Today we’d like to introduce you to Asia Eidson.
Hi Asia, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
My name is Asia, and photography has been the most natural extension of who I am because people have always fascinated me. More than a decade later, owning and running my own photography business continues to bring creative challenge, meaningful work, and opportunities to see the world in ways I never imagined.
I grew up in Thailand as a missionary kid and later moved to Texas to pursue my degree at Abilene Christian University. There, I fell deeply in love with an entrepreneurial, well-traveled, strong man with kind eyes, and I feel lucky every day that he asked me to marry him. My photography business would not exist without Tyler’s unwavering belief in the value of my work. We live, laugh, and love in Fort Worth, with Google Calendar playing a surprisingly vital role in our marriage. Together, we juggle his real estate ventures and my photography business while raising two pretty incredible kids.
Photography was part of my life socially until the first day of my college photography class in the Journalism department. From that point on, it escalated quickly. A mentor, Kelly Davidson, told me I would be crazy not to invest in my first full-frame Canon. It was apparent to everyone except me that photography was my calling. I made $60 from a single image during my first shoot and realized two life-changing things: my work resonated with people, and it could make money.
With that Canon body and kit lens, I fumbled my way through weddings, engagement sessions, and experimental shoots. Friends took a chance on me for their weddings, which snowballed into shooting weddings full time. Over time, I added team members for video, second shooters, and even full teams shooting as Photobyjoy without me present. The scope of my work ebbs and flows with the season of life I am in, but I remain continually amazed by the power an image has to:
Gently nudge someone’s negative perception of themselves
Commemorate a moment in time that will never happen again in history
Evoke an emotional response from a complete stranger
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
What level of importance do I give this job in my life?
Work-life balance is a common struggle for most entrepreneurs. It is difficult to create emotional boundaries around a business you dreamed up, worked for, and built with your own hands. Creative work can easily become your entire world. At times, I almost feel entitled to that imbalance. But at the end of the day, what we do is not our identity. And thank God for that, because inspiration does not knock at my door every day.
In this more seasoned era of my photography career, I feel tangible growth. I stay calmer when clients are not. I use education and clear direction as tools to position myself as the professional in the room. I better understand the capacity of work I can take on without feeling overwhelmed, or at least not as overwhelmed as I once did.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I specialize in people.
I get frustrated when gear gets in the way of the photographer-to-subject connection, so I keep the tech intentionally simple. Being approachable, adaptable, and personable are #goals.
My biggest flex is that my photos live in frames in homes all around the world. Museums and magazines are nice, but how about framed on a bedside table in the Philippines, or sitting next to the keys by the door in Germany!? Grandma’s piano is the highest accolade. Wedding photos framed in nurseries give me all the feels. It is the hyper-personal, micro-historical storytelling that keeps me shooting.
I am low-key known for aggressively encouraging my subjects to accept how genuinely beautiful and remarkable they actually are. My brides. My mamas. My models. My business owners. The world is negative enough as it is, and I am on a mission to infuse joy, hype, and hopefully a better self-image into it, one shoot at a time.
Also, golden hour. Light always leads the shoot. That magical window when the sun has just risen or is about to tuck itself behind the horizon. Plants seem to sing. Skin tones glow. Lens flares come alive. There was a five-year stretch when I only shot at the same time of day because I am so deeply drawn to delicious light.
And then there is love. Real love. The genuine connection of two souls choosing one another still gives me the warm fuzzies. I am drawn to classic, enduring love, without trends and without fluff. These weddings turn into newborn sessions, which turn into senior shoots, and suddenly it feels like micro-historical documentation. Much of my work goes unnoticed by the masses, yet means everything to a select few. That is incredibly special to me.
In recent years, I have been inspired to branch into the editorial side of storytelling through stylized shoots. Much of my work has evolved into editorial and brand imagery, where the goal is for an image to cause pause or to be so fully charged with the personality and tone of a brand that it feels unmistakable. This has been deeply fun. I have chased horses, gotten lost in elevators, sunk into construction dirt, and turned the strange stories in my head into visual form.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Make it good with what you’ve got and don’t wait for perfect.
“good” is mostly understanding light and being able to communicate your vision.
We are actually living in the sci-fi world that many directors and authors dreamed of, yall!! Information and technology are yours. There is the internet. Ask it questions. Take inspiration from it and SPREAD YOUR WINGS.
Treat others the way you want to be treated.
Pricing:
- Weddings starting at $5K
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.photobyjoy.com
- Instagram: @photobyjoy_
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/photobyjoy
