Livingston Photography and Print Shop - Nephi, UT

123 S. Main Street, Nephi, UT 84648

http://kimoskamera.com

Photo courtesy of Google Maps

Owner Amanda Livingston didn’t start out as a photographer. “I went to school and got my bachelor’s degree in social work,” she says. When her husband’s job relocated the Ephraim, Utah native to Nephi, Utah in 2005, Livingston decided to pursue her beloved hobby. She’d always enjoyed taking photos and enrolled in classes to learn the art of studio lighting. By 2008, she was earning a living as a photographer.

Then, in 2014, a local businessman named Kimo decided to sell off his 30-year-old photography studio and printing shop. Livingston had a “three-week crash course” learning about the business and then took over in January 2015.

On the printing side, the business does everything from graduation announcements to wedding invitations and brochures to posters. “If you need it, we print it,” she says. She uses an off-set printer and water-soluble inks to crank out orders. “I had one staffer that carried over [from Kimo’s] business…but he left to pursue his own career,” Livingston said. So she did some hiring and now has one full-time staffer and three part-timers on board to help when business gets booming. March, April and May are heavy months for printing; graduation and wedding season means printing many personalized mailings.

The photography business keeps her equally busy, especially in the autumn when families come in to get Christmas photos shot. In early October, Livingston noted, “I am booked solid from now until the end of November.”

In this small town of approximately 5,000 residents where, Livingston says, “everyone still knows everyone,” her shop is the place to get printing or photos done. The closest city to offer anything like her service would be Provo, Utah, a 30-minute drive away.

Because Livingston purchased a previously established business, she says she sees a third generation of customers. “Older people come in here and say, ‘I remember when Kimo started,” she says.

Livingston shoots a few wedding every year, but children, families and newborns are her specialty. She also shoots high school senior photos as well. Because the area is a farming town, some of those pictures also include prized steers, horses or family pets with the graduating student.

Working 60 hours a week is tough, but as she notes on her website, “I am a photographer because I love taking pictures and preserving memories. In fact, I get just as excited about your pictures turning out great as you do. My philosophy as a photographer is very simple. I believe that it is your moment, your event, your memory, and it should be captured the way you want it to be. I am the mother of four wonderful and very energetic children. I know how crazy life can get, and I also know that the special moments come and go so fast. I want to be there to help you remember those moments all along the way.”