Today we’d like to introduce you to Kate Byars.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In 2009, like so many other people, I was laid off due to the bear market. Although I’d liked my 9-5 desk job, there was something about working for other people that didn’t quite fit. The afternoon of the same morning that my boss called me into his office, I sat down with a pen and notebook. I spent about an hour writing in long format what my ideal day might be. I knew I was being presented with an opportunity to change my life, but I wasn’t quite sure where I was going until the words began to appear on paper. Somehow within that hour, I decided to become a photographer. Since I had always made art and I was often the elementary school kid hawking the homemade to friends (friendship bracelet anyone? hand-bound journal for you, my friend?). This decision was no small news since I had only recently purchased a camera and it had been about ten years since my last attempt at making images for others. Of course, I had had a brief photographic stint in high school, thanks to our school Art Department’s film camera library. I’d discovered that we could check out cameras and buy film and had gained a bit of popularity as a senior portrait photographer. That stint was short-lived, however, and I moved on to college and working life and, for all practical purposes, had forgotten about photography altogether.
Fast forward to 2009, and the potent cocktail of dissatisfaction with working life, a down economy, the blank canvas of unemployment and a very strong cup of coffee and voila! I was suddenly a photographer overnight.
I got to work on reading blogs, watching youTube and trying to teach myself the craft of photography and the practice of business. I created a portfolio of shoots I had done for free and hung out my shingle.
Eventually, I found my niche as a family portrait photographer who specialized in printing, framing and hanging finished work in people’s homes. But, I kept finding that my mom clients repeated the same problem over and over again: they loved my work, but they *also* needed help with all of the other photos hidden in shoeboxes or on USB drives in their homes. I decided to create a solution to this problem and Lo & Behold was born. We are a concierge family photo gallery company that helps busy moms get artwork and photography onto their walls and out of the digital “shoebox” . We also have photographers on staff, including myself, who create beautiful images to complement what our clients already have.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
My path as an entrepreneur has included many challenges. Although I am a hard worker and always put in the time and effort to make my goals happen, I have often had the strange feeling that I seemed to put in double the effort to get the same result as my peers. It wasn’t until 2020 that I discovered that I had an auto-immune disease via the amazing staff at CentreSpring Medicine in Brookhaven. Since learning this, I’ve created a self-care and health plan that has renewed my energy and made work so much easier! I have to say, though, that struggling for years to make my goals happen gave me a great dose of stick-with-it-ness that I am grateful for today!
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Lo & Behold Home?
Lo & Behold is a full service wall gallery and framing studio for busy clients who would love personalized artwork but need a helping hand. Our trusted team of designers helps curate walls that tell stories. We visit your home to get a sense of context and to take reference photos to understand your vision. We cull through your photographs, help you select the best materials to fit your space, and deliver our recommendations to you in our software to let you see finished walls before we even start the project. Our final step is to install everything for you.And, because kids grow fast, our photographers also do beautiful photo sessions with your family each year so you can update your gallery. s.
What do you like and dislike about the city?
I live in Old Fourth Ward and I am really enjoying watching something absolutely new happen in Atlanta: Beltline Culture! When I first moved here in my 20’s, the Beltline was still a dirt path next to a rail track. Today, it’s a thriving microcosm of the best of Atlanta’s restaurants, roller skaters, dog walkers, moms with strollers, acrobatic yoga practitioners, poetry readers, public speakers and popsicle sellers. Having space like this, especially where it’s connected to parks that bring together people of different backgrounds is creating a completely new vibe for Atlanta. It’s made me aware of how few interactive public spaces our city has to offer.
Contact Info:
- Email: kate@loandbeholdhome.com
- Website: https://loandbeholdhome.com/
- Instagram: loandbehold.atl
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/
loandbeholdhome
Image Credits
Aaron Courey Kate Byars
