What Should I Name My Photography Business?

Naming Your Photography Business – An Advanced Guide

One of the most popular questions that finds its way into my email box and throughout my various social sites is: What’s a good name for my photography business?

I’ve touched on a lot of issues in two of my posts:

Choosing The Right Name For Your Photography Business

But there are several other things you should think about when you’re deciding on a name, and a few resources you should keep in mind.

Will you be trademarking your name?
Twenty years ago, your photography business would only be in competition with other photographers in your local area. Not true anymore. Now you’re in competition with photographers from all over the world. If you travel regularly as a wedding photographer (as we did starting in the mid 1990’s) your branding extends well beyond local lines. Trademarking your name gives you added protection of having someone come in and choosing something similar, and trying to ride on your coattails. It’s also important as you expand into multiple areas: books, gift products, artwork, etc. What do I name my photography business

You can trademark your name and any branding material, such as a logo. While there are many companies and law offices out there that will help you with the trademarking process, two of my favorite sites are Nolo and the USPTO. Nolo is a legal site filled with all kinds of help for small businesses. You can order books, legal forms, and even find a lawyer in your area if that’s your next step. They have a great book on Trademarking that gives you everything you need to know about the trademark process and protecting your name. The USPTO (U.S. Patent and Trademark Office) has a ton of information on trademarking. They have an online search function that allows you to put in your name ideas, and see if anyone else has trademarked it. And once you file for trademark status, you can follow it online as well.
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Choosing The Right Name For Your Photography Business

by Virtual Photography 5 Comments

I’ve had a ton of comments over the past few months about my article What Should I Name My Photography Business? Based on some of those comments I thought I would dive into the concept of choosing the right name for your photography business a little bit further.

naming my photo business
Choose one that’s unique
I know the word “unique” is overused, but in this case it’s true. In many cases a photographer will choose a relatively common name based on the type of photography they are going to promote, and wind up one of many with the same name. Now that we have the Internet, it’s easy to find out how unique your name is. Simply head over to Google and type in your choices – are there any other photographers using the same name?

What Should I Name My Photography Business?

by Virtual Photography 57 Comments

I had a great question come in today from a photographer that’s starting up a new business, and contemplating name choices. “What should I name my photography business?” As I was typing up the answer, I began thinking about how many of you may also be thinking of similar things, and thought I would post about it here as well.

The first question I would have to you is, “How do you want to grow?”

For some people, it’s all about the art. They have dreams of becoming a household name with their photography. Think Denis Reggie, Anne Geddes or Annie Leibovitz.

For some people, it’s all about the business. They have dreams of building a large studio in which they can hire multiple photographers, and offer a variety of services using multiple talented people.

Both are great business models. However, both should be named differently.