When you decide to name your photography business, it can seem like a daunting task. I, personally, did not want to use my name – it is long and easily mispelled (Jesica Montgomery Photography.. ugh, just doesn’t flow!) I have loved following photographers who chose unique names for their businesses – before I even truly got into photography – Oh So Posh, My Four Hens, Forty Toes,Twig & Olive, among many, many others (and I will say it is perfectly fine to use your name.. it’s all relative!) Having a unique name seems so much more fun and stands out more than using a given name, at least, in my opinion!

When I first started, I wanted to do silhouette photography only (long story, but I was afraid becoming a portrait photographer would make a photographer “friend” upset) so I was trying to come up with a name to reflect that. I googled, “silhouette,” then looked at synonyms. I also googled and looked at the synonyms of other words, like “sunset,” “beautiful,” etc. I can’t remember how I exactly ended up with Forever Whimsy Photography, but once I put it together, I knew it was exactly what I wanted!

my first logo

my current logo

Tips!

1. Brainstorm. Think of words that describe you, your photography, your goals. Think of words (colors/textures, nouns, words that are meaningful to you, etc.) Write them all down on a piece of paper.
2. Google search “(insert word) synonyms” or use thesaurus.com – enter each word individually. I like thesaurus.com because it not only lists synonyms but below, it will lists words related to the word you searched.
3. Write down synonyms of the words you chose, that stick out to you.
4. Once you have many words written down on your paper, start putting them together on a new piece of paper. Try different groupings of words.
5. Remember that your business name does not have to follow any rules. It does not have to be ____________ Photography. You could use Images, Imagery, Photos, Studio or not even use any of those words at all (example: The Blissful Maven, love the uniqueness of her name!)
6. Consider using an “+,” “&,” or “and” in your name, if you would like. Use numbers – such as your birthdate, favorite number, etc. You could spell out the number, even.
7. As you get your names together, make it a point to always google and search Facebook for them – it was important to me to have a unique name, one that no one else has. You could run into copyright/trademark problems if you end up just picking a name and then realizing down the road that someone else already has it.
8. Run the names past your good friends/family. It is always a good thing to have opinions of people who matter to you, and in some cases, they can help narrow down the choices.
9. Sleep on it. It might take a few days until you really decide.
10. Pick your name! Tell everyone about it! Make your Facebook page, buy your domain, get your logo together, etc. 🙂

*One thing to remember is that if you are not using your name, that you may have to file a DBA (doing business as) with the state you live in. I can’t speak in all states, but for PA, I was able to register my business as an LLC which also took care of my DBA. Check with your local SBDC (small business development center.) I had a meeting with a business consultant at a local college – for free – and they helped me a lot by outlining what I needed to do and pointing me in the right direction!

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