I'm in the process of trying to 'officially' start my photography business.  I'm having a rather difficult time with a name.  I don't want to use my name because I dislike my last name.  I think of a unique name and run a search on it and I find that several people already use it.  I want to be different but I'm having no such luck picking out a name.  Hopefully, when I hear it/see it, I'll know 'its' the one. 

So, how did you pick out your business name?
 

I picked mine because a rain lily is one of my favorite flowers.  Also, rain lilies pretty much spring up looking beautiful for the day, and then don't last long...sort of like fixing up for a portrait, lol, then going home and putting your regular clothes back on.  There is also a personal Christian significance in that name.

We choose 831 Photography because "831" represented why we do this:

8 Letters
3 Words
1 Meaning

"I Love You"

It also comes first in alphabetical listings (numbers come before "A") and the riddle makes people think.

We used to be "Stephanie Swarts Photography" but when we got married, we knew we wanted to include other photographers besides us, so we went with a less personal name, and a more symbolic name.

Shan

The name of my street is Seven Arrow Dr.    I just liked the sound of it.  It has a nice ring to it.  Seven Arrow Photography!  

I just used my name but it wasn't because I wanted to bring attention to myself or glorify that in any way....and it wasn't because I'm not creative either.  When I was 9, my dad was in the middle of getting a business together when he died of an aneurism unexpectedly.  I'm the only male in our family to carry on the name and the legacy, so I wanted to honor him in that.  Our family is very proud of what we have been through and sticking together through all of the difficult times....so I'm putting our name on the sign.  There's more to the story than that.....but that's the basics.

I used my name because I actually like my name.  I hated my maiden name.  I also checked out all the local photographers and they all use their names also so that is why I decided to, plus I couldn't think of anything else original.

Thanks for all the responses. 

R A D are the first three letters of my youngest kid's names, and when they got into being little actors I added Star, and used it as my IM name, as well as my name on parent forums.  My first online album was of their adventures and we used that name.   I just kept it when it became my business because I couldn't think of anything else.

I picked my name "Shutterfly Kisses"  After the song Butterfly kisses.  I thought it was a play on words and many people smile when they read/hear it.  So it works for me.

I use Gigante! for my artist moniker. I got the name from a Supermarket sign I saw in Mexico.

I am still deciding.  I don't like my last name.  I prefer my maiden name, but it is super long. T-r-z-a-s-k-o-w-s-k-i.  (Thus my name Traz)  I was doing some graphic stuff for a while & used Traz's Treasures, but not sure I like it for a photography name. My Mom died recently & I was trying to come up with something as a momento to both my parents.  Haven't found anything that clicks.  I considered going with Midview Photography as it is the area school system I live in.  Plus it would really give a dig to the local monopoly photographer. LOL  He is very protective of the area. I know wrong reason to pick a name)  I have one other name in mind, but not sure yet.  I actually have a running page of names I think of.

Good luck choosing yours.

Traz

How does this sound, Simple Memories Photography?  I don't know.  I have mixed feelings about the name.

We thought ours was plain and simple and communicated what we do very well...

Carson and Betty Turner, photographers

 

I sometimes shoot with Photos by Betty  --  not many ways anyone can not know what we do.   

I simply use my first and last name. Easy, simple, if people want to look you up on the net it's easy to remember. I personally don't like anything cutesy or cheesy.

When you think of well known/great photographers (Monte Zucker, Bambi Cantrell, Annie Leibowitz for example) people know them by their name, not their studio or business name. There is a well known photographer in my area, anyone you talk to knows who he is. And I think knowing the photographer's name is a little more personal than, say, "Picture Perfect Studio", etc.

The whole deal with not wanting to use my last name is that its Hamm.  Ugh.. I can't wait to get married so that I won't be a Hamm anymore.  lol

Can you use your middle name? Kelly xxx Photography? You want to pick one thing and stick with it, so if you get married you won't have to change your business name.

What's wrong with Kelly Hamm Photography?  I kinda like it. 

Marc Hamm likes Marc Hamm Photography and Steve Hamm likes Steve Hamm Photography.  Nathan likes Nathan Hamm Photography too.  Seems a search on Google for "Hamm Photography" gives back some 891 returns.

I kinda like using "Photos by ..." too though and Photos by Kelly is pretty cool.  Then after you get married you don't have to change your studio name.  Checks made to "Kelly" are also easy for you to cash.     Checks made to Pretty Pictures Photography Studio will require a commercial bank account.

Just a few thoughts...

 

Thanks for the insight.  I'm going to mull it over this long Thanksgiving weekend.

Im a Kelly too - Kelly Roy - Im trying to think of a name too - When I get referrals from friends, the people already call me by name so I figure its easier.  When I think of designing my business card, Im thinkign of going with "lifestyle photography by Kelly Roy" and my three initials in large print KSR somewhere.  I just like to take candids in natural light...that's where lifestyle comes in. Still pondering this all.

 Keep us posted Kelly!!!

Kelly

i think i am one of the few people in the world that still uses their aol email address from 1993...

it's bonber(@aol.com).  my first name is BONnie and my last name is BERlin.  so it's just bonber - a combination of the two.  about 8 years ago i got a personlized license plate on a whim.  it says bonber.

everyone knows that i am bonber.  a lot of people even call me that as a nickname. 

so when i picked a name for my business it all made sense.  bonber photographics.  it's already my email address and it's on my car! 

 it's just a bit tricky to say on your answering machine greeting if you have a stuffy nose...
 

I'm a landscape photographer, so my name came from the type of scenes I sometimes capture.

Many online photo friends used to jokingly call me the Queen of Reflections.  Since my first name is Ruth, it just seemed to flow

Reflections by Ruth, I picked a script type font that seemed to fit the style of the name.

Its caught on and a lot of people seem to remember it.  Before I had my own photog business and official name, if I ran into anyone while taking photos , they would ask to see my work online. I would tell them my name  Ruth C. Taylor which always pulls me up on the many websites I am on but 95% of the people couldnt remember my full name or the simple yahoo email I used to give them unless they had paper to write it on.

So the Reflections by Ruth seemed to be a name that people remembered to look up when neither of us had paper and pen :)

 

I really did not struggle with my business name because it was instantly in my mind when I decided to start it. It was a total God thing. I am going to school to teach English but my long term goal is to get my masters in counseling; therefore, helping individuals with their self-esteem is something I feel strongly about. Also it is a name of a song that I had deemed my sisters because she struggled with low self-esteem all her life and this song's lyrics totally described her experience and what I wanted to convey to her.

"I can see the tears filling your eyes
And I know where they're coming from
They're coming from a heart thats broken in two
By what you don't see
The person in the mirror
Doesn't look like the magazine
Oh but when I look at you its clear to me that

I can see the fingerprints of god
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of god
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of god

Never has there been and never again
Will there be another you
Fashioned by gods hand
And perfectly planned
To be just who you are
And what hes been creating
Since the first beat of your heart
Is a living breathing priceless work of art and

Just look at you
You're a wonder in the making
Oh and gods not through no
In fact hes just getting started and" -Steven Curtis Chapman

 

Consequently, my studio name is Fingerprints of God Studios. In conclusion,I had the wonderful experience of taking her senior pics this summer and you know that moment during a photography session where your subject feels truly beautiful? Well, it happened for her and that was just icing on the cake. 

I also used my name. I live in a small town and am involved in the schools. When people heard my name in schools or around town then heard Stacey Damon Photography I wanted them to put my name and face together...then hopefully want to hire me! 

I'm using my name only because everything i could think of was already taken..First i looked for the website with everything i could think of to see if it was used. it was a terrible process..i went through about two months of trying to figure it out.  Before my friend told me i would never start unless i got a name... so stuck with the name... i might change it later if i ever find a name that i like... I trademarked my name for very cheap with the town hall.

Like Mybabies... I wanted my business "name" to reflect my relationship with my Lord. I think that I am going to go with "In His Image"...