I am creating a Facebook page for my photography... and I eventually want it to evolve into a small business.?

[Christian]

Can ANYONE PLEASE help me think of a catchy name that will stick with people? All the super creative names are taken and anything I think of doesn't sound good at all. Please help me name my photography business!

[Christopher]

I don't think this one is taken:
Christian's Crappy Close-up Compositions

(Sorry, that's all I've got.)

[john]

Lots of 'kids' have the same idea...i'm not going to put you off...if it's something that you are interested in doing then that's fair enough, it's creative...it isn't realistic though, the competition within photography is 'massive' and to be honest there isn't a shortage of 'Top Quality Photographers'...the best approach is to learn how to take interesting images, and an evening or weekend class is a good place to start...personally I wouldn't advise anybody to just study photography, nothing wrong with having it as plan B though...I'd also consider joining some photography clubs or camera groups.

[faintcub512]

You didn't say what kind of photography you take? The subject matters a lot, what kind is it? Nature ( Flowers, Trees ) ? People? Landscapes ( Mountains, Lakes etc... ) Nude? Faces?

Take a look at this: http://photography.nationalgeographic.co...galleries/

[Eric Lefebvre]

[your name] photography for various marketing and legal reasons.

[GloomyThoughts]

This is a great question - ignore the doubters and naysayers and follow your dreams Christian. The word "photography" comes from the ancient Greek "photos" (meaning light) and "graphos" (meaning writing or drawing). Originally photography was called "heliography" (from Greek "helios", meaning sun, so "drawing with the sun") - why not revert to that old and fascinating name? In fact, I reckon you'll take excellent photographs, which will be so good that people will think they're like a dream, so don't call it PHOTOgraphy, call it DREAM-ography! Or, if you want to continue the Greek theme, Onirology (using the Greek "oniro", for "dream")

http://wordinfo.info/unit/1476

See: ‘photography’, etymology of in The Oxford Companion to the Photograph

[Steve P]

Here are some links that will point you in the right direction, or at least allow you to get your head around what a "photography business" truly entails. The sad truth is that the great majority of new photography businesses fail, ....quickly and miserably. Simply enjoying taking photos, and even if you are very good at it, in no way means you are prepared to run a SUCCESSFUL business. Anyone can START at least a semblance of a business, but making a PROFIT consistently, staying in business, and staying out of legal trouble are very, very different things.

Calling yourself some kind of "photography business" on Facebook is as far from what a REAL business is as a kid selling lemonade on the sidewalk is from a restauranteur.

Please give serious study and thought to the following links. You would do yourself a huge favor by purchasing and studying the books listed before making the mistakes that thousands of other newcomers to the business world make.

On your name question:
http://www.nynphotoschool.com/articles/b...raphy.html

http://www.free-business-plans.com/artic...-name.html

It is always a good idea to get in contact with a local chapter of SCORE, which is a resource partner of the US Small Business Administration that offers free counseling and resources to people interested in starting or growing a small business. A good way to get the information and advice you need about such things as a business license, tax liability, accounting, business structure, insurance needs, etc.
http://www.score.org/


On MARKETING, which is a major aspect of a successful business:
http://www.cjlewis.com/starting-a-photog...sines.html

Here is the very first book you should invest in. Yes, it is an INVESTMENT. Far better to spend $30 now to avoid huge mistakes that could cost you your livelihood and / or possibly land you in a lawsuit:
http://www.amazon.com/VisionMongers-Maki...ionmongers

Many people don't even realize what their cost of doing business actually is. This will help you to see where your money is going and why you cannot simply pick a number out of the air to charge clients:

https://nppa.org/calculator

Here are various items that can be of use, most importantly the section where you can obtain CONTRACTS and RELEASES:
http://www.behindtheshutter.com/btsstore/

On a more indepth level of legal and specific aspects of a photography business:
http://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Surv...169&sr=8-1

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1435454...PDKIKX0DER

http://www.amazon.com/Fast-Track-Photogr...882&sr=1-1

Good luck.... you ARE going to need it.

steve

[B K]

I'm sorry but all the best photographers don't post their work on Facebook.

Facebook is a social networking site. It's not ideal for sharing quality photos, ok so you might get a few contacts or potential customers, but the horrible things facebook does to uploaded photos won't do you any favours. The main problem is that facebook resizes all images, and adds unacceptable amounts of jpeg compression to photographs. Sure it's fine for sharing pics you took at your kid's birthday party, or grandma & grandpa's 50th wedding anniversary. But for serious stuff, try something else.

Much better to get yourself a proper website, where you can control the quality of the images you upload. Or if that doesn't float you boat, then think about getting an account with a website designed specifically for image sharing, such as Flickr (which is free) http://www.flickr.com

When you have something better fixed up, then think about getting a facebook business page. But don't rely on facebook for your marketing. You need to be able to point people in the direction of your proper site, with all your best work shown to it's full potential.

BTW avoid using catchy names. Use your own name. All serious photographers do.