Whether you’re launching a new collection or refreshing your seasonal styles, here are our top tips and ideas to capture your footwear in the best light — literally.
In a world where consumers shop with their eyes first, your product photos aren’t just visuals — they are the pitch. Investing in professional photography is key, especially in the footwear industry, where texture, shape, and detail can make or break a purchase.
Photos that connect with your audience and drive engagement are in. Here we bring you ideas for your website, social media, and other marketing purposes!
1. Show your shoes in motion
Highlight performance, comfort, and style by capturing your footwear in action. From a dynamic jump shot to a mid-stride city walk, movement adds storytelling.
2. Prioritize the details
Your customers want to zoom in. Think textures, stitching, sole patterns, and even the lacing. These micro-elements often reflect craftsmanship and quality. Close-ups speak louder than a product description.
3. Use a consistent backdrop for e-commerce
Consistency builds trust. For online stores, remember to keep angles, lighting, and background uniform across your collection online. It helps users compare models quickly, and it gives your site a more polished look overall.
4. Don’t forget the unboxing moment
In the age of TikTok and Reels, the packaging is part of the product. Shoot your shoes in their box, paired with branded elements like tissue paper, stickers, or tags. This can help elevate perception and set customer expectations.
5. Play with matching or contrasting backgrounds
Let the shoe pop, or blend, with purpose. Use monochromatic tones for a sleek, editorial look, or go bold with high-contrast backgrounds to make your audience stop scrolling. Either way, color pairing is a fast track to visual impact.
6. Lean into lifestyle contexts
Context sells. Instead of always isolating the product, showcase how your shoes fit into a real-life setting.
A pair of boots in a misty forest. Sandals on a sunny boardwalk. It’s not just about the shoe — it’s about who they become with it on.
Pro tip: With Cherrydeck Branded Stock™, you can make the most out of your footwear photography efforts: collaborate with multiple lifestyle photographers simultaneously to shoot your products anywhere in the world!
7. Try a wide angle
Dramatize the shape, exaggerate the scale, and bring a fresh perspective to product shots. A wide-angle lens adds energy and a sense of space, perfect for campaign visuals that demand attention.
8. Incorporate food elements
This taps into sensory marketing — a strategy beauty brands have mastered by pairing products with food such as peanut butter, ice cream, etc.
You can do the same! Add a playful or unexpected twist by styling your footwear next to food. Think sprinkles with sneakers, oranges with slides, or croissants with classic loafers. Ideal for lifestyle campaigns or creative brand drops with personality.
9. Or drink elements
Whether it’s a glass of wine, an iced coffee, or a cocktail with character, drinks bring mood and lifestyle energy into the frame.
Use them to signal seasonality, pairings, or just a vibe your audience wants to buy into.
10. Try aesthetic portraits
A great way to attract attention to the shoes is through portraits. Elevate your product by pairing it with a portrait that captures style, mood, and identity.
Ideal for connecting emotionally and creating editorial content from campaign shoots.
11. Match interior props
From textured rugs to statement chairs — use interiors to build a visual language around your footwear. Match tones and textures to your brand’s palette to create a cohesive, elevated look without overstyling.
12. Use glass or play with mirrors
Use reflections to double the drama. Glass and mirrors bring depth, symmetry, and intrigue to even the simplest setups. Perfect for creating premium, modern visuals without needing a complex backdrop.
13. Go Behind the Scenes
A behind-the-scenes or “shoemaking process” photo can add authenticity to your brand, especially for handmade or eco-conscious lines. Showcasing craftsmanship connects emotionally and helps justify the price point.
14. Experiment with still life
Think beyond traditional product shots. Still life is very popular with food products and jewellery, however, footwear shouldn’t stay behind.
Arrange shoes with curated objects, textures, and shadows to create still life images that feel more like art than advertising.
Great for lookbooks, hero visuals, or mood-building content across channels.
15. Send out your products, let Branded Stock™ do the rest
Great footwear photography isn’t just about clean angles and good lighting. It’s about emotion, storytelling, and resonance. When done right, each image becomes a passive salesperson — making your product feel not just wanted, but needed.
With Cherrydeck Branded Stock™, all you have to do is send out your products to handpicked creatives in your desired location, we do the rest. You get hundreds of on-brand photos and videos of your products. The best part? You only pay for your favorite imagery.
Let’s sum it up!
Here are useful tips and ideas to showcase your footwear:
- Show your shoes in motion
- Prioritize the details
- Create a consistent backdrop for ecommerce
- Don’t forget the unboxing moment
- Play with matching or contrasting backgrounds
- Lean into lifestyle contexts
- Try a wide angle
- Incorporate food elements
- Or drink elements
- Try aesthetic portraits
- Match interior props
- Use glass or play with mirrors
- Go Behind the Scenes
- Experiment with still life
- Experience Branded Stock
Whether you’re shooting in-house or partnering with professionals, investing in great footwear visuals isn’t just about aesthetics — it’s about conversions.
At Cherrydeck, we connect you with photographers who not only specialize in footwear photography but also in storytelling and style, helping your brand put its best foot forward — every step of the way.
