In past months I began thinking bigger. Not just thinking bigger, but also dreaming bigger. I began to imagine my photography in its own gallery and in doing so I took a close look at a couple of local photographers that I really admire to learn from them as examples. Both have unique personal names, as well as a business name that defines what you would expect to see in their respective galleries. For Henry Holdsworth, it’s Wild by Nature. For Tom Mangelsen, it’s Images of Nature. Both to the point, and both represent the spectacular nature photography you’ll find in their galleries.
For that reason though, I wanted a smart name that defined my nature photography, but didn’t include the word ‘nature.’ It seemed at this point to almost be a crutch. I took a strong look at my portfolio as well as some animals that I admire: wolves, bears and bison topping the list. I also looked at where I want to be when I am completely sustained by my photography alone: freely roaming the earth, just as one of those animals would if there weren’t limitations put on their respective environments. Thus the name, Free Roaming Photography was born. To my delight, there wasn’t another anywhere to be found on the Internet.
The logo was a tossup between a wolf and a bison. I ultimately decided upon the bison because the simple silhouette portrays strength, resiliency and the struggles and triumphs that the species has gone through, in addition to being much easier to recognize than a wolf.
After announcing it last night, I was given the well-advised point that a unique personal name would have been a much better identity to stick with, as others agreed with him. It’s definitely a great point and even caused me to doubt my decisions for a decent amount of time. However once I had my vision of the future back in my sights, it was clear that the temporary reestablishing of a name was what I felt I needed to do to move forward with my goal of having my own gallery and also having a clear and unique presence on the Internet that went beyond myself.
So, one way or another, I’ve just altered my future course. In creating the new identity and site and then subsequently launching it, it felt like the right decision. As a result, I’m very anxious to see where this all leads!