My photography company's name... need opinions

[Mousse]

I hope you're joking. That's bad on so many levels.

Let's see- we don't have any money, nor do we have any brains. That does not inspire confidence.

Oh man, you guys are making me feel old. No one remembers the hilarious "Niagara Falls" scene.

So how does:

Slowly I Turn Photography sound then? Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

 

[snberk103]

Oh man, you guys are making me feel old. No one remembers the hilarious "Niagara Falls" scene.

So how does:

Slowly I Turn Photography sound then? Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.

I followed your link to the sketch....thanks! I'm sure that line has made it into dozens of comedies since, as an homage to the golden age of vaudeville.

 

[spillproof]

"Shutters" is too harsh sounding to go with "smile". But "Shutters and Smiles" sounds better than "Smiles and Shutters"

Niagara Photography sounds like you only take pictures of the falls.

 

[Ttownbeast]

Whatever you choose I wish you luck with your endeavors, most important thing when you find your name is to whore the holy living hell out of it (make it known)--in fact what ever name you decide on send me a portfolio once you establish yourself I am working on a directory for artists through my website and offering nothing but a bit of free advertising for as long as I remain in business (or alive whichever comes first--I hope I stay in business long after I am dead that would be really cool LOL) if I think that the work is decent. I have a standing policy to fellow starting artists--I charge nothing ever.

 

[ComputersaysNo]

The name isn't that important if you ask me, nofi.

Do people google something with niagara & photography and find you that way? Or... do people remember your name(s) and find your business like that? Try googling Niagara photography and/or Smiles and shutters and see what comes up the most... Do you think yours will stand out?

Also, if you ever become... less friends, who's going to keep the name?

I would suggest a combination of both your names like Ben & Jerry's or Procter & Gamble, Dolce & Gabbana. Sounds classy too

 

[lbro]

I think Smiles and Shutters sounds more for little kids and Niagara Photography just doesn't sound right. I think you should use your last name + photography or maybe the name of the town you live in + photography.

 

[lamina]

Thanks for all the discussion. I didn't think I'd get this much.

Ttownbeast, thanks for the plug. I will let you know once we've decided on a name and post a website.

I see Niagara Photography is the clear winner, but as a bunch of you have said, it does sound kind of... stoic. It also doesn't help that the domain names are already taken.

I'm thinking a Greek name. I don't know why. Prometheus or Andromeda or Oedipus (kidding) sounds kinda cool... Still thinking.

 

[snberk103]

Thanks for all the discussion. I didn't think I'd get this much.

Ttownbeast, thanks for the plug. I will let you know once we've decided on a name and post a website.

I see Niagara Photography is the clear winner, but as a bunch of you have said, it does sound kind of... stoic. It also doesn't help that the domain names are already taken.

I'm thinking a Greek name. I don't know why. Prometheus or Andromeda or Oedipus (kidding) sounds kinda cool... Still thinking.

Years ago when I was creating my photo business I chose a name that meant something to me - Galleons Lap. It had nothing to do with photography, or where I was geographically. It just meant something to me.

All the experts told me I was wrong. That people would never remember the name right, wouldn't associate it with a photo business, etc. etc. Well - to a point they were right. I get people all the time who send mail, or call me, with slight variations in the spelling. And they often ask about the name and how it relates to photography. And nobody understands where it came from (hint: popular children's book) ... and at one time I actually thought of changing the name because of all the time I spent talking to people about the name. And then it occurred to me. I was talking to a lot of people about what I did, one-on-one. That name was getting people interested enough that they would want to talk to me, and I could talk to them about what I could offer them photographically.

I still had to work my butt off to get to that point, where people knew that I did photography - and now they wanted to talk to me about it.

Later, when I moved to Fine Art photography and ran my own gallery for a few years the name became even better, because of the place it describes. But that was just pure luck.

So, long story short. If you are going to be "special" in the field, convey that with your shooting - and pick a name that means something to you and that will get people just a little curious. I got lucky, I don't know that I could pick a name deliberately that worked as well for me again.

Good Luck.

ps It doesn't matter what name you pick, 14% of the people are going to tell you it's wrong. Really.

 

[Ttownbeast]

Thanks for all the discussion. I didn't think I'd get this much.

Ttownbeast, thanks for the plug. I will let you know once we've decided on a name and post a website.

I see Niagara Photography is the clear winner, but as a bunch of you have said, it does sound kind of... stoic. It also doesn't help that the domain names are already taken.

I'm thinking a Greek name. I don't know why. Prometheus or Andromeda or Oedipus (kidding) sounds kinda cool... Still thinking.

Sure, once you're set up email me a simple digital portfolio exhibiting your work and a little business background info and if it all looks good as soon as I have finished creating the directory section I would be glad to.

 

[Shotglass]

I'm sure you thought of this before, but what about using Niagara Photography and making "smiles and shutters" some sort of slogan? Maybe just like a subtitle for your website or something…

 

[creativeimage]

A little late to this thread. Try and use your keywords in your domain name when you start branding yourself. Google indexes your www.---- ! Cheers