Name for my Photography business

Not using your own name: makes it easier to sell the business later, or to continue to own it while other people do more of the work and become (to some customers) the face of the business for them. But if you're not using your own name, then the business name should do something to help with positioning and selling the business. Wojo doesn't say or mean anything to most people, though it's at least short and relatively memorable. It's the sort of name you'll have to reguarly spell for people on the phone, though.

Using your own name: keeps that personal artist-customer connection more in the foreground. Says to the customer that it's you, and not some intern you got for minimum wage, that will dictate the way the gig goes.

Hate to say it, but you might want to explore available .com domain names first, and see what can dovetail with you that way. It's such an important part of a business identity at this point that the .com choice can be the tail that wags the dog on this subject.

Not using your own name also leads to legal issues: you will need a business license or similar to get a bank account in that name, many states require the filing and publishing of a "notice of ficticious name", and your taxes become more complicated.

There's nothing wrong with "<your name here> Photography" or "Photography by <your name here" unless someone in your city is already using <your name>.

<Chas>

If you operate under your own name, it makes it easier when it comes to finances. You can just open another checking account for the business, and you don't have to file any DBA papers and have special checking accounts. But you will still have to file sales tax forms and do a Schedule C at the end of the year. Also it helps people remember you if your business is your own name.
On the other hand if you operate under a business name, it will help diferenciate your personal life from your work life. People would be hiring ABC Photography instead of Josh Lewis. Also if you get big enough to hire other photographers, they would still be hiring ABC Photogrphy and not the photogrpher you send. Also if you intend to incorporate the business, you can have a better shot when you use a DBA instead of your own name. Some thoughts on names could be;
Josh Lewis Studios
Lewis Commercial Photography
JL Photo
Just as an example. It's best also to check on domain names. If you plan on building a web presence, matching your domain name to you business name is another way to help people remember you. I personaly operate a commercial photography company but use my own name. I've been doing photography as far as nature and event work for over 20 years, and I just got into promotional photography recently. I have not used a business name just because for me it's easier.

Thats great advice. I already have a fictitous name statement for Wojo Studios, and I've purchased the domain name wojo-studios.com. If I choose Josh Lewis Photography, I can get the name joshlewisphoto.com.

I have considered that wojo studios would make it easier to expand my services or hire other photographers later, and take more of an owner role than and artist, and I like that aspect of it. I definitely consider myself entrepreneurial (whether I can spell it right or not), and I may some day want to have a space that I rent or hire other photographers or even designers.

I wonder if it's asking too much for a client to remember both Wojo Studios, and my name as the photographer?

All excellent advice. I would add that "trendy" names often have a way of becoming a little, well, "odd" as time passes and the trend is over.
Imagine a business called Lorien or some other Elvish name today.

Maybe part of it is asking yourself what name would most appeal to your prospective customers. Would Wojo sound a bit less than businesslike? I'm not taking sides, just suggesting you may want to question how customers would perceive the name. Or, it might not make any difference.

You will have many more options down the road if you don't use your own name. What if your business grows to multiple shooters? Clients will always be asking for Josh Lewis. And yes, if there comes a time to sell, Josh Lewis isn't very marketable without Josh Lewis...-Aimee

I picked a business name based on my last name. It means "blessing," so I picked Blessed Life Photography. Plus it connotates exactly what I want to capture among the families I photograph. I get asked all the time how I selected the name.
I don't think Wojo sounds professional. But I lean towards a company name instead of a personal name because of all the reasons stated above.

The biggetst criticisms I've found of the name Wojo Studios so far is that it's not the most professional sounding name. Considering that, I would say that I'm not a financial consultant, or a medical doctor, I'm a photographer. Shouldn't I sound a little more creative and outside the box. And as a photographer, many of my clients will be designers, who are generally speaking good humored people.

Using the name Wojo Studios, I'd be sure to use a contemporary san-serif typeface, and non-goofy colors. I'd want the visual of the name to say that I'm conpetent and professional, to compensate for the name a bit. Wojo written in squigly orange lines says one thing, but wojo written in blue with studios written in dark brown might say contemporary hi-end photography studio.