What's in a Name?

What is in a name?

Absolutely everything!

Having a name, something to call yourself, a label to attach to your your work; this makes an incredible difference, and one you should not underestimate.

How did I go about settling on a name?

Hit the link and I'll fill you in.

As with most self-taught photographers, most of my initial work centred around acquaintances and work colleagues; promotional work, a baby photo, a kid's birthday party and basically anything you can point a camera at.

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The thing is, it's almost impossible to alter the way you are perceived.

Through all of this time I was "A doctor who likes taking pictures", and that perception is a real killer. It negates the work you've done and the time you've taken to change from a happy snapper to an image maker. And I doubt that we humans are generous enough to believe anyone capable of being good at 2 things when it comes to work.

Hopefully I am now more of a "photographer who happens to be a doctor as well"., but the point I am trying to make is that an image sometimes needs a little reinforcement to seem more real.

I found that this perception altered quite steadily after I settled on a business name and logo (Which was actually some time before I actually registered the business)

Admittedly, I wanted business cards to hand to the people I had done work for, and for prospective clients. (Which looks so much better than a name and number on a post-it note!)

My first step was to settle on a name to trade under.
It is a fairly standard practice amongst photographers to name a business after themselves.
I was against this for a few reasons. Not trading under my name has a few advantages;
It affords me a sense of privacy.
It allows the business to expand should I choose to employ photographers at a later stage.
Most importantly, I don't feel my name has the required ring to it!

So how do you pick a name?
Oddly enough, I was dead keen on Phoenix Photography. The symbolism spoke to me, the alliteration sounded great, and I had a good idea for a logo.

Enter my wife.
(Who is the sounding board for most big decisions in my life.)
As always, her reply was a practical one; "First find out if that name exists in New Zealand"
Turns out it did - back to the drawing board.
Wanted to keep the alliteration going, and liked the idea of fire and flames as part of the design.
Thought of Firebird Photography, but common sense rescued me there!

Enter my wife again, and even more alliteration.
Firefly Photography sounded great.
Even better, no hits for such a business in New Zealand. (Though I would be less lucky in America or Britain!)

Next step, a logo.
Luckily the internet is full of ideas to work from.
After a lot of searching I settled on a few pictures that looked good as a starting point, and downloaded these as thumbnails. I also downloaded some that I hated, as an example of what I DID NOT want.
I then picked out 2 businesses in town who advertised their services as logo designers.

NB
Do yourself a favour and phone ahead for a ball-park estimate.
I don this with any work that I am planning, and I'm glad I do because some fees are horrendously more than I would have guessed.
But I digress

I took these images to both companies and awaited their designs.

Now, I have a rather sizeable bone to pick with Whangarei businesses; the disadvantage of living in a small town is that very often you are forced to make use of a business, as they are the only providers of the service you require.
Mostly this breeds an attitude of "take it or leave it", and the inclination to ensure customer satisfaction is an extinct principle.

Nothing could be further from the truth with the business I ended up supporting, and I think it only fair to acknowledge the level of service I got from them.

Who are they?
Well, they're a local business called "Total Idea Company" http://www.totalidea.co.nz/
John provided me with 6 very professional designs, and we took things from there.
Admittedly, it is quite an awesome feeling to see something like that take shape.

I have since returned for letterheads, and will be ordering another batch of business cards when my website is finalised. (Which is a whole different process entirely)
Knowing that I have nothing to worry about when next I approach them is a very comforting thought.

(Incidentally, company number 2 sent me 2 designs, of which 1 was based on an image I asked to avoid.)

More to follow
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Tiny little steps forward...

I can't believe it's been over a month since I last updated this blog.

Things have been quite busy, and unfortunately my amazing penchant for distraction and procrastination has sabotaged a lot of the good work I had planned on doing.

Regardless, I have learnt to be a little more realistic with my goals, and quickly put to rest the expectation of burning the candle at both ends whilst looking for more candles to light.

What has been achieved in the past month you may ask?

Mostly business setup. Mostly.

From the start I have believed in appearing professional and polished before I 'hang out a shingle"

I really don't believe that there is much to be gained reputation wise if you offer great images but your presentation and business skills are mediocre.

So with that in mind I have been sifting through books on marketing, looking at websites for ideas, and talking to the key players I'll need to get things off the ground.

In the next few weeks I hope to share with you the process I've been following. Perhaps you are in the same boat as I am, perhaps my experience can be of some assistance.

I hope so...

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Genesis...

Welcome to the first post.

In the coming weeks I hope to share with you the journey I am taking to realise a dream that I have been cherishing for the past 2 years; to turn a love of photography and people into a thriving business.

I owe a huge debt of gratitude to everyone who has helped me get to this point. I firmly belive that I would be nowhere if it was not for a few amazing photographers and friends who believe so wholeheartedly in sharing their experience and knowledge.
I am embarking on a journey of my own, and I believe that the experiences to come may benefit other aspiring photographers.
This blog was created to share these experiences, and in some ways keep the free exchange of knowledge going.

I never planned on loving photography. Truth be told I never even had a camera until I was 21, and even then the cost of film and developing meant that I only took the odd happy snap when I felt obliged to.
As far as earning money from a camera, well nothing could have been further from my mind. It was medicine all the way, with hopes of specialising in orthopaedic surgery at some point.
The idea of earning a second income whilst practicing medicine would have been treated as the ludicrous notion it is!

However, fate often has some strange surprises in store for us, and so it was in 2005 when I received a call from a colleague asking if I was interested in flying to Maputo (Mozambique) as Nelson Mandela’s doctor. Who would decline an offer like that?

I had always planned on buying an entry level DSLR, and the prospect of such an amazing trip (and my first foray beyond South Africa’s borders) convinced me to take the plunge and buy a Canon 350D.

And everything just grew from there.

I bided my time in camera clubs, learning from those who were willing to teach, and honing my own skills.

Add a marriage, a sudden move to a country half way around the world and a steady collection of gear, and 3 years later I found myself loving my time behind a camera enough to try and turn the passion into an income.

The question was just, how the hell do you do this?

There were just way too many questions that needed answers, and honestly, I have been spending the better part of the last few months slowly getting things together.

This blog was born out of a need to record the steps I took, both as a reminder to myself and as a source of help and encouragement to others travelling the same road.

Starting a business from scratch, especially with no prior experience, is an arduous task.
If what I have learnt can help someone else, then I will share that knowledge gladly.
I often find myself in a deeply negative frame of mind because of the lack of progress.

Keeping track of what has been achieved (while practicing medicine) has helped keep me aware of the work that has been done.
Abstract, intangible gains are hard to take stock of. Knowing that you’ve actually achieved something is a reward in itself.

So here follows a collection of musings and experiences – the steps I took, questions I got answers to, problems I tackled.

I hope it helps you.

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