Your websites

lizzard_nyc

Ok so it's time for me to clean up my smugmug website if I am to take this any further.

Simple question--how to choose a name.
I was quite happy w/ lizzardnyc (smugmug won't let me put the underscore in the name which works out better for me) but as was pointed out by my sister it's not very professional sounding and two the extra "z".

How did you pick your names and any suggestions as to what I should consider in picking my web name. I for one really like lizzardnyc, but....

I have just gone through most of your sites, I know how Damon picked his name and I like it, easy to remember also and it just sounds good. B.D. Colen, well who can forget that? Plus it's catchy, if I was to use my name
Elizabeth Alarcon-Arocena--well who the heck would remember that?

I need to mull this over, any tips would be appreciated.

Also do I need to work on a logo? and does this logo need to become a watermark? And when do you decide what shots to watermark?

Thanks in advance.
Liz

Richard

Hey Liz,

I moved this to MYOB. I think it's a question that deserves a wider audience than just on the Street forum.

beetle8

Chosing a name other than your name is a painfull process. I chose Champion photo for my sports photography business after days of contemplating and one night my wife and I were putting away laundry and she grabbed my favorite maroon Champion sweatshirt and said "Hey how bout Champion Photo?"

I spent another few days with my father trying to think of a name for a portrait end of my photography because "Champion" doesn't fit with that and we came up with"Orchard Point Studios" which has no meaning at all, I don't like it, and have since abandoned it and just gone with my name.

Just use one of your names "Arocena Photography" sounds great. I agree with your sister on the other name,

lizzard_nyc

beetle8 wrote: »

Chosing a name other than your name is a painfull process. I chose Champion photo for my sports photography business after days of contemplating and one night my wife and I were putting away laundry and she grabbed my favorite maroon Champion sweatshirt and said "Hey how bout Champion Photo?"

I spent another few days with my father trying to think of a name for a portrait end of my photography because "Champion" doesn't fit with that and we came up with"Orchard Point Studios" which has no meaning at all, I don't like it, and have since abandoned it and just gone with my name.

Just use one of your names "Arocena Photography" sounds great. I agree with your sister on the other name,

Thank you Keith.
I can see this is going to be tough. First I don't know which last name to use, married/maiden, I use both. I was just posting my slices of life series on pj, when that named "Slices of Life Photography" occurred to me, since that's the kind of photoraphy I like to do, the PJ side of things if possible, but I can do portraits too. However I think that name sounds too close to B.D's "A day in the Life". So I have to find something else.

I appreciate your input--I can see why you battled this and why you may not be feeling "Orchard Point Studios", but I like the sports oriented one, it's to the point.

THanks for also confirming that lizzardnyc, is not the way to go--darn:)

coldclimb

We picked "Azimuth Adventure Photography" because the acronym puts us at the top of any alphabetical lists. That has never helped us a bit. It's a neat name though, one that not a lot of people use for anything, and it gives us an outdoor adventure feel more than a studio or wedding feel.

Art Scott

I went thru several incarnations of names and I just keep coming back to my name....I guess I just got tired of explaining that I was the only photog, i own the business...there is no one else (at this time)...so I just decided to keep my name......as to watermarking ....if it is in a gallery that the public or clients can see it...watermark it, because even those clients that are near and dear to us will steal our images to have them printed at walmart, cosco or somewhere else......my archived files are not watermarked but anything that can be seen by anyone is.....

beetle8

Just a note on using your personal name (which is what I do) if there ever came a time where you wanted to sell your business it would be harder. A friend of mine named Brad, bought a thriving chimney sweep business called "Ron's Chimney Sweep" Ron had been doing business for years and years. Two years later, against my recomendation not to, Brad changed the name to "Brad's Chimney Sweep" and it had a clear impact on the business.

Mark Dickinson

I recommend 1st last name. It's cheaper to register as a business and more memorable

woellerd

This is just another thought. Is there anything that you do, or about your photography that sets it apart from many others? I do quite a bit of digital alterations and other post procecssing effects on many of my photos. I chose DWPhotoworks (Initials and description) Seems to work so far..

Eddy

lizzard_nyc wrote: »

Ok so it's time for me to clean up my smugmug website if I am to take this any further.

Simple question--how to choose a name.
I was quite happy w/ lizzardnyc (smugmug won't let me put the underscore in the name which works out better for me) but as was pointed out by my sister it's not very professional sounding and two the extra "z".

How did you pick your names and any suggestions as to what I should consider in picking my web name. I for one really like lizzardnyc, but....

I have just gone through most of your sites, I know how Damon picked his name and I like it, easy to remember also and it just sounds good. B.D. Colen, well who can forget that? Plus it's catchy, if I was to use my name
Elizabeth Alarcon-Arocena--well who the heck would remember that?

I need to mull this over, any tips would be appreciated.

Also do I need to work on a logo? and does this logo need to become a watermark? And when do you decide what shots to watermark?

Thanks in advance.
Liz

how about Inner expressions...yes/no

Cygnus Studios

beetle8 wrote: »

Just a note on using your personal name (which is what I do) if there ever came a time where you wanted to sell your business it would be harder.

It also makes it hard if you ever expand with other employees and services. Generic names have always worked best for a reason.

Yes there is a certain amount of look at me, I own "yournamephotography" but do you really think that the clients care?

I understood very early on that;

1. I would not be in "photography" for the rest of my life.
2. I would not be the only one picking up a camera.
3. When I sell, anyone can be the owner.

Since that time;

1. I am not the only photographer shooting under the brand.
2. We are currently working on our 2nd independent film.

All of our current work and future work can fall under our generic studio name without conflict and without having to build a new brand for our new services.

Every photographer should know that video is coming, and in the end we will all be videographers.

How is that gonna jive with yournamephotography?

If you sit down and think about the businesses that you frequent on a regular basis, how many are "theirnamebusiness" versus some generic name?

Glort

Cygnus Studios wrote: »

Every photographer should know that video is coming, and in the end we will all be videographers.

HAHAHAH!

I heard that about 25 years ago.
" No one will have photos any more, it will all be video".
YA!

Photos are still infinately more popular than video and there is no indication of the prefrence for the mediums to change.

Cygnus Studios

Glort wrote: »

I heard that about 25 years ago.

25 years ago Nikon and Canon weren't adding video to the still cameras.

It is just a matter of time before we don't even get the option of getting video with our cameras.

If they see the handwriting on the wall it is only a matter of time before the rest of us do.

I remember people claiming digital wouldn't kill film.

What do you think the percentage of film users are compared to digital?

Give the manufacturers a few more years to perfect the video and still photographers will be in the same boat as film photographers.

Mark Dickinson

You are correct about video. 4k video can produce 60 fps at 11megapixle images. It's called continuous photography

divamum

This is an interesting question. Divamum has been my "private" handle for many years now and thus was the automatic choice for my sm account, but as I've become more serious with photgraphy and moved from family snaps to pro-am I've questioned whether or not I want it attached to my photos.

For my performance photography, I generally ask them NOT to credit me since I don't want my "brand name" (my real name) as a singer diluted with my photography activities. For my headshots I've considered "Divatography" as a business name, but despite amusing me endlessly, it might not be conveying what I want it so since I have no idea either to be thought of as temperamental, or to attract temperamental, wanna-be-pampered-all-the-time diva-esque clients

Inertia has wound up with it left it as it is, but I'll be following this thread with interest to see what folks have to say on the subject

:lurk

dbveto

Ok I will throw my 2 cents into it
Realphotoman Photography

Came out of first a nick name I shoot a lot of Semi Pro Football most of the time for a specific team and the players just started calling me Photoman. But when I did a search for a domain name Photoman was taken so I just added Real to the nick name and hence RealPhotoman Photography was born.

angevin1

lizzard_nyc wrote: »

Ok so it's time for me to clean up my smugmug website if I am to take this any further.

Simple question--how to choose a name.
I was quite happy w/ lizzardnyc (smugmug won't let me put the underscore in the name which works out better for me) but as was pointed out by my sister it's not very professional sounding and two the extra "z".

How did you pick your names and any suggestions as to what I should consider in picking my web name. I for one really like lizzardnyc, but....

I have just gone through most of your sites, I know how Damon picked his name and I like it, easy to remember also and it just sounds good. B.D. Colen, well who can forget that? Plus it's catchy, if I was to use my name
Elizabeth Alarcon-Arocena--well who the heck would remember that?

I need to mull this over, any tips would be appreciated.

Also do I need to work on a logo? and does this logo need to become a watermark? And when do you decide what shots to watermark?

Thanks in advance.
Liz

Hi Liz!

Ooh Suck! Having or feeling like you have to change your name, etc for your web presence!

It so happens that my Name, tom wise is used by a photographer on the Web and on fB by a painter. So therefore I used tomwisephotos for years now. I really prefer as short a name as possible. However if someone is keying your Web address in for the first time and are looking at your card, it may not matter..much.

But looking ahead, I began to see a pattern. I couldn't/haven't seemed to find whatever it is I am looking for in my expression via photography. Consequently, I chose recently to create a hub. And that Hub will be known as where I am. From the hub, I can send spokes out in myriad directions, with little limit on the number of interests or avenues I project from the Hub or center.

As to the Watermarking, I haven't had need for that yet. But others are very tuned into that realm.

I think logo's make sense., and the simpler the better!

stevenrecords

If you are wanting more exposure on google you need to pick a name that someone will type in. Like since I live in Kansas City and I do portrait photography. I use www.kcportrait.com. The logo is up to you. I personally don't see any purpose for a logo, because the point of most social photography posts is to draw traffic to your site, you can just pick a font that you like and make your website the watermark.

Also, consider using javascript instead of flash, so you don't have to create one site for mobile devices and another for Computers (since most mobile devices don't support flash).

If you can by your name as a domain. Do that as well you could either alias it to your search engine domain or use it as a blog.

Hope that's helpful.