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Eastern Alumni Profile: Rachel Freed

Freed, who owns Hope.Joy.Photography, has a success story that's a lesson in passion.

Photography started out as a hobby for Rachel Freed. It’s turned into a thriving business.

Freed is an Abington High School graduate who also spent time at , a school which allows students to benefit from specialized career programs.

Following her time at the Hussian School of Art, Freed had her sites set on a career in graphic design and only considered her work with the camera as a side course.

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“I was intensely focused on graphic design when I was at Eastern,” Freed said. “Photography never entered my mind. I just used it to supplement the graphic design.”

Today, Freed runs Linked Forever Photography, a photography company offering services for weddings. There is also Hope.Joy.Photography, which produces photos for children and babies.

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It all began when one of Freed’s friends asked her to work for her on her wedding day.

“It happened around the time when I got married,” said Freed. "I would do pictures for friends. I didn’t intensely study photography, but my friend, Meghan Krevolin, asked me to shoot her wedding. I shot her wedding, and I said we should do this and not work in retail.”

Freed and Kevolin turned their idea into a successful business, but it wasn’t long before they added another service to their clients. After Freed had her first child, she decided to add children’s photography to her business.

“I just had so much fun dressing her up and taking pictures, said Freed.  “It was so much fun and I thought I could add this on, too.”

The skills Freed acquired at Eastern have proven valuable in more ways than one. Freed is able to implement her own marketing designs for her company. While it means extra work, Freed enjoys having the creative freedom to put together her own designs.

“It’s nice to not have to go to anybody else,” Freed said. “It’s nice to just be able to sit down and do it myself. Sometimes, it can be hard to relay an idea you have to someone else. When you can do it yourself, it’s so much easier and less stressful.”

Freed learned about Eastern before she was eligible to attend. When she saw how much success one of her family members was enjoying, she jumped at the chance to take classes at Eastern.

“My brother had attended three years before I did,” said Freed. “We would always go to all the . I wanted to go see the art classes. I saw what he got out of it.”

While Freed enjoys shooting the most important days of the lives of her brides and grooms, she understands there is pressure at every wedding she shoots. Unlike other projects, Freed doesn’t get a second chance to get it right.

“It’s gratifying and stressful,” Freed said. “As far as the weddings, it’s gratifying to know you’re such a big part of the day, but you can’t mess it up because their day isn’t going to happen again. I love weddings, and many of the brides and grooms have turned into lifetime clients because they come to us when they have babies.”

Freed’s success story is a lesson in passion. She was able to discover her calling in life and cherishes every day of her work. Freed believes she is one of the lucky ones since she was able to turn her love for photography into a successful career.

“I feel extremely fortunate,” said Freed. “I absolutely knew it was what I meant to do. If you don’t feel like that, you’re not doing the right thing. I absolutely love what I do.”

For more information on Linked Forever Photography, visit the website at www.linkedforeverphotography.com.

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