How to photograph shoes for Vestiaire Collective
Shoe photos on resale sites like Vestiaire Collective don’t always show heels, sneakers and other styles in their best light, literally. Colours may be dull or partly in shadow, shooting angles can be weird, and they may be missing important details. Your shoes are more likely to sell quickly if your photographs are good.
You don’t have to be a professional to photograph shoes for Vestiaire Collective. Just follow the tips in this post, and when you’re ready, enhance your knowledge with my How to Photograph Shoes to Sell course.
10 good shoe shots
Vestiaire Collective allows you to upload 10 photos to your shoe listing. Try to use all 10 if you can.
In my listing for a pair of gold ballet flats, I included:
- Front view showing scuff marks at toe
- Shoes against box
- 3/4 view of shoes
- Box end with shoes in the background
- Back view
- Left side view
- Sole view
- Close up of sole branding and size
- Top view showing labels
- Right side view
Vestiaire Collective requires sellers to show all branding details to confirm the authenticity of your shoes. This includes labels on insock, sole, and uppers; branded buckles, zips and lace ends; and anywhere else you find a logo or other brand identifier. Showing the box label helps with authentication too.
All of those shoe branding details are helpful for the buyer as well as keeping Vestiaire Collective happy. The platform also requires shots of the whole shoe at different angles. To attract buyers, make these glamour shots but don’t hide any flaws.
For these sequinned heels, I included:
- 3/4 view
- Front view from slightly above
- Back view
- Left side view with shoes apart to show inside of right shoe
- Box label with shoes on top
- Right side view with shoes apart to show inside of left shoe
- Close up of area with missing sequins
- Sole view including branding and size
- Top view showing labels
Off foot or on foot?
Vestiaire Collective requires the main shot to be off foot with no hands in view. You can add photos on feet if you want, but these are hard to style and your feet need to be immaculate. I also wonder if on foot shots remind the buyer the shoes have been on other people’s feet, increasing the ick factor of buying second-hand.
If you have strappy sandals and the straps flop down without a foot in them, consider photographing them on feet or check out our gravity-defying tricks in the How to Photograph Shoes to Sell course.
Clean first
Giving your shoes a good wipe and polish before you photograph them for Vestiaire Collective will make them look much better. Nobody will want to buy visibly dirty shoes. Cleaning can be quicker than editing dirt out later, and editing runs the risk of your buyer saying the shoes are not as described.
You can also find essential tips and methods for making your shoes look their best before photographing them in the course.
Fill the shot
Don’t leave a lot of space around the shoe when taking the photo. Move your phone or camera closer to fill the shot. This will make your shoes easier to see without zooming in on the Vestiaire Collective app or mobile site.
You can crop your photos later, but it’s quicker to just shoot closer.
Plain background
Vestiaire Collective recommend you photograph your shoes to sell on a plain background. White is usually the best colour for this, except if you are photographing white or pale coloured shoes, in which case use a darker background.
You will also find it easier to photograph a flattering angle of your shoes if they are on a table rather than the floor. You can’t get low enough with your camera when your shoes are on the floor.
The How to Photograph Shoes to Sell course shows you how to set up your own plain background, with tricks you won’t have thought of.
Vestiaire Collective automatically removes the background of your main shot. Consider removing the background of your other photos yourself as VC won’t do this for you. The paid version of Canva (Canva Pro) has a quick and easy background removal tool I use myself. You will find other apps and workarounds on YouTube. Just make sure whichever tool you use hasn’t removed any important details. Depending on the app you use, you can usually patch these back in.
Use 2 lights
Lighting your shoe images with 2 lights can be better than using a ring light or daylight, as they give you more control over shadows. You don’t have to buy expensive photographers lights. We go into more detail on this in the course.
Tripod
Putting your phone or camera on a tripod keeps it in the same place so your images look consistent. This is impossible to do when it’s handheld. I have used this little Joby tripod with my phone for years.
For even better shoe shots, higher selling prices and quicker sales, check out my How to Photograph Shoes to Sell course. Learn to light, style, shoot and edit your shots with our package of step-by-step guides.
Play this 1 minute video for a sneaky preview:
This blog post contains an affiliate link. I may receive a small commission if you click through and purchase the tripod 🙂
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