When it comes to photographing running shoes, I've often told people, "It helps to fall in love with the shoe." Sometimes it is more than a little difficult to fall in love with a particular running shoe. (Some of the Mizuno and Saucony models spring to mind.) Then, sometimes it is much easier, as with the ASICS GEL-Nimbus VIII. It is ASICS' top-of-the-line cushioning shoe. I thoroughly enjoyed shooting almost every colorway of that one. I even nearly made one shot of the purple Nimbus my desktop wallpaper!

Strangely, the GEL-Nimbus 9 (supposedly an upgrade) was nowhere near as aesthetically-pleasing, and -- according to many user reviews -- a downgrade in performance as well. (Full disclosure: I don't run often, and have not worn any of ASICS' Nimbus series, so I am not qualified to evaluate performance. I welcome comments from anyone regarding performance of any running shoe.) ASICS' newest version of the shoe is the GEL-Nimbus 10. It looks fairly groovy... much cooler than the previous version. However, even though the Nimbus 10 boasts reptilian embossing on some of the leather, it's not quite as rad as the Nimbus VIII.