# Trying Is Cool: AD Sneaks on Photography, Teaching, and Why the Work Behind the Photo Is the Whole Point Page: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816/trying-is-cool-ad-sneaks-on-photography-teaching-and-why-the-work-behind-the-photo-is-the-whole-point Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816/trying-is-cool-ad-sneaks-on-photography-teaching-and-why-the-work-behind-the-photo-is-the-whole-point.md Podcast: [Sneaker History Podcast - Sneakers, Sneaker Culture and the Business of Footwear](https://stenobird.com/podcast/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816) Published: 2026-03-11T19:00:00+00:00 Episode link: https://sneakerhistory.com/podcasts/trying-is-cool-ad-sneaks-on-photography-teaching-and-why-the-work-behind-the-photo-is-the-whole-point Audio file: https://pdst.fm/e/episodes.captivate.fm/episode/18fd6671-2ce9-4b60-8ff4-2e71047c8aee.mp3 Processing state: not_requested JSON: https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816/episodes/trying-is-cool-ad-sneaks-on-photography-teaching-and-why-the-work-behind-the-photo-is-the-whole-point Duration seconds: 3401 ## Resource Andrew Dutton, better known as @ad__sneaks on Instagram, has built one of the most recognizable sneaker photography accounts anywhere online. Hundreds of thousands of followers. Features from Complex. Brand invitations to NBA All-Star Weekend. And a coffee table book, The Art of the Sneaker , releasing March 24th , that nobody saw coming... including him. Nick and Andy get into how a digital media teacher from rural Idaho turned a COVID-era passion project into a published photography book, what it actually looks like behind the scenes of those perfectly lit shots, and why "trying is cool" might be the most important creative philosophy nobody is talking about enough. They also get into the The Gathering experience and what it means to find your people in a culture that's increasingly fragmented across algorithms, how sneakers have always been a connector more than a commodity, and why the work behind the photo matters just as much as the photo itself. If you've ever thought about turning your passion into something bigger, this one's for you. The Art of the Sneaker is available for pre-order now at Andy's Instagram bio and will be available at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and bookstores everywhere on March 24th. Subscribe to the Newsletter: https://ww.thesneakernewsletter.com SUPPORT THE SHOW: Donate Through Venmo: https://venmo.com/u/sneakerhistory Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/nickengvall Early Access, Exclusive Videos, and Content On Patreon: https://patreon.com/sneakerhistory If you are interested in advertising to our audience, contact us: podcast@sneakerhistory.com CHECK OUT OUR OTHER SHOWS: For the Formula 1 Fans - Exhaust Notes: https://exhaustnotes.fm For the Fitted Hat Fans - Crown and Stitch: https://crownandstitch.com For the Cars & Sneakers… ## Actions - request_transcript: `POST https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816/episodes/trying-is-cool-ad-sneaks-on-photography-teaching-and-why-the-work-behind-the-photo-is-the-whole-point/transcription-requests` — Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode. - read_markdown: `GET https://stenobird.com/podcast/sneaker-history-podcast-sneakers-sneaker-culture-and-the-business-of-footwear-1032816/trying-is-cool-ad-sneaks-on-photography-teaching-and-why-the-work-behind-the-photo-is-the-whole-point.md` — Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource. A page view does not enqueue transcription. Agents should invoke `request_transcript` explicitly when they need this episode processed. ## Transcript Full transcripts are not published on public pages unless there is a clear rights basis.