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Digitally recording life’s stories
5/12/2010 9:23:49 AM
By Tammy Kimberley
Splash Staff Writer
Profiles:
Randi Brunt
An avid photographer and owner of her own photography business, Randi Brunt has taken thousands upon thousands of pictures of her family. The challenge, though, has always been figuring out what to do with all those photos of everyday moments.
Brunt |
The answer came a few years ago when she moved back to the Spokane area. Brunt began jogging with a new friend and reluctantly accepted an invitation from her to learn about Heritage Makers, a digital scrapbooking company.
Brunt, 32, said she was blown away by how the company combined photos with story, making it a personal endeavor for the client. She soon became a consultant, recommending Heritage Makers to her photography clients as well as hosting a bi-monthly "digi-crop" in Liberty Lake. Advertisement
Whether she's shooting photos of families or viewing the storybooks currently in creation by her clients, Brunt uses her skills to help people capture personal moments and archive the memories for others to enjoy.
The Splash recently spoke with Brunt about how she digitally mixes her photographs with story to record her family moments and how, through Heritage Makers, she is helping others do the same.
Q: What sparked your interest in photography?
A: My mom. She always has a camera around her neck.
Q: What led to you start a photography business?
A: When my youngest child was almost 2, I just felt that it was time for me to do something. Photography was the natural choice for me. I wanted to take classes in college, but you had to be accepted into the program with several art classes under your belt. I can't paint or draw.
Q: Do you have a certain philosophy with which you approach your work?
A: Everyone deserves beautiful photos of themselves with their families, especially moms. I try to sit back and capture relationships and emotions as they are happening rather than having everyone hold still and fake it. I look for honesty and creativity, and I don't believe they are mutually exclusive.
Q: How did you get introduced to Heritage Makers?
A: When I moved back to Spokane, I started jogging with a new friend. I was slow and she was injured. We were a perfect match.
She told me she had a scrapbooking company. I politely said I wasn't interested. Several months later I went over to her home to see what it was she was talking about and I was blown away. Turns out, she, Candace May, was one of the founders of this national company that was rapidly growing, but brand new to Spokane.
Q: How is this different than traditional scrapbooking?
A: Heritage Makers is about story. It is digital scrapbooking, but with the freedom to create any kind of book that you want - as much text as you want or as many photos as you want with over 45,000 pieces of digital art to use, too.
Q: What do you feel are the advantages of digital scrapbooking?
A: It is portable, clean and safe. I can reuse a photo in many projects. The projects are thin, affordable and reproducible. No more multiple trips to the scrapbook store for brads and papers that might never get used. No worries about straight cutting or perfect handwriting.
Q: Why did you decide to become a consultant with Heritage Makers?
A: Initially, it was to get the 20 percent commission back on all my own purchases. Then I slowly started growing it as a business for myself. I earn a 20 percent commission on all sales, as well as bonuses based on performance, rank and my team. I help my clients create their own books, which includes monthly classes, one-on-one sessions, late-night texts and phone calls.
Q: Has your work with Heritage Makers allowed you another creative outlet for your photography talent?
A: Definitely. I spend as much time creating books for my family as I do taking photos of my children. It has given me something to do with my photos, so that my family can actually see them and they are not just sitting in files on my computer. They are my children's favorite books.
Q: What other items does Heritage Makers offer in addition to books?
A: We have all different sizes of storybooks, as well as canvases, calendars, greeting cards, posters, individual scrap pages, swatch books and jewelry.
Q: What is the cost to set up an online account and purchase products?
A: A basic account is free. Create as many projects at a time as you want with one GB of photo storage. You can upgrade to a premier account that is as inexpensive as $8 per month. The products range from $1.59 to $112.
Q: Tell me about the Heritage Makers group that meets in Liberty Lake.
A: We hold monthly classes that usually focus on the special of the month or the upcoming holiday, such as Father's Day. We share ideas with clients and then offer hands-on help on their projects. We offer scanning every time as well, and our scanners scan about 30 photos a minute, which saves our clients time.
Our next classes are on May 18 and 27 and June 9 from 7 to 9 p.m. at 23403 E. Mission Ave. (TierPoint building) on the second floor. These classes are open to anyone and first-timers always get 100 scans for free.
Q: Since digital scrapbooking is something that people can do on their own, what is the purpose of meeting together?
A: We offer the classes in person so that we can find out what stories our clients are working on, be inspired by them and help them with any questions they have. It is so much easier to help someone person to person rather than over the phone.
There are so many tools and tricks that Heritage Makers offers that no one else does, so it takes a little training. Plus, people care about their stories and love to show them off.
Q: What are the favorite projects you've completed with Heritage Makers?
A: My favorites are the books and canvases. The books are treasures in our home. My children love to show off their stories. And the canvases print amazingly.
Q: Why would you recommend people give it a try?
A: Everyone has either boxes of photos in closets or folders full of jpegs. But what good are they if they are just sitting there, no one knowing the stories or the people who are in them? I want everyone to create at least one storybook and see how much of a treasure it will become to their family.
Profiles:
Randi Brunt
Age
32
Family
Husband, George; children, Dexter, Lilli, Mercer and Rori
Lived in Liberty Lake
One and a half years
Hobbies and interests
Photography, reading, music, exercising, traveling, finding the perfect chocolate chip cookie
Last concert attended
Band of Horses
Song that gets you dancing
"Starlight" by Muse
States lived in
California, New York, Texas, Utah, Washington
Web sites
www.mphotoforyou.com;
www.rstorybooks.com
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