Thanks a bunch for your comments and critiques on our first wedding shoot
We are now in the process of registering a business because we hear thats a smarter thing to do, considering there could be liability issues etc ..
So after some heavy thinking, we have two favorites:
PhotoSutras.com - Sutra literally means a thread that binds. So I am thinkin of a tag line that will say "tying your memories together" or somethin like that.
PhotoPundits.com - Pandit with an A is an Indian word for a learned one .. And in the West, Pundits, with a U is a word for an expert but usually used in a political context. But they are essentially the same word.
We are an Indian couple and a lot of our work has a very colorful, spiritual kinda undertone to it..
Having said that, my target clients are not South Asians alone.
Also, I am essentially a documentary and music photographer. Shooting weddings are the means to an end. And i wish to keep my other work (www.ashimayadava.com) separate from my wedding work. And hence, the need for a different identity.
I don't recommend either of those. I only recommend straying away from your names if you can come up with something elegant or otherwise wedding appropriate.
These come off a bit cheesy and I fear you'll regret them in the future.
If you feel your work is spiritual, maybe go that route somehow.
There's not going to be any seperating PhotoSutra from Kama Sutra... no matter what you say, that's what people are going to think of. And Pundits... same problem. When it comes to marketing, people get an instantaneous impression that is going to be virtually impossible to change if you have to explain to them what it means somehow. I honestly wouldn't do either of those.
Is there something a little less known, more Indian, more spiritual, more vague, that you can think of?
I would just go with your given names unless there's some glaring reason not to.
I am essentially a documentary and music photographer. Shooting weddings are the means to an end. And i wish to keep my other work (www.ashimayadava.com) separate from my wedding work. And hence, the need for a different identity.
I understand the desire to separate your business, but in terms of the two names you put forward, I think ckhagen hit the nail on the head. For those of us who aren't south Asians you choices are really going to have different meanings to us, and not such great ones.
Totally disagree re using your name. And I think you've come to the same conclusion re: your other photog biz. Theres nothing in http://www.ashimayadava.com/ that says "photographer" yet people hiring you from there know thats what you offer right? Same thing with the wedding world.
First thing I thought of when I saw photosutras was sutra in the buddist teaching sense. Which isn't bad but I'm afraid the lads are right that most americans only connection to the word sutra is those few chapters out of the famous book. Sad but true. If you're only marking to south asian folks then its surely less of a concern.
Hate the word pundit. To me it doesn't confer expert but instead professional opinion-ator.
My apologies guys. I dont mean "not selling my name" in that sense. I meant I really want to separate the rest of my work from wedding photography. Plus, I shoot with my husband so it wont be fair to him either IMO.
Its funny how everyone on FredMiranda has shot these down, but ALL my American/non Indian friends love Photosutra.
Or, just go with Photosutra. That's what you seem to want. If it is, then who cares what we think? I'm not sure it'll work well in the US, but it's what you want.
esp Sutra.