KIVA Iowa: For Amanda Dee, client connections are everything

The heart and soul of Amanda Dee’s work is her client connections.

“Helping my clients feel comfortable and create their own human connections with loved ones is the most fulfilling for me,” said Dee, 43, who started Amanda Dee Photography Cedar Rapids, 20 years ago.

Her studio is at 329 10th Ave. SE, Unit 127 in the Cherry Building.

Her specialty is doing weddings and portraits. She serves hundreds of clients, mostly in the Corridor area of Cedar Rapids to Iowa City, with many coming back year after year.

“I absolutely love being an entrepreneur, doing my own thing by being my own boss, and the flexibility it gives me including the creative aspect,” said Dee. “I thrive on helping people express themselves in that art form. I help them capture their own connections.”

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Dee has three children, ages 13, 18 and 21.

Dee developed a love for photography at an early age when her father was a photographer in the U.S. Navy and allowed his kids to develop film for him.

In today’s world, when artificial intelligence, cellphones and social media tend to limit in-person connections, Dee’s artistic business focuses on photographing real people and events — outdoors seasonally, and in-studio year-round. She’ll do weddings, family occasions, engagements, and couple sessions, newborns, milestones and seniors.

Dee began doing weddings and family photos part time in 2004 while holding other jobs, and the business kept growing with a steady stream of referrals. When her daughter was born in 2012, she had a husband at home then, allowing her to concentrate on her photography full time. She acquired her first studio at the old Guaranty Bank building downtown. In 2017, she moved into her 1,700-square-foot location at the Cherry Building in New Bo. She’s located on the first floor across from the Iowa Ceramics Center & Glass Studio. She enjoys the big warehouse windows, hardwood floors and exposed brick.

“It’s my dream studio,” Dee said. Family members can also give the gift of a photo session, with the memories lasting a lifetime. The Fall season is the busiest because of a heavy slate of weddings, Christmas cards and other gifts. Dee still has availability because she can work as much as she wants. Dee said the studio work is typically heavier during the winter months.

Last year, Dee applied for and received a $3,500 KIVA microloan to help with rent and to upgrade her computer. The zero fee/zero interest loans are obtained from the NewBoCo for Iowans up to $15,000. Lenders are repaid within three years. Dee had 127 individual and 32 team lenders.

What’s Dee’s greatest joy?

“It’s the connections I experience with clients in bringing out who they are and what they love best,” she said. “I want them to be seen and to be themselves.”