Students will get to work with local Abilene businesses through the branding photography workshop offered by the Learning Studio this Saturday.
The Learning Studio sponsors the workshops every semester to help students deepen their knowledge about camera equipment and photo editing tools available to them through Adobe Creative Cloud. Asia Eidson, a full-time wedding photographer from Fort Worth, leads the workshops for intermediate to advanced student photographers.
The workshop is “focused to help students on how to make visual decisions based on the personality of the brand they are shooting,” said Eidson. This fall semester, the branding workshop lands Nov. 12 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. The students will be taking photos for McKay’s Bakery, ACU Campus Store, Indie Owl Toys, Thai Comfort, and Key City Coffee.
“They are going to be shooting from coffee, to toys, pants and muffins,” said Eidson. “And they will all be in groups, and everyone has to make different decisions visually based on the brand.”
Asia Eidson, who graduated from ACU in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in multimedia, said this this is her fourth workshop to lead. “I feel like learning how to brand your images is a skill that students can take to any part of their life,” said Eidson. “Learning the basics of lighting and editing and how that can set a mood or tone for an image is an applicable skill, whether that’s wanting a better Instagram feed or shooting products for small businesses.”
“My goal is to provide experiences that I wish I had in college,” said Eidson. “There is so much about photography that I love. It is one the most meaningful ways to connect with people.”
Kyle Dickson, Director of the AT&T Learning Studio, said the workshops also help students get the most out of Adobe Creative Cloud software and check out cameras from the Learning Studio.
Dickson said past workshops have focused on portrait photography and DSLR camera controls. “Asia has helped lead workshops for students wanting to develop their eye for composition and the software skills needed to become a working photographer,” said Dickson. “She brings great energy to encouraging students to produce their best work.”
Eidson started taking photos when she was a junior at ACU, but it wasn’t until a few years later that her husband bought her a domain name and created a website for all her photography work, which is known as Photobyjoy.com. Eidson said Photobyjoy became an official business recognized by Texas, and she will soon be launching a second business for senior girls.
For information about future workshops, learningstudio@acu.edu.