Hi - I am in need of a name for a new photographic project I am
starting up. I am an amateur photographer who occasionally is
contracted for paid work - mainly one-off events - and I am looking to
build on this. My first stage is to set up some web space dedicated to
current and future digital photography for prospective and existing
clients to view a selection of work. My work has no real common thread
at the moment so I need a name for this venture that is suitably
generic and accomodating of changes in direction, but with a personal
and quirky feel. Two directions I was thinking of heading are: 1)
synonyms of words like 'image' 'lens', 'optic', 'digital', 'pixel'
etc; and 2) non-related words which in conjunction will give fun
and/or abstruse meanings. In the creative industry there are a lot of
organisations with names utterly unrelated to the core business (i.e.
Tomato and Blue Frog as examples of design companies), and I am open
to these kinds of suggestions.

Ideally then, something creative, flexible (as I'm a graphic designer,
the venture may well expand to incoporate some digital ilustration and
the like) but also professional and not off-putting to potential
corporate clients.

All suggestions welcome, but cheesey puns (i.e. 'Excel-lens.com') to
be avoided! I hope this makes sense....

Thanks!

---

Clarification of Question by hungry_ghost-ga on 01 May 2004 12:16 PDT

Hmmm...I can see that voila-ga has interpreted this creative brief
openly! I am most intrigued by your suggestions and think you are
heading in strange but potentially fruitful directions. In particular,
I like the lateral thinking around related but abstract concepts like
'lunas' (lumos might be a good one?). I also like the move towards
more 'hidden' operations and paraphernalia of film cameras, like the
reference to film speed (DX Squared) and lens geometry (fish eye).
Looking forward to hearing more along similar threads!

---

Clarification of Question by hungry_ghost-ga on 25 May 2004 12:45 PDT

Ah yes, the question, always the question. Forgive my absence. I
should really wrap this up voila, lest you go careering beyond the
realms of normal consciousness and forget the journey home. I could
not have expected such a wealth of research and effort ? highly
impressive and I thank you for your considerable input of time and
thought. Please post this as an official answer.

>>lest you go careering beyond the realms of normal consciousness<<

Oops, too late.  I'm afraid I left those realms years ago.  Now I only
return for snacks.

But the "come back, HG!" line was an invitation to use the service
again for *another* question, not accept this unhinged,
free-associatin' tilt-a-whirl of an answer.  I assure you, GA has many
very professional researchers with their 'focus' visors permanently
attached.   Me, I like the vast expanse "Home on the Range" projects
that I can sink my obsessively sharp fangs into.  I rarely go out in
public with anyone without an adult harness and a cattle prod.

But, sure, I'll take your money.  You'd think me *completely* deranged
if I didn't.  During the process, I'm afraid I took your question more
into my own personal cornfields of interest than yours, so here are a
few more relevant suggestions:

Hot Shoe Media   {hot shoe = a clip on the top of the camera that
attaches a flash unit and provides an electrical link to synchronize
the flash with the camera shutter.}

GIrDA, Inc.  {G for graphic + IrDA} 

TTL, Etc.  {TTL = thru-the-lens process + etc. = directionally
ambiguous/encompassing}

Photolemy's Jib {if Ptolemy were a photographer; a little known second
verse to the Bobby Darrin/Tim Hardin classic + jib = front/front
rank/pioneer}

Plumb Line Pictures  {plumb line = a line regarded as directed exactly
toward the earth's center of gravity}

Photolastic Images {incorporates "digital elasticity" along with "lasting image"}

Tiltfire Engine {from "pan and tilt" + shoot = fire}

So that's my last gasp of inspiration for you, HG.  I'll be moseying
down the virtual road now.  Come back and see us, okay?  Best of luck
on your photographic journey.

Bending the language for over four decades and counting,
V

p.s.  additional logocrutchatorium used for this 'answer': http://www.glossarist.com

consider some of these names :

digidays
digital-scope
lenscope
lenspeak
lensview
 these are just some off the mouth names.....

I will think of some more based on what you said and will try my best
to get back to you with them...

I sometimes take mental vacations to the Abstrusian Pensinula, so here
are a few options to kick around:

Ice Blue Montoya
Violet Images
Barbolith
EPTASDI (Every Picture Tells a Story, Don't It)
Cinco Lunas
Soylent Shutters
Diorama Pixels
Fish Eye Film
DiSnoot
Room 808
Depth of Crocus
Golden Mean
DX Squared
Vertical Peaches

Best,
V

Hi hungry_ghost,

After a really hard week, I can't be responsible for the strange
pictures that come flying out of my cranium.  But you opened that
"Barn Door" creativity option.   I just accepted the invitation.  ;-)

Since this seems to be  your first question on GA, I'm going out on a
limb to say that most researchers have fairly given up on these types
of questions.  I would say that probably only a handful have actually
been paid for their answers which sometimes may involve a considerable
time investment.   I do it if I feel like it but I'm feeling the urge
less and less.  But your questioning style had a sense of humor so I
couldn't resist.

I think most people believe these types of questions are easy.  They
aren't.  If you have no prior knowledge of the business, you must get
up to speed with the terminology to embark on a relevent naming
strategy.   I used this site for yours.
http://photographytips.com/page.cfm/1589

Then you must check the name you've created against an existing
domain.   For every name created, there are at least 15 you must
discard since they're duplicates.
http://www.networksolutions.com

Then you usually drag out the unabridged and thesaurus to wrangle some
synonomous angle.  Believe me, I've done this enough that I'm familiar
with the terrain.
http://humanities.uchicago.edu/orgs/ARTFL/forms_unrest/ROGET.html

Further confounding this problem is that we cannot meet with the
client which is key in developing a suitable business name.   Who are
you?   Are you a suit or an INFP?   HG, you're one of the few clients
who has given us any feedback and this is vital exchange between
customer and researcher.  Without this, our imaginations race around
like mice on crack.   Do you like this? ... or this?

But you're crafting something here and you're crafting it *live.*  We
cannot operate in a vacuum.  We desparately need your input "more of
this" ... "less of that" "less cheese" "more aroma"... something!   I
assure you all the researchers want to please our clients and are
willing to work with them within reason and the fee specified.   Do
not worry about offending anyone.  We're just doing a job, albeit in a
very public arena.

HG, I don't mean to go all Ving Rhames on you but if you don't see a
tons of response to your question, this is the probably the reason.  
We may not come up with the *perfect* name, but there's much talent to
be had here at GA.   Many of the small business aren't established
enough to employ a branding company, so many of them knock on our
door.  However,  no one's coming to the door anymore because
researchers do not like to work for free.  I hope people understand
that we, too, are small businesses.
 
Here's a novel approach to the naming conundrum.  
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=205998

Igor International:
http://www.igorinternational.com/how-to-name.html

You might also try running your question through the WordBoard here.  
It seems these folks *do* work for free.
http://www.wordlab.com

Check here for a similar question:
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=328591

I hope you'll keep your question open for the full 30 days.  And if
you have any ideas how these questions could be more equitably
addressed, we'd appreciate your input.  I would hate to see a client's
question languish because of others' bad behavior.

Gotta go watch the Derby,
V

Here's your wrap-up, HG.  I always like to finish things I've already
stuck a toe in.   As often as possible, I've tried to let you in on my
thought patterns but doctors have been trying to crack that particular
code for years.   GA is a sideline to me so I only work questions on
my coffee and lunch breaks, which is why most of my 'answers' are a
disjointed mish-mash caught on the fly.


=================
INVENTED WORDS
=================

Cordiata

Photelia (photo + 'telia' -- Greek derivative of 'teleios' meaning
'complete' in various applications of labor, growth, mental and moral
character)

Resophoria (going for a resolution 'high' with this one)

Osiren (I pictured a siren's lure beckoning a subject in front of the
"O" of the camera lens)

Supralia

Imagestalt  (going for the 'whole image being the sum of its parts')

Diapertures

Mutiles (went with 'utile' -- being of use or service -- but
creatively mutated for originality)

KwaziPhoto (the quasi/quazi- variants were reserved; however, this
spelling might signal you specialize in Kwanzaa celebrations)

Sfumatica (I've also liked the exotic sound of 'sfumato' but it also
reminds me of 'sphincter' which is a dark, smudgy aperture of another
sort entirely.  Your call.)

Tibiyabo ('tibi dabo' is Latin for 'to you, I give,' so I futzed with
the spelling to find an interesting-sounding word.  'Mont Tibidabo'
surfaced in an internet piece I read recently on Antonio Gaudi.)

================
SIGNAGE
================

Le Studio Soigne ('soigne' -- showing sophisticated elegance -- might
be a tad 'swell' sounding but I liked it well enough to include it.)

Rexano Photos ('rexana' Latin for 'royal grace.')

Critical IPix (I like the IPix together but it's a copyrighted
trademark; 'Critical I' is taken, of course)

Gilles Hombre Studio (just liked the rakish-dapperish sound of the name)

Vapor Velli (see below)

Marigallo Productions (from the Antonio Gaudi piece mentioned earlier;
tinkered with a word spelling from the article)

Third I Photography

ArcFox Images (Based on the Arctic Fox legend in "Seven Words for
Wind: Essays and Field Notes from Alaska's Pribilof Islands by Sumner
MacLeish)

Peace Call Photos ('Peace Call' is a Woody Guthrie tune from the 1950s)

Nalanda Studios (You'd have to check further if you're keen on this
name as the Nalanda Digital Library may frown)

Ubiquity Falls (from the 'camera is everywhere' line + a dash of David Lynch)

========================
EVOCATIVE/EXPERIMENTAL
========================

The Kiowah Bacon Eaters (?)

Thin Place Traveler  (In Celtic spirituality certain locations are
called 'thin places'.   It's a division between heaven and earth that
is said to be at its narrowest.)

Moroccan Sunflowers (random visual in my moviola head)

The Zesty Owl  (a misnomeric fast food item on a KFC marquee: "Try our
new zesty owl."  I thought it was a hoot.)


========================
PHOTOGRAPHER'S PERSONA*
========================

Hurte Foray
Lux Benders
Smuggly Dithers
Violette du Lac
RedBud Vivace
Fondo von Beeni
Rayleigh Blikkenfang
Dodd@Midnight

*From your question I couldn't detect your gender so I included both
and a few with a unisex bent.  'Lux' and 'Rayleigh' have some
photographic relationship, but the others were names compounded from
my email inbox.


Personal Favorite:  Vapor Velli.

'Velli' is a Latin derivative from 'vello' meaning "to pull or pluck
out" which is synonymous with what you do -- pluck an image from Vapor
City and solidify it, a single moment captured in time, never to be
repeated.  I also thought the two "Vs" would morph into an aesthetic
logo for business cards, et al. -- one V upside down over the other,
or in some winged chevron arrangement.   Or in a reclining V
thunderbolt pattern.  V's are quite utilitarian.  ;-)  It also relates
to the many uses of  'vellum' in photography or 'vellum prints.' 
However, if  you're a confirmed anti-alliterationist, this name will
obviously make your teeth itch.

In case you're interested, I've assembled a bit of the GA hits and
misses with our 'name/create a slogan for our business' questions.  If
not for you, it may be of interest to a passer-by.  I was surprised to
find a somewhat even distribution in our success : failure rate with
these questions.  These days you'll find an occasional researcher
who's okay playing the odds on these types of questions, but until the
researcher's bank is covered as well as the customer's, we're staying
away from these questions in droves.   It's a pity because we all
enjoy them.  And no one is invested in who 'wins' the 'name game
decision'; only that *someone* is paid for the *best* names.


Rated/Tipped/Unrated 
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=159692
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=123740
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=147143
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=112209
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=200979
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=188133
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=181455
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=189181
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=184527
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=180831
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=25190
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=180881
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=205998
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=32354
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=181508
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=181804

Went South/Going or Went Nowhere/Refunds/System Scammers
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=187903
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=180597
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=199525
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=172162
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=192891
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=180955
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=331088
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=143125
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=176418
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=57373
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=165110
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=299720
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=293774
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=328591
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=342639

Researcher-Directed Questions
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=209002
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=206000
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=209013
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=209004
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=209014
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=205999
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=209002
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=209012
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=209015
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=206001

A quote share for both customers and researchers:

"Henry James's nephew, the son of William James, once asked the great
and thoughtful novelist what he ought to do with his life, how he
ought to live it. The nephew received this advice: "Three things in
human life are important. The first is to be kind. The second is to be
kind. And the third is to be kind." The issue here is the hortatory
verb, 'be' as well as the adjective -- the insistence that one find an
existence that enables one to be kind. How to do so? By wading in,
over and over, with that purpose in mind, with a willingness to sail
on, tacking and tacking again, helped by those we aim to help, guided
by our moral yearnings on behalf of others, on behalf of ourselves
with others: a commitment to others, to oneself as linked to others,
that won't avoid the squalls and periods of seeming drift, but that
will become the heart of the journey itself, with its ups and downs, a
journey that is after all, the destination -- moral commitment given
the life of moral companionship."

--Robert Coles, The Moral Intelligence of Children (by way of CSI
forensics guru Gil Grissom) ;-)

Very best wishes for developing an empty mirror but a very fruitful lens,
http://hjem.get2net.dk/civet-cat/poetry-stories/empty-mirror.htm
V (queen of quirk)

Resources:

Strong's Dictionary
http://www.jcsm.org/StudyCenter/kjvstrongs/STRINDEX.htm

Cassell's Latin Dictionary (offline)

Random House Unabridged Dictionary (offline)

Search words on Google "steal your soul"

Previous research on the Nalanda Monastery and "thin places" origin

"Peace Call" lead from an Eliza Gilkyson cover

Internet piece on architect, Antonio Gaudi (link purged from my history, sorry)

'Soigne' popped up on GuruNet's Word of the Day
http://www.gurunet.com

Several of my previous suggestions have popped up as works titles
here, so I guess it could be a source of inspiration if none of these
grab you:
http://www.deviantart.com

Checked possibles through Google and Network Solutions

Remainder:  Art classes, life experience, jobs that allow me to picnic
with words constantly, imagination

{out}

How about Pixel Mixographic

Wow, I'm impressed by Voila's volunteer work!!!  Excellent!

How about - 

Shutterflash

ragingacademic

Well, gee thanks, RA.  I seem to be carving out a niche for my
*volunteer* work and my Marcellus Wallace impressions that scare our
customers away.  Come back, HG!

I had a feeling this batch of contenders might get me vetted by an ad
agency or I'd snag an invitation from the Grand Poobah of the Psychos
on Parade Organizing Committee.  Looks to be the latter.  Still, I
can't resist a questioner who rings that "permission to go creatively
nuts, private" bell.  I'll rethink it in the future though since these
adventures are far too time consuming.

Looking over these questions, I suppose everyone will have to
determine if GA is the right venue for these types of questions.  At
best, I think customers can only count on us for inspiration and pay
us for the *best* inspiration or the *closest* acceptable name.  Very
seldom have we nailed it dead-on and have these customers actually
used those suggestions?   Dunno and I'm too tapped out on this
research to go looking.  But this exercise wasn't a total write-off. 
I found a shiny new thesaurus link:  http://www.yourthesaurus.net
So yea!

Last few entries:

Furimago  {invented word}  "Furor scribendi" translates to the "rage
to write" so I thought "furor imago" might be the "rage to photograph"
so I just smooshed the letters a bit.

Lensoptica (or Lenzoptica)

Kenespo (or Kenespial)  {incorporated "ken":  perception;
understanding; range of vision, view, sight + a shortened form of
"espial": The act of watching or observing; observation; a taking
notice of something; a discovery}

Photobonobo {named for Frans Lanting's photographic contributions in
Frans de Waal's "Bonobo:  The Forgotten Ape."
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0520216512/qid=1085491749/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/103-0798968-7139801
http://songweaver.com/info/bonobos.html

Shabazaba {connotes a gradute of the Louis Armstrong's School of Photography}

Additional Alter Ego Monikers:

Wiley Orbs {m}
Drella MacGuffin {f}
The Big Yawper {u}

Furor imbecilio,
V

p.s.  a few more Qs that fall into that 'miss' category:

http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=315548
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=308631
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=225970
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=222773
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=218695
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=194338
http://answers.google.com/answers/threadview?id=58703

{over and out}