Shoe Photographer, Los Angeles, California - athletic, mens, womens, childrens, dress shoe photography studio

Shoes are an important part of a wardrobe, functional yet fashionable. For some, shoes are symbols of power, sex, wealth or importance. Photographing shoes in a way that shows something of the meaning the shoe designer put into creating them is a challenge. Using lighting, props and backgrounds to create a mood that complements the shoes takes creativity, thought and preparation.

An open-toed high heel shoe is the ultimate sex symbol for some women, and they cannot get enough of them. I once visited the home of a famous female singer who had an entire room the size of a bedroom just for her shoes; many of them open toed high heels. Her collection allowed her to wear a different pair of shoes every day for months with no duplication. Shoe designers love customers like her, who have to have the latest and best shoes for their collection.

Preparing for a photo shoot of shoes

Decide how many catalog shots vs. beauty shots you need. Decide what you want to communicate with your beauty shots, and what colors will contrast or complement the shoes. See if you can come up with descriptive words for each shoe that will get a beauty shot, such as athletic, hip, sexy, conservative, practical, sexy, hot, fresh, and so forth. Give these words to your photographer. Also, think about where the shoes will mostly be used, and if a background in that environment makes sense. For example, you might want to photograph hiking boots next to a stream on some rocks, or basketball shoes on a hardwood floor next to gym clothing or a basket ball. Whatever environment you choose to use, the photograph should give the viewer a feeling about how the shoes will be used, and what it would be like to wear them.

Lifestyle images using models have all the elements of a fashion shoot. The viewer should get a feeling from the picture such as fun, excitement, sexual stimulation, wealth, etc. Lifestyle images don’t really feature the shoes, but rather feature the model and the feelings produced. Product photographs of the shoes are always needed in addition to lifestyle, one photograph cannot do both.

Los Angeles Professional Photographers Studio, Davis Photographic
Phone: 562-343-5898 Cell: 213-434-3344
Email: Davis@DavisPhotographic.com
We take credit cards: Visa, MasterCard, American Express

All photographs are copyrighted by Dennis R. Davis, 2004 - 2009 and may not be used without permission.

Davis Photographic