[jatrax]

I was really trying to attract an upbeat clientele with a sense of humor. I even thought some of the people here might even get a laugh.. Tough crowd..

Good thought and no doubt some people would get it. But a lot of people would not or would misunderstand. Really any name with the word 'cheap' in it automatically sets people's mindset whether they laugh at the cute name or not. There are lots of little 'tells' in business that impact people far more than most would understand. For example using price stickers that are orange or red in color implies the item is on sale or discounted. That's fine if that is your intent but imagine doing that in a high end jewelry store? It confuses people.

I see a lot of successful photographers just use their name as the business name. In this business you are the business so that makes sense. It also eliminates any issues with finding a legal business name. My business name is Zigzag Mountain Art. I chose it over my name because it covers my photography as well as my wife's fiber art and my woodworking business. If I were a portrait or strictly fine art photographer I think just using my name and thus establishing myself as the brand would have made sense.

[Wheatfield]

I was really trying to attract an upbeat clientele with a sense of humor. I even thought some of the people here might even get a laugh.. Tough crowd..

Maybe if you had identified your thread as a parody you might have received a different response.

[rogerstg]

I even thought some of the people here might even get a laugh.. Tough crowd..

I think you need better material. I hope you don't give up your day job to become a comedian.

[SSGGeezer]

I was really trying to attract an upbeat clientele with a sense of humor. I even thought some of the people here might even get a laugh.. Tough crowd..

Yes, this may be a tough crowd, but there are a large number of successful photographers here who don't think that business is a zero sum game and want you to be successful so they are giving honest advice. That is what is different here from the business world, folks here actually give useful advice and want you to succeed rather than failing and making themselves feel better by your failure.

[35mmfilmfan]

In what kind of photography are you considering specialising ? Studio work ? Pets at home (once lockdown is lifted, obviously) ? Portraits ? 'Art' photos for decor ? Wildlife ? Industrial (or other) architecture ? If you intend to cover more than one of these areas, you could try (subject to the other suggestions made by more experienced togs than I) using a different name for each area - after all, a diversity of clients are unlikely to require images of more than one genre, and a name indicating expertise in each field may prove worthwhile.

Just a thought.

[SpecialK]

I took the author's class way back in the 80's. If she uses the phrase, "rehearsed spontaneity" in her revised book, she got that from me...

https://www.amazon.com/Photographers-Guide-Marketing-Self-Promotion/dp/16215...dp_ob_title_bk


.

[officiousbystander]

Looks like a good book. But I think I'll wait for a later edition where she will have to accommodate terms and phrases such as lockdown, social-distancing, self-isolation, quarantine, PPE and travel ban.

[ramseybuckeye]

Hold off on the name and take some classes online on how to start and run a photography business. I am currently enrolled in Sue Bryce Education, and she covers various aspects of running a profitable photography business. Her main focus is teaching photographers how to actually make money with their work. So, besides the nuts and bolts of how to use your camera she covers things like posing (extensively, even hands), studio setup, marketing, sales, SEO for photographers and even self help seminars for photographers who don't value their work so they sell too cheap. You can sign up for a month for only $35, or a year for $299. IMO it is worth way more than that. She also has weekly live sessions right now, and I am looking forward to today's session. And by the way, I don't do Sue Bryce style photography. Comprehensive Portrait Photography Training | Sue Bryce Education

I’m with Joe, Put more effort into running the business than coming up with a catchy name. How will you get customers, how do you figure prices, what kind of output?

[pentaxic]

"So i was thinking about making some money with my photo gear but i need a catchy name for my business. How about "Cheap Shot Photography"? Any thoughts? "


Brilliant Idea ! Although I would buy one of the "Going Concerns " though rather than incubating a "Start UP" . That way for $1.50 you could buy one of the top notch Photo Studios (Name Included) and its business number and immediately apply for the COVID-19 Bail/Out. These times there is a list some where of a Bazzillion Business failures available or pending,
Good Luck

P.S. Front Step Family portraits are a thing (big thing) just need a Fisheye to get all the 6 ft spaced members in.

[universalfocus]

So i was thinking about making some money with my photo gear but i need a catchy name for my business. How about "Cheap Shot Photography"? Any thoughts?

I found it funny. However there are typos already in the name and I dont know if there´s such a large market for shots of sheep.


To give some (hopefully) constructive comment: Have you thought about starting as an employed photographer? It´s often stressful, you can´t always put in a lot of personal style and the payment isn´t that large (well actually it´s on the low end of the scale, as it is an easily accessable skill), but you can do what you love and you can see if you can do it all the day for a longer period of time. Product photography, digitalizing and 3D scanning for a museum or maybe working for a chain of portrait studios in a mall or an a cruise ship could be options.

Starting as an assistant for somebody already in business could be a great opportunity too.

[Alex645]

Have you thought about starting as an employed photographer? ...the payment isn´t that large (well actually it´s on the low end of the scale, as it is an easily accessable skill)

FWIW: One of my best income years was as an employee for a small photography firm. I was paid to shoot headshots for 3-4 sororities at nearly every major university west of the Rockies. The average sorority had about 150 young women and I had to shoot 3-5 quick poses in 5 minutes or less and was compensated $5 per head back in the 80's.

On slow days there were only two sororities and on busy days five. So if on average I shot three times 150 heads = 450 x $5....

The first week was pretty fun and exciting, but it was total formula in the set up, zero creativity, and at a point I began to hate photography more than the money I was making. Imagine shooting 450 portraits in an average day.

All that to say, there are niche markets in photography where an employed photographer doesn't have to worry about the business aspects and can make a lot of money.

[Astro-Baby]

Alex you think thats a rough day.....I had to do product shoots, imagine doing every plumbing component, washers, taps, pipes, valves, enough to fill a catalogue. The next job was a shoe catalogue, style 203 in black, brown, taupe, cream, style 204 in white, patent, red, orange both of them with kitten heels, 2” french heels, 4” french heels, 2” points, 3” points, 4” points and same again with wedge heels, repeat 60 times for all other styles and they wanted them shot on green screen, one natural background, one with a foot in the shoe and all shoes shot from side, three quarter and detail shots. There wasnt a job after the shoes because it was the job that made me quit

I was a “talented” amateur lured in by an easy life and easy money. I thought I was going to get to be like a Time Lifer, exotic travel, thrilling places, war zones, meetimg presidents and kings...what I actually got was drunk driver and fare dodger court appearances and products, dont get me started on weddings and bar mitzvahs I had just enough talent not to end up doing school photography which is quite lucrative but who wants to be photographing 300 stroppy kids a day and dealing with parents telling you that your photo doesnt being out young Tarquin or Jacastas ‘true personality’ for the £5 they are paying for the shot. The only place down from there is photographing Tiffy the spaniel or Doris the prize persian.

Its all money and I dont look down on photogs doing it, I grudgingly admire their perseverance to be truthful but it drove me mad and I ended up hating photography with as much passion (maybe more) than I had for it when I started.

[Alex645]

Alex you think thats a rough day.....I had to do product shoots, imagine doing every plumbing component...
There wasnt a job after the shoes because it was the job that made me quit

I was a “talented” amateur lured in by an easy life and easy money...meeting presidents and kings...what I actually got was drunk driver and fare dodger court appearances and products, dont get me started on weddings and bar mitzvahs

Its all money and I dont look down on photogs doing it, I grudgingly admire their perseverance to be truthful but it drove me mad and I ended up hating photography with as much passion (maybe more) than I had for it when I started.

LMAO. Your post made my day. I did once have a battery catalog to shoot in the late 90's. But you know it isn't worth it when you're compensated quite well at $50 per battery photo and you begin to rethink your life.

One (of many) hats I now wear is yearbook advisor at a high school. I work with one of the few remaining school photographers in this selfie my own portrait world. He deals with 1700+ students and is so good, I only hear about 2-5 complaints per year. But those 2-5 will make a federal case and I am the first one to defend the photographer from the vidiots.

There is a Japanese word, Ikigai, where one finds something that is their passion, their talent, what the world needs, and will pay you to do. Those that have made photography their ikigai must be on Cloud 9. I was on Cloud 5, before I discovered my ikigai teaching photography full time rather than making photography. Now when I shoot, it's only for me and that's bliss.

...
There is a Japanese word, Ikigai, where one finds something that is their passion, their talent, what the world needs, and will pay you to do. Those that have made photography their ikigai must be on Cloud 9. I was on Cloud 5, before I discovered my ikigai teaching photography full time rather than making photography. Now when I shoot, it's only for me and that's bliss.

Reminds me of what I told my kids about college. Quoting a wise man who said, "Where your heart is, there your treasure shall be also.", I told them that they should major in whatever field they loved, since all that really matters with a college degree is the fact of the credentials. A degree proves to The Establishment System Machine that you can put up with the hazing process that college represents, and one's as good as another. But if you really love underwater basketweaving, study that, and though you may not become another Bloomberg or Gates, you will find that there's a market for whatever you do, because if you love it, you'll do it at least as well as anyone else, and someone will want to buy whatever it is you do.

[Kerrowdown]

underwater basketweaving

Is it possible to go on and obtain a PhD in the genre? as it's not something offered here in the Highlands.