One of the most photographed women’s fashion accessory is the shoe. From sports shoes to impossibly high heels, women’s shoes come in all shapes and configurations.
It is estimated that the average woman will spend over $25,000 on shoes in her lifetime. (source)
There are several important points about shooting women’s shoes that you must remember:
- The texture of the shoe is important to show.
- The height of the heel is important to show.
- The shape of the toe is important to show.
- The insole is important for some brands.
In other words, the parts of the shoe that a customer may inspect is important to show in the photograph.
How do we not show a shoe?
For one, we do not use forced perspective, wide angle lenses to distort the shape of the shoe. You will also find few times when we point the camera down on a shoe, as that diminishes the height of the heel.
Lighting must be even and careful to allow the texture of the leather or suede or whatever the shoe is made from to be very visible. Stones and shiny things are also important to show if they are a feature.
Art directors and product managers always have their ideas for what they want to do with their specific approach, so be sure to work with them to create the best image possible.
Here are a few links for you to view.
Google “Famous Shoe Photographers”
Heels on Pinterest.
Shoes on Tumblr
Your assignment is to be creative with a pair of women’s shoes. This is NOT a catalog shot, so a plain shot of a shoe on white seamless is not the preferred image. However, do not overthink the shot either. Lots can be done with a pair of shoes and a clean background.
Color / Landscape.
