130, unlocking PhP14,770 in savings on the wet floor cleaner that makes a compelling case against the mop-and-bucket. For those who want both, the wet-and-dry pairing suddenly becomes a very reasonable investment.
Environmental control gets a moment too. The Dyson Cool AM07 tower fan drops from PhP29,500 toPhP20,240 — a saving of up to PhP9,260, and a timely one given the country’s reliably unrelenting heat.

With Mother’s Day arriving on May 11 itself, the hair care lineup feels particularly well-timed. The Dyson Supersonic HD15 in Nickel Copper lands at PhP19,930 from PhP29,900, while the Dyson Airwrap i.d. in Ceramic Patina drops to PhP27,782 from PhP36,900 — the kind of gift that feels equal parts indulgent and practical. The Dyson Airstrait in Ceramic Pink and the Dyson Corrale round out the lineup at PhP26,120 and PhP25,320 respectively.

The full sale is available via the official Dyson LazMall flagship, where vouchers can be accessed ahead of checkout at Dyson’s online storeDyson’s online store.

Then: the Trade to Upgrade experience at SM Megamall, May 15 to 17

For those who prefer to experience the technology in person — or have an old machine they’ve been meaning to do something about — Dyson is transforming the Mega Fashion Hall of SM Megamall into a three-day hub of live demonstrations, expert sessions, and exclusive deals.

The centrepiece is the Trade to Upgrade program, which lets guests bring in their old machines — any brand, working or not — and trade them in for exclusive discounts on Dyson products. It’s a rare opportunity to finally make that long-overdue switch without the full sticker shock.

Each day of the event has its own focus. Day 1 opens with the launch of the Dyson Spot+Scrub Ai, an intelligent floor care innovation with real-time stain detection and precision cleaning capabilities. Dyson Experts will be on hand for live demos throughout the day.

Day 2 shifts to beauty, with the Dyson Supersonic Travel taking centre stage — a smaller, lighter version of the iconic hair dryer that delivers the same performance in a more portable form. Celebrity hairstylists will be running live styling sessions for those curious about what the machine can do.

Day 3 brings a limited-edition drop: the Ceramic Apricot colorway across Dyson’s styling range, alongside masterclasses and guest appearances from top local stylists. Those ready to invest in a full beauty upgrade will also find the Dyson Airwrap i.d. in Ceramic Patina available at up to 30% off through the Trade to Upgrade program — making it one of the more compelling deals of the entire event.

Catch the full experience at the Mega Fashion Hall, SM Megamall, from May 15 to 17, 2026.

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Dyson’s latest bundle is the power couple your floors have been waiting for

The answer to the wet-and-dry cleaning problem most of us have quietly accepted as just ‘life’

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There’s a particular kind of domestic frustration that doesn’t get talked about enough: the moment you finish vacuuming, look down at your gleaming hard floors, and realize they still need mopping. Two tools. Two routines. One slightly deflated sense of accomplishment. Dyson, apparently, has been paying attention.

For a limited time, the brand is bundling two of its machines into a single, rather attractive package — the Dyson WashG1™ wet floor cleaner and the Dyson V8™ Slim cordless vacuum — positioning them as the complete answer to the wet-and-dry cleaning problem most of us have quietly accepted as just life.

Meet the pair

The WashG1™ is Dyson’s take on the wet floor cleaner, designed to wash hard floors in one streamlined pass rather than the traditional drag-and-splash method that mostly moves grime from one end of the room to the other. No buckets, no wringing, no staring at a suspiciously grey mop head and wondering when exactly it stopped being useful. It’s the kind of appliance that quietly earns its counter space — and then some.

Compact, cordless, and deceptively powerful: the V8™ Slim for when the mess is small but your standards aren’t.

The V8™ Slim, meanwhile, is the lighter, nimbler sibling of Dyson’s cordless line. Useful for the crumbs under the dining chair, the dust gathering behind the shelves, and every other small, daily chaos that a full-sized vacuum feels excessive for. Cordless and compact, it’s the machine you’ll actually pick up instead of sighing and walking past the mess.

Together, they cover the full floor care spectrum: the V8™ Slim handles the dry sweep, the WashG1™ follows with the wash. It’s a logical pairing, honestly — the kind that makes you wonder why you’ve been doing it any other way.

Why this Dyson combination matters

Hard floors, for all their aesthetic appeal, are unforgiving surfaces. Dust settles visibly. Spills linger. And vacuuming alone, as satisfying as the process can be, doesn’t quite address the layer of grime that accumulates on high-traffic areas over time. A wet cleaner handles what a vacuum can’t, and vice versa — which is precisely why owning both, rather than cycling through them separately across different shopping occasions, makes a certain kind of sense.

There’s also something to be said for the ease of a dedicated routine. When both machines live in the same home, cleaning stops being a production and starts being a rhythm — a quick pass with the V8™ Slim in the morning, a proper wash with the WashG1™ when the floors need it. Less deliberation, more just getting it done.

The numbers

Originally priced at PhP 74,800 for both, the bundle is currently available at PhP 45,900 — a saving of PhP 28,900. The mechanic is straightforward: purchase the WashG1™ and the V8™ Slim comes with it.

The promo runs from April 16 to 30, 2026, available at Dyson Stores nationwide. For those who’ve been watching these two machines from a careful distance, the window is narrow — but the value proposition is hard to argue with.

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Entertainment

BINI, KATSEYE among top worldwide Google Searches ahead of Coachella

Coachella to kick off this weekend

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Graphics by Vincenz Lee | GadgetMatch

BINI and KATSEYE topped recent Google Search trends ahead of their Coachella performances this month.

It’s clear that Coachella attendees are curious about the popular Philippine pop girl group, as well as the Los Angeles-based global girl group.

That’s aside from dedicated BLOOMs who are eager to see Aiah, Colet, Maloi, Gwen, Stacey, Mikha, Jhoanna, and Sheena take part in the legendary California music festival on Friday, April 10.

According to Google Trends data, global searches for the term “BINI Coachella” hit a perfect
score of 100 on April 8.

This indicates that the search term briefly became the highest-ranking search trend.

Meanwhile, “KATSEYE Coachella” scored 98 on April 7 on Google Trends, followed by a perfect 100 on April 8.

The timing of KATSEYE’s new single, “PINKY UP” couldn’t have been better as it dropped just a day before their Sahara stage set.

At the same time, the Filipino octet has also released “Blush” as their new comeback song — just hours ahead of KATSEYE.

As such, EYEKONS have also been scouring the interwebs for the global girl group.

And as these are worldwide search data, the recent Google Search trends somewhat prove these artists are effectively breaking through the global mainstream, and introducing their respective cultures to the global stage.

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