Photography Business Names: How to Pick the Right Name

This is a complete guide discussing photography business names.

Though this guide is targeted to photographers (because I am a photographer), the core concepts and principles apply to all artists and creators.

Naming Ideas for Photography Business

When it comes to picking a photography business name, knowing where to begin can be overwhelming.

“Should I include my name in my business?” “Should I leave out my name?” “Should I include photography in my name?”

These are all valid questions that need to be addressed.

Before diving into the steps to consider before picking a photography business name, it’s important to identify the 3 possible choices and options we have for choosing a photography business name.

As mentioned in our Website Creation Guide, we have identified 3 routes most photographers take when it comes to naming their photography businesses.

1. Name + Keyword

An example of this would be — John Doe Photography

Other keywords to include could be “studio,” “photographer”, etc.

The pros of going this route include that the name is special to you since it is actually your name and that it would look simple and clean.

By going this route, you would also benefit SEO-wise because you would have a keyword in the name such as “photography” which will be important when you create your website and align your business name with your domain name.

Since it is your name, you also would not have to worry about trademark or copyright infringements

When I first created my personal photography website, I went this route and chose natejoaquinphotography.com (it now redirects to here).

Nate Joaquin is my first and middle name so I chose to go this route.

The problem that I ran into, which I’ll be diving into, is that I didn’t want to narrow my business into just photography.

I wanted to create a community and media platform to eventually inspire all digital-age artists and creators around the world.

But most people are just going to use their photography website for a portfolio and blog every once in a while so you won’t run into the problem I did where I had a photography name that did not align with my marketing framework, which we’ll be discussing later.

2. Business Name + Keyword

The second route is choosing a business name for your photography business that is not your name.

An example of this would be — Lasting Memories Photography or Capture Light Photography. Something along those lines.

This second route has the pros of the first route when it comes to SEO because you will have the keyword in the name when it comes time to choose a domain name.

The difference with going this route is you first have to check and make sure no other photographer in the world has this same name.

Since you are now not choosing just your name, you will have to make sure to avoid choosing a similar name to somebody else to avoid trademark and copyright issues.

If you go this route, you will also have to think hard about your future business plans.

Here’s what I mean.

Let’s say you are a wedding photographer right now and your business name is “Lasting Memories Wedding Photography.” You have registered this as your business name and you have taken the domain name lastingmemoriesweddingphotography.com.

If in a couple years from now, you choose to not just brand yourself as a wedding photographer but also portraits and product photography, then your business name would no longer align with your brand and marketing strategy/framework — an issue that we will discuss later in this guide.

3. Business Name no Keywords

The third route is just including business name or name without the keyword in there.

For example, this website, Imaginated.com

I don’t recommend this option if you have a website and will be just using your photography website as a place to hold your portfolio, about page, blog, and a contact us page.

As mentioned, my website is used to hold all of these plus provide information to all digital-age artists and creators.

And at the end of the day, it comes down to your choice when picking a domain name.

These three routes to go down are only suggestions based on best practices and what I’ve seen in the current online landscape.

Now that we’ve covered those 3 options, let’s dive into the components of the Marketing Framework and how your photography business name should align with it.

How to Pick a Photography Business Name

There are two main things to take into consideration when choosing a photography business name.

They are:

1. Alignment with Brand
2. Make it memorable

Let’s dive into the first one which is alignment with brand.

Alignment with Brand

In order to find the perfect photography business name for your brand, it’s important to have an understanding of the Marketing Framework.

When coming up with a name for your photography business, it’s important to be aware of all the components because you want your name to be in alignment with them.

Let’s dive into the brand identity tools now:

1. Mission Statement Alignment

When deciding on a photography business name, it should align with your mission statement which is usually included within your business and marketing plan.

Your mission statement should include what your product or service is, who your target audience is, and what makes your business or product/service unique.

Here’s an example mission statement:

“Providing high-quality moody headshots for people in the entertainment industry.”

In this example mission statement, the service is headshots, the target audience are people in the entertainment industry, and the “unique” aspect is that you provide “moody/dramatic headshots.”

If this was a real mission statement, the photography business name should be aligned. For example, your photography business name shouldn’t be “Happy Headshot Photography” because it wouldn’t be aligned.

This wouldn’t apply to people who choose the first naming route as mentioned above (Your Name + Photography) but it’s important to know if you choose to rebrand in the future.

2. Brand

As mentioned in our Branding Your Business Guide, a brand is made up of two components — your corporate image and positioning.

Your photography business name needs to align with both your corporate image and positioning strategy to ensure people do not get confused.

Let’s dive into both components and the difference between the two.

Corporate Image

As mentioned in our Corporate Image Strategy Guide, a corporate image, also known as corporate identity, is the perception of your company or organization in the minds of your target audience.

There are certain tools to influence the perception of your target audience, and your photography business name is one of them, which we’ll be diving into in the next step.

Positioning

In our Positioning Strategy Guide, it is defined that your positioning within the market is the process of identifying a target market/audience and creating an image of your product that fills your target market’s unfilled need.

Your photography business name needs to also align with your positioning strategy in order to have a cohesive brand (corporate image + positioning).

Let’s dive into the brand identity tools that you should be aware of when deciding on a photography business name.

3. Brand Identity Tools

As mentioned above, a brand is made up of your corporate image and product positioning.

There are certain tools you can use to establish your brand with your name being one of them.

It is important that all the tools are cohesive and align with one another. When thinking of a photography business name, you should be thinking of all these identity tools as well to make sure they all work together in conveying your brand image.

For example, which we’ll be discussing, if your photography business name is “Happy Headshot Photography,” and your logo uses “moody, cool” colors such as dark blue, dark purple, and black, and your logo itself contains an image of a wedding couple, then all these brand identity tools do not align.

Name

The first of the brand identity tools, and the topic of this guide, is the name that you choose.

As mentioned, if you choose to opt for the first route with your photography business name and choose to use your name, then this doesn’t apply as much to you, however, the rest of the tools should still be aligned.

As mentioned, your photography business name should reflect your mission statement, the product/service you offer, and the target audience.

Logo

Your logo is the second brand identity tool that your photography business name should align with.

When deciding upon your name, you should take into consideration the logo you will want for your photography business.

Logos are important because they make a great first impression, they give your photography business an identity, and they project a professional image.

Your logo and photography business name should be aligned.

So for example, if you are a wedding photographer who specializes in light, dreamy edits — your logo should reflect this sentiment.

In this case, your logo might have a wedding dress or wedding couple in it, use white colors, have a light font, etc.

For example, here is the logo for Blue Sky’s Studio:

See how the logo aligns with the name.

Slogan

A slogan is a punchy, short phrase that is a part of your brand identity.

Often, before creating a slogan, it is best practice to have a logo first.

As mentioned in the previous step, the best logos are aligned with the business name.
For example, a wedding photographer who has a business name of “Capturing Memories Photography” could have a slogan of “Capturing your most precious moments.”

Even if you do not plan on having a slogan, it’s best to think of a rough draft one this way both your slogan and logo will be aligned with your business name.

Colors

Colors are also a very important tool to consider when brainstorming your photography business name.

As mentioned in our Positioning Strategy Guide, colors have a psychological effect on people.

Reds can capture attention and are often associated with excitement, passion, danger, or energy.

Orange represents creativity, adventure, enthusiasm.

Yellow represents happiness, optimism, and positivity.

Pink often represents love, playfulness, and femininity.

Green represents growth, health, fertility, nature.

Blue represents harmony, peace, calm.

Purple represents royalty, nobility, luxury, wisdom.

White represents innocence, cleanliness, and goodness.

Black represents mystery, power, sophistication.

Grey represents neutrality and balance.

Brown represents comfort, earth, and security.

When thinking about your photography business name, start brainstorming what colors you want associated with your business and slogan and make sure they align with the image you are trying to portray.

Font Styles/Typography

The typeface and font you use on your website, your logo, and on business cards, also plays a factor in the image of your brand.

There are five basic classifications of typefaces: serif, sans serif, script, monospaced, and display.

Each produces a different feeling and image. I recommend checking out this guide on Typography.

If you already have a certain type of typeface or you are planning to have one when you create a website or print out business cards, then your photography business name should be aligned with the typography.

For example, if you are a professional wedding photographer who specializes in light, dreamy edit, which typography would you choose?

There is no wrong answer, but certain fonts and typefaces will better align with your overall brand and the image you are trying to portray — along with what we have previously discussed.

For example, you may not choose to opt for a bold font such as the ones used by Snicker or Monsters Inc. and opt for a thinner font such as Walt Disney’s.

Jingles

The 6th brand identity tool that your photography business name should align with is with your jingle.

Most photographers will not have a jingle but if you decide to expand into video content creation such as Youtube, TikTok, or Instagram, then you may have an intro jingle.

Just like all the other tools discussed, a jingle should match your target audience and fit your company personality.

Granted, creating a jingle is no easy task, especially if you do not come from a music background.

If you do decide to create your own jingle, I’d recommend hiring a local musician or find a freelancer who specializes in creating jingles.

Just remember that your jingle, along with your business name should all align in terms of brand image.

Memorable

Picking a business name that not only aligns with your brand, but is memorable as well is very important.

Best practices to create a memorable business name include ensuring that it is easy to spell, it does not sound like another business name (for example UPS vs. WPS), and that it can use a form of alliteration if possible.

An example of alliteration can be seen with companies such as Coca-Cola, Gorilla Glue, or PayPal. It is when there is a repetition of syllables in a series of words.

If you can have a photography business name that both follows and aligns with your brand identity tools and one that is memorable, then you have found the perfect photography business name.

21 Creative Photography Business Names

Here is a list of some example creative photography business names based on everything we have discussed:

• White Sky Studios
• New View Photos
• Shutter Studios
• Flash Focus Photography
• Honey Lens Pictures
• Photo Factory
• Tracy’s Tilted Tripod
• Frame Me Photos
• Smile Studios
• Photo Focus Photography
• Nature Patch Photos
• Soft Sky Studios
• Dreamy Lens Photography
• Special Moments Studios
• Love Lens Photography
• Honey Headshots
• Fun Family Portraits
• Lovestruck Lens
• In the Moment Studios
• Full Frame Photos
• Light Lens Photography

Final Remarks

I hope you enjoyed this guide on picking a photography business name.

After reading this guide, take action and jot down ideas for your photography business name and make sure that it aligns with your brand identity tools and that it follows best practices of being a memorable name.