Objects & groups
PRO

Aerial Triangle: three objects shot straight down

Three objects seen straight down, set out as a triangle.

What it is

Seen from directly above, three objects set out as a triangle make one of the most balanced arrangements a flat lay can have. The eye travels around the three points in a loop, and the space inside the triangle holds the group together. Because the view is flat, the shape reads exactly as it lies on the table, with no perspective to squash it. It suits bowls, cups and small objects of similar weight. Aerial Triangle is one of the guides in Camera Grid Pro.

When to use it

Three bowls or plates on a table
A coffee, a pastry and a notebook in a flat lay
Three plants, candles or objects on the floor

How to shoot it

Arrange three things on a flat surface and hold the phone straight down, parallel to it.
Camera Grid draws three target circles as a triangle, as it would lie on the table, and keeps them in place.
If the objects do not make a triangle, the coach says “Spread them into a triangle”. Move them until the filled markers sit in the circles.
Keep the phone flat; the coach asks you to look further down if it tips. The ring locks green with a tap.

Common mistakes

Putting the three objects in a line, which reads as a row from above.
Holding the phone at an angle, which distorts the triangle and shows the sides of the objects.
Using one object far bigger than the others, so it swamps the shape.

Questions

How do you arrange three items in a flat lay?

Place them at the corners of a loose triangle with some space between them, turn each one slightly so they do not look stiff, and leave room around the edges. Shoot straight down so the triangle stays true. Camera Grid draws the triangle and scores your arrangement.

Is Aerial Triangle different from Triangle?

Yes. Triangle is shot from about 45 degrees, so its target is foreshortened. Aerial Triangle is shot straight down, so the target is the triangle as it lies on the table. Camera Grid picks between them from the angle you hold the phone at.