Strutting out the show shoes
What are the details in your life that illustrate the real you?
Get them photographed and share with those you serve.
I never understood the value of show shoes until I started photographing speakers wearing them on stage.
For those who have them, they’re a big deal.
I’ve seen speakers only unveil their show shoes only moments before they’re set to deliver their talks. We’re talking about a separate luggage bag, taken out of a protective case…
…it’s a whole thing.
Over the years, I’ve seen quite a variety of these shoes on stages, and it always adds a lil sumthin’ sumthin’ to the photos, whether they’re a badass designer label, or a funky, customized pair.
The main reason they inject a little pop into the image content is because those shoes matter to the ones wearing them.
In one way, shape or form, they’re an extension of their personality, style and brand.
And, when you’re in the business of building connections with your audience that leads to them understanding how you can help solve their problems, leading with your personality, style and brand in your photos is essential.
This offers your audience a chance to qualify whether or not you feel like a fit to help them get past what’s holding them back.
That’s why during a recent lifestyle portrait session with Carrie, I was excited when I saw that she packed her show shoes to be photographed.
Now, I’ve seen sparkly shoes before - but these were different…and extremely magical.
Design wise, they are super unique - the cartoon, thought bubble words really popped off the shoes. And they looked delicious in the daylight pouring through the windows.
Conceptually, they are tailor-made for her based on her personality and how she serves, especially after learning so much about her story during our pre-session strategy call.
The moment she slipped these on, I went to work to capture a couple unique images that highlight the details of these magical shoes:
While Carrie specifically wears them when delivering keynotes, these photos have creative flexibility beyond the stage in terms of her online content.
They’re vibrant and colorful, and the messaging in the cartoon bubbles aligns with her message of resilience and growth.
She could have her team create social posts that educate while also motivating her people into action, and use one of these POW! and WHAM! shots to visually punctuate those sentiments.
In addition, one of these shots could also be leveraged as a website banner or photo on her speaker page, as it encapsulates her personality, style and brand.
And it’s what she wears when she’s on stage in front of audiences.
Or, she can simply post one of these photos and talk about why they’re the right show shoes for her and turn it into a compelling personal story that reveals a more personal side to her audience.
Either way, these visual assets in her portfolio offer her creative, customized solutions to her marketing and promotional needs.
If you have a specific pair of shoes that you wear when you deliver a keynote, be sure to bring them to your next lifestyle portrait session as those photos will offer your team an added layer of creative flexibility when they’re building out all your online assets.
…Long story short, show 'em off if you got em :)
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