Yet another URL help thread! I know...

I know, I know... but I wouldn't waste your time without making it a BIT different.

I am dealing with a situation where not only is my name registered, but my last name + photo and photography are as well. Even my middle name plus my first is registered sadly.

Now, others have dealt with this before... but ALSO there is another photographer out there with my same name who has taken our initials + photo etc, but placed them at co.uk as they are of course based in you guessed it... the UK. He has also registered the .com etc of the same thing smartly.

So my choices are as follows: Whole name including middle and last (18 chars, kinda long), all 3 initials plus photo/photography (would probably compete with the other photographer), or do a custom name which I don't WANT to do... but would if I had no better option. Even using my name plus images or some other name idea would deal with the final:

Now the last part... is that my last name of Norwood is (even beyond photography) registered all over the damn place with other clubs and lines of business (doesn't help that it is more than one country is actually the name of a City).

Thoughts? Opinions? Flames for this being my first post as a new user (would be well understood!)

Thank you for any assistance, I have only recently found this forum as I generally spend time on dpreview but their "pro" section isn't NEARLY as helpful as you all appear to be!

just searched norwoodphotography.co and it's available. It's £30 a year but tbh, £30 isn't that much.

norwoodphotography.org
norwoodphotography.net
norwoodphotography.inf​o
norwoodphotography.uk.​com
norwoodphotography.org​.uk

I'd say there were a few choices. Last name + photography is good, not too long.

norwoodmedia.co.uk is a possibility. Depending if you do anything else other than photography.

Thank you for the quick response!

I apologize if I made it sound like I was in the UK, I am not. The other nice gentleman happens to be there.

Since the .com of Norwoodphotography is taken by another active photo business I wanted to stay away from an alternative like .net etc as for not only searchability but also loss of internet based print sales as I will be focused mainly on web business from the start.

Thank you again for the quick help though!

You could always figure out a name that has nothing to do with your surname. Many people are quite successful without using their surname or photography.

You're in the USA? You haven't said. .com isn't a US domain, it's commercial. Try a country specific domain

http://www.norwoodphot​ography.us/

Yes, good ol (err) USA. Sadly we here in America aren't used to country specific domains like the rest of the sensible world is. Thank you both, if anything it has shown me that I need to be a little more relaxed about my domain standards and at least entertain the possibility of a non.com address over a harder to use or remember name.

A short .us name sounds more sensible than a huge .com. .com is pretty much sold out.