Table of Contents
- 17 Shoe Photography Ideas
- Shoe Photo Editing and Retouching Tips
- Pixel by Hand Product Photo Editing Services
- FAQ
17 Best Shoe Photography Ideas to Style Your Shoot
Great shoe photography is essential for any footwear brand selling online. Customers can't try shoes on before they buy, so your images need to do the heavy lifting. Here are 17 ideas for how to style your shoe photos, whether you're shooting flats, heels, or trainers.
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1. Plan and Research Before Shooting
Before you start product photography, the most important thing to do is plan and research thoroughly. It's essential that you have a clear idea of each step involved in the process so that your photos turn out exactly as you want them to.
Before you start, clearly define your goals and research the necessary steps to achieve them — camera settings, lighting, background, angles, and so on. You should also ask yourself practical questions like how many pairs of shoes you need to shoot, which colours are needed, and what the platform requirements are.
2. Be Intelligent in Selecting Your Location
Where you take pictures of shoes is very important. To get the best results, shooting outdoors often works well because natural lighting gives a more accurate representation of the footwear.
Since footwear needs the right lighting, it can be difficult to get good indoor shots. You have to make sure the light is evenly distributed while shooting indoors.
Furthermore, if you're taking pictures of shoes indoors, don't place them on a shiny surface. The light reflection and shadow will disrupt the product image.
3. Use a White Background
The background colour is essential to getting the best results from your product photos. Choose a white background when photographing shoes to bring out their colour.
A white background not only helps keep the shoes' colours intact but also allows the focus to be entirely on the footwear. This is true regardless of the model, props, and other factors. Avoid using a cluttered background as this can take away from the appeal of the shoes themselves.
However, if you've already shot your products against a coloured background, don't worry. You can have those images edited and get the background removed or changed to white with a clipping path service like Pixel by Hand. We can take your photos and make them look like they were shot on a white background, no matter what the original background colour was.
4. Avoid Flat Lay Photography
If you want to make your photos of shoes look more interesting and dynamic, don't lay them flat. When you lay shoes down instead of displaying them properly, it makes the details harder to see and potential customers are less likely to be interested. The colours also appear unappealing when not displayed well.
If your display is not up to the customer's standards, they are less likely to buy from you.
5. Hire a Model to Showcase Your Shoes
Your potential customers are always visualising how they will look before buying any product, footwear included. To captivate them online, you need to show your shoes as if they're being worn by a person. A professional photo retouching service provider can help you create this effect even without a model on set.
A model will help you show the shoes from different angles, and you can also use props to make the photos more eye-catching. You can even style the model's hair and clothes to complement the footwear and make the whole look come together.
6. Use Proper Lighting to Focus
Proper lighting has an immense effect on how well your product photos perform. Poor lighting can cast shadows that make it difficult to show the footwear off properly.
Use natural lighting whenever possible. Direct sunlight can negatively affect your photo, so try to avoid having the light fall directly on your set. You can use a lightbox or three lamps placed around the perimeter of your subject for better, more even lighting.
7. Pay Attention to the Small Details
Although photographers often use soft focus to make their shots more creative, we don't recommend it for product photography. Customers usually want to see a clear product image before purchasing.
When photographing shoes, focus on the finer details like laces, stitching, and soles. People usually look at these when shopping for shoes online, so you want to make sure they're visible in your photos.
8. Get Shots from a Variety of Angles
Always think about the customer's mindset when it comes to online sales. Customers want to be able to view shoes from different angles before making a purchase. They can't make a decision about whether or not to buy simply by looking at the product from one perspective.
Many product photographers make the mistake of taking photos of shoes from one angle, which doesn't show the shoes off completely. Be sure to take photos from various angles so potential customers can get a good idea of what they're buying.
9. Unleash Your Creativity
Product photographers can truly show off their creativity by thinking outside the box. You can try adding reflections to your shots — simply place your shoes in a slightly elevated position and pour water down the length of the shoe. This creates a reflective surface for taking pictures.
You can also try using different textures and backgrounds to make your photos more interesting. Just remember to keep the focus on the shoes themselves.
10. Use an Experienced Model for Your Shoe Photography
If you want to make your footwear photography look more professional, a styled photoshoot with a model is the best way to go. A model displaying a product creates excitement in potential buyers.
It's not easy to sell footwear online. You have to show customers the shoes in a way that makes them confident they'll look good wearing them. This is where hiring a model comes in — it provides a realistic sense of how the shoes will look when worn.
A good model will know how to pose and style the shoes in a way that makes them look their best. If you're not experienced in working with models, we recommend hiring a professional photographer who is.
11. Push Your Best Shoe Products Out There
While taking photos of multiple shoes for collages, keep the shoes that will show best at the front. Customers will naturally gravitate towards the front products in a collage. If you have brightly coloured shoes, make sure to place them closer to the frame — nearer images are more likely to capture customers' attention.
12. Avoid Disrupting the Frame
While taking shoe photos, keep the product image clear and free from clutter. Keep the subject matter central in the frame, but make sure not to include too much negative space. Remove any irrelevant elements from the shot.
Only include relevant props in your product photos that will not take away from the intent of your brand.
13. Leverage Daylight
Good lighting is essential for product photography if you want to make your products appealing to customers. The right light can make a shoe photo look glossy and glamorous, while poor lighting will undermine the photograph's purpose.
For shoe photos, we recommend using natural light. You can take advantage of daylight by photographing near a window or outdoors. If you're shooting indoors, turn off artificial lights and open the curtains to let in as much natural light as possible.
14. Focus on the Right Area of the Shoe
Keep your product in sharp focus so the customer can see all the details. Images with soft focus may look artistic, but they won't give potential buyers enough information about the item. Try to take full-focus pictures so viewers can see everything clearly. Use a higher aperture on your camera.
15. Add Reflection Shadow
Adding reflection shadows can make your shoe photos look more sophisticated. You can use Photoshop to create shadow effects, but if you want the shadows to appear during the shoot, we suggest taking the pictures from atop a glass surface.
You can use a mirror to create the illusion of more depth, or keep some water just beneath the product. Outdoor photo shoots will have natural lighting effects due to the shadows cast by the sun.
16. Create a Story
Take your product photos to the next level by incorporating a concept or story. For example, if you are taking pictures of shoes for a sports store, use an athlete as your model. If you want to sell walking shoes, use someone who looks like they love hiking. The options are endless — but always try to choose somebody in the related field for authenticity.
Create a narrative related to your brand and take pictures of the shoes within that context. If you want to shoot outstanding photos, look at the work of accomplished photographers for inspiration, then create your own story.
17. Get 360-Degree Shoe Photos
360-degree photography is one of the latest trends, and it's especially useful for small product photos such as shoes or jewellery. It provides shoppers with detailed views of products before they make a purchase.
This is an excellent way to show off your product from every angle and allow potential buyers to see the shoes from all sides. To get started, you'll need a 360-degree camera rig. You can either buy one or rent one from a local photography store. Once your rig is set up, take pictures of your shoes from all angles.
Shoe Photo Editing and Retouching Tips
It takes more than great photography to make a sale, especially when selling products online. Once you have taken your photos, it's time to edit them to ensure they are perfect before adding them to your store.
Colour Correction
The first step in editing your shoe photos is to fix the colour. If the colours in your photo are off, it will be difficult for potential buyers to see the shoes accurately. You'll need to use a colour correction tool.
Many colour correction tools are available, but we recommend using Adobe Lightroom. It offers a wide range of colour correction presets that can be applied with just a few clicks. Our editing team has mastered their craft using Adobe software, and we're confident in their ability to take your shoe photography from ordinary to outstanding.
Product Photo Retouching
Retouching is the process of fixing imperfections in a photo. This can be anything from removing stray hair to fixing scuffed shoes. With footwear, retouching means making the product look as perfect as possible.
There are a few different ways to approach retouching, but we recommend using the "frequency separation" method. This involves separating the image into two layers: one for the colour and one for the texture. By editing these two layers separately, you can make changes without affecting the other.
Our editing team are experts in this method and can have your photos retouched quickly. We always send you a before-and-after so you can see the transformation for yourself.
We know our way around fixing imperfections without making the photo look fake. We understand that potential buyers want to see accurate product photos but don't want to see every imperfection. We perfect your photos until they look natural yet polished.
Background Removal
In some cases, you may need to remove the background from your photo entirely. This is common when taking photos of products on a white background — especially if you're working with eCommerce platforms like Amazon, Shopify, or eBay. These platforms have strict requirements for product photos, one of which is a white background.
Background removal can be a tricky process, especially with shoes and footwear. Details like laces, shoelaces, and other elements need to be handled without affecting the quality of the photo. Our image editors have the experience and expertise to work on your shoe photography with precision.
Since we've worked with hundreds of eCommerce brands, removing the background from your photos without compromising quality is second nature to us.
Image Resizing and Cropping
Image resizing is an important part of photo editing, especially if you plan to use your shoe product images on different platforms. Each platform has its own requirements, so it's important to resize and crop your photos accordingly.
For example, Amazon requires that all product photos be at least 1,000 pixels on the longest side. In addition, Amazon requires that all product photos have a specific aspect ratio. Our team is experienced in image resizing and cropping, and we'll make sure your shoe photography meets the requirements of whichever platform you're using.
Pixel by Hand Product Photo Editing Services
Shoe product photography is essential for any business that sells footwear online, but it takes more than just a good camera to get great photos. If you're not sure where to start, our team of image editing experts can help.
At Pixel by Hand, we offer a wide range of eCommerce photo editing services, from colour correction to background removal. With over 10 years' experience and 380+ clients, we'll work with you to ensure your photos are perfect for your eCommerce store.
Send us your images for a free sample edit — We'll show you exactly how we can improve your shoe product photography. No obligation, no cost. Get started today.
FAQ
What is the best background for shoe photography? A clean white background is the industry standard for eCommerce shoe photography. It keeps the focus entirely on the product and meets the requirements of most online marketplaces. For lifestyle or brand-building shots, contextual backgrounds can also work well alongside your standard product images.
How many angles should I photograph for each pair of shoes? We recommend a minimum of seven angles: a complete shoe set shot, left and right side close-ups, left and right angled shots, front view, back view, top view, and at least one detail shot showing texture, stitching, or other quality indicators.
Should I use a model for shoe photography? Using a model can significantly increase engagement and conversion rates, as it helps customers visualise how the shoes will look when worn. However, a combination of clean product-only shots and model shots tends to be the most effective approach.
Can shoe photos be edited after the shoot to improve them? Absolutely. Professional post-production services can handle colour correction, background removal, retouching, shadow addition, and resizing. At Pixel by Hand, we specialise in taking raw shoe photography and transforming it into polished, marketplace-ready images.
What resolution should shoe product photos be? For eCommerce, aim for at least 1,000 pixels on the longest side (Amazon's minimum requirement). Higher resolutions — around 2,000 to 3,000 pixels — are better, as they allow customers to zoom in and see details like stitching, texture, and material quality.