Alright, here’s exactly how I tackled shooting sneaker photos using just my phone today. Started by dumping my new kicks on the kitchen counter where the afternoon light hits.
The Hot Mess Beginning
First tries looked like trash. Phone shadow covered half the shoe, crumbs on the counter showed up crystal clear, and the sole looked flat as cardboard. Got pissed off and deleted all 12 shots immediately.
Gathering Random Household Stuff
Dragged my floor lamp closer for extra light. Grabbed a plain white poster board from the closet as background. Stole my kid’s Lego bricks to prop up the heel for that floating look. Turned off the kitchen overheads to kill yellow tones.
Phone Settings Tinkering
Held the phone sideways to shoot portrait mode. Tapped the screen to lock focus on the tongue label. Slid the brightness slider down a notch to prevent highlight blowouts. Held my breath like a sniper while clicking to avoid shaky blur.
Angles That Actually Worked
- Squatted low shooting upward for that “hypebeast” look
- Bird’s-eye view dead center for clean Instagram grids
- Diagional shot catching both laces and sole patterns
The Edit Grind
Used the phone’s built-in editor ONLY. Cranked up shadows so stitching details popped. Nudged warmth slider toward blue to fix that fake orange tint. Cropped tight until counter clutter disappeared. That’s it – no fancy apps.
Final result? Night-and-day difference from those garbage first shots. Phone camera ain’t no DSLR but gets the job done right if you wrestle it properly.
