A swell of culture and a clash of creativity, the stylised world of photography has unquestionably joined the football party. This sub-culture that searches for the perfect football boot inspired shot is one that is crafting a generation. In taking a step back, we explore the journey in which this insta-love-in has unfolded.
Much like the way basketball weaved it's way across genres away from the court, football has followed suit, though notably along its own unique path. Unlike the flat-surfaced sole of the basketball sneaker however, the football boot is forever destined for the pitch, studs in tow. Married also with an emotionally heavy connection, boots are close to any football fan's heart. They are your tools and your point of contact in dialling into any game. They touch the ball and they control the play, covering the foot as much as they engulf the mind with excitement. We all remember our first pair and shan't forget our last.
More to the point, as football moved out of the nineties and on a couple more decades, the way we engage with boots has been forever redefined by creative industry and innovative thinking. From the playboy catalogs that saw you sweating over a pair of adidas Predators or Nike Total 90s to a pixel bashing, eBay fuelled world of the internet. There has always been a space in football culture for enjoying the aesthetic of synthetic leathers and bladed configurations. It is, after all, the space in which we at SoccerBible found its feet.
Move forward to the contemporary game which has seen the now established introduction of limited edition releases, countless colourways and a growing market for the re-seller, the football footwear game has become a lifestyle in itself. Dictating the play and providing the visual influence, photography has been the catalyst in shaping the direction of travel — a fundamental element that has journeyed from print to digital and back again, it's a social space that is dedicated to influence and inspiration.
What's more, as this quest for the quirky and newest on the market blossomed, our collections have equally started to pile up. In today's world, much like sneakers, football boot collectors lusting over and sharing their collections are just two taps away. Clocking up thousands of likes in the process, it is the creative standard that has helped many excel in luring a highly engaged following of fans, not simply the boots in question. Visual storytelling at its finest.
The biggest point of reference is of course Instagram. A channel the has been made by its users, it is the competitive nature as well as sheer appreciation for the beautiful that has rather wonderfully crossed paths with the course that football has found itself on.
The creative calibre is something that has stimulated inspiration quite naturally. We all want to be the best dressed at the party and the same goes for every image uploaded. Where instagram is concerned, it’s a portfolio of work in a concurrent game that in many cases the straight-from-the-phone shot is a thing of the past. Much editing and stylising comes from behind the lens and then drops in through the smartphone of your choosing.
Most brilliantly, football has also become a place that has attracted those photographers from other genres to experiment. Simply, the shooting of product out of feet is something that comes with many challenges. How do you convey character without a human element? The answer isn’t straightforward. It’s not about following convention, it’s about breaking down the boundaries and redefining what has gone before. From textures on the ground to high-rise sky lines, it’s about amazing that person at the other end of the phone with inspired thinking and it’s most certainly a space that continues to bloom as we watch on.
It’s something we’re forever searching for. Be our guests, tag us in.
Photography by Greg Coleman and Nathan Congleton
