We recently connected with Loreal Byers and have shared our conversation below.

Loreal, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I’ve had an obsession with cameras, both gear + the act of documenting, for as long as I can remember. My parents bought me an iZone camera way back when I was just a little girl and it was truly the best thing ever. I remember being eager to snap as many photos as I could think up and watch them turn into the tiniest rectangles right in my hand. This is likely where my love for instant film was rooted. My whole world turned on its axis when I saw my dad proudly wearing one of these little photos I had created on his hardhat for work. I always knew I loved photography, but I didn’t always know I could turn it into my livelihood.

One thing I wish I could have done earlier was believe in myself. I was an A+B student so I always felt pressure to continue on a “scholarly” path. I never thought I could support myself by any creative avenue. This mindset didn’t even change when I started making money from my work. It took a long time for me to give myself permission to identify as a professional photographer.

Some of the skills I look back on and credit for my journey to where I am now are people skills. People are why I am head over heels in love with documenting families + human connection. Knowing how to comfort others in a space they normally feel awkward (in front of cameras) is a trait that’s invaluable in my line of work.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Loreal — a midwest mother, wife, artist, believer, and admirer of family dynamics + the nostalgia that weaves throughout them. As a photographer I offer heirloom packages comprised of a beautiful blend of digital and film photography mediums. I find that by tapping into both types of documenting, I’m able to offer a distinctive end result that families are able to cherish for a lifetime along with future generations to come. I’ve more recently started to provide video coverage exclusively in the form of Super 8 film videos. It has deepened the experience for my clients who’ve added it to their heirloom packages.

As parents, especially mothers, it’s so easy to take the initiative of documenting your own family; which often times leads to a lack of your existence in those tangible memories. One of my biggest goals is to help combat that by getting mothers in front of my lens to show all the quiet hard work they’re carrying out on a daily basis. Mothers weave so many of our stories so I find it imperative that they’re at the core when I’m helping capture what family means to each household I have the pleasure of working with.

So many of my clients turn to friends and I think that has everything to do with how motherhood binds you in a way you never knew was possible. This only amplifies my love for what I get to do!

Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?

I’ve found my biggest strength in growing my social media audience is to show up and be genuine. Showing up is the hard part, because let’s face it, social media can be draining. But being genuine comes easy. I love following other local mothers in my area and women artists. Connecting with these people has served me in ways even outside of bringing business my way. I’ve felt seen as a mother, I’ve been encouraged, I’ve learned lessons from women further along in their parenthood, and I’ve been able to offer some of these same things in return. Social media can be a true gift when we give ourselves permission to not place enormous amounts of pressure around it. When you focus on people instead of numbers somehow the tally organically rises.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

I feel like I’ve always been a hoarder of memories. When I was a teenager I would write down all the minute details of my days in hopes that I’d never forget them, I’d take a hundred photos during anything that felt like an adventure with my friends, and I’d even take dozens of photos when nothing particularly exciting was unfolding. So now, I’d say I feel it’s rewarding to be creating and capturing something that will only grow in value as time passes. These photographs I get to take will freeze these fleeting moments in time for families to look back on and relive over and over again. Children will grow into adults and these heirlooms will be passed into their hands; they’ll get to see the love that was poured over them.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://heartstringheirlooms.com
• Instagram: @heartstringheirlooms