Nail the sneaker shot with tips and tricks from street style photographers Ee Jin, Tim Suen, and Aik Soon.

In part two of RAW, some of Singapore’s talented street photographers show us what it takes to step up our sneaker photography game.

Three of Singapore’s more popular photographers share the tricks of their trade, highlighting the techniques they use to capture the perfect sneaker shot. Here, you’ll find out their thought process and the work that goes on behind the scenes. 

Inspired by these guys? Wanna take your sneaker photography skills up a notch? Register here now for RAW, a free sneaker photography workshop led by Tim Suen, brought to you by The Social Foot and Canon Singapore. Slots are limited, so bring a friend along as well. You’ll get a free tote bag, plus a shot at winning a Canon PowerShot G7X Mark II worth S$799 and S$300 The Social Foot vouchers.

Tip #1: Stand out

New Balance 574 shot by Ee Jin

Ee Jin (@parag0n) is all about thinking out of the box. He recommends trying to find unique angles and playing around with them, “It may look like it won’t work in real life, but tweaking and rotating an image can make it more outstanding,” he says.

Aik Soon (@aiksooon) concurs, “Having action shots or capturing a subject in action adds perspective to the shot adding some element of dynamism,” he adds.

Tip #2: Center the subject

Reebok Rapide shot by Ee Jin

Ee Jin makes sure that there are no other striking objects in the frame of a picture as that would be fighting with the subject for the viewer’s attention.

Tip #3: Keep it real

adidas Originals NMD R2 shot by Aik Soon

Aik Soon makes it a point to shoot sneakers as they would appear in their natural element. To do this, he recreates everyday scenes by getting his subject to walk down a street, for example.

Tip #4: Lead by Lines

adidas Originals Samba shot by Aik Soon

Leading lines are the “trail” that guides the viewer’s eye through the scene, leading the eye to focus on the subject. It adds depth and draws attention to the focal point of the sneaker shot.

Tip #5: Color pick

PUMA RS-0 PLAY shot by Tim Suen

Tim (@timsuen) practises using the environment around him to accentuate the vibrant colors on sneakers. On the PUMA RS-0 PLAY shoes shot by him above, he says, “The pipes allowed for a nice contrast with the colors as well as flexibility in positioning the shoes to highlight the essential features as needed.”

Tip #6: play with shadows 

Nike Air Force 1 shot by Tim Suen

Sometimes, especially with shoes with simple colorways, you might find yourself in a situation where the options are endless. To get past that, Tim recommends keeping it simple, and playing with shadows is a great way to do that.

“The great thing about using shadows is its ability to highlight certain features of the shoe while simultaneously creating a beautiful contrast with the blacks and whites,” Tim explains.

Do you think you have what it takes to achieve the ultimate sneaker shot? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below or join us at RAW, a sneaker photography workshop by The Social Foot, led by Tim Suen. 

All sneakers featured in this series are available at The Social Foot at Orchard Central (#01-19/20) and Suntec City (West Wing, #01-372). For the latest drops, follow The Social Foot on Instagram and Facebook.