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about Rachel:
Hi! I'm Rachel. I grew up in a Brady Bunch meets Partridge Family household: 3 brothers, 3 sisters and me, all of us passionate about the performing arts. Unconventional is the word that best describes me. I refused to pierce my ears when all my friends were doing it; my husband proposed to me while I was wearing sweatpants; we later eloped to Jamaica. When Millie announced that she was interviewing for MHP company photographers, I drove all of the way from Ohio to Wilmington, NC for the job interview.
I've got lots of energy, I'm spontaneous, and I have a unique way of looking at the world. They're the qualities that make my life a little crazy, but they're the same qualities that make my photography "vibrant, colorful and just right for Millie Holloman Photography" (that's what she says...what a compliment from her!). Oh, and just so you know, my wonderful guitar-playing husband and I are now based in Charlotte, NC. What about you? Ready for spontaneity and surprises? Then check out my blog…
You can also read more about my life goals by clicking here!
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Every year, the amazing staff and volunteers at Freedom House Church put together a FREE week long kids camp for the local community. It's an opportunity for children to learn about God while making friends, playing games, watching skits and singing songs. What a blast! This year's theme was High Seas Expedition and everything centered around water. I was able to attend the kickoff night as well as the finale, and both times I went home soaked!
At the beginning of every evening, all the kids gather in the auditorium. They really went all out this year with the decorations! |
| Some of the skits were serious... |
| ...but most of them were very funny. I wonder who's job it was to clean up all that sun tan lotion afterwards. |
| At the end of every night, there was someone there to present the message of God's love. Pastor Penny took the stage the first night. Throughout the week, there were over 500 decisions for Christ!!! |
| I LOVE it when kids lead worship. |
| Every day after the lesson, the kids would split up with their crew leaders to go to a game, a craft and a snack. Even food time was a time of learning! This pile of yummy treats was more than meets the eye to these kids. The graham crackers were the floor of a jail, the pretzels the bars, the marshmallow Paul. Eating the snack after putting it together was like freeing Paul from the jail. So creative, right? |
| You KNOW the kids loved the eating part! |
| The last night was a carnival of sorts. There were outdoor games, more free food and LOTS of water rides! Parents were invited to come that evening making it a packed house and a great time for families to bond. |
| The games' odds weren't stacked against them like most carnivals. Every kid was a winner! |
| One of the attractions was a dunking booth. The staff and some of the volunteers got dunked over and over again because the line was so long the entire evening! Seeing Pastor Troy get dunked was priceless. |
| Can you say "sugar high"? ;) |
| This is where I got soaked. In order to get the shot, I had to get in. Was it worth it? Absolutely! |
| Did I mention this kids camp was a HUGE event? Freedom House Church doesn't do things half way! |
| A HUGE thank you to all the volunteers and staff at Freedom House Church for offering something amazing like this to the community. You all rock the house! I can't wait for next year. |
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| Every year during the Easter holiday, the amazing staff over at Freedom House Church hosts a free event for the community. This year, they truly outdid themselves! I was blown away when I walked onto the church grounds to find everything from a petting zoo to an Easter egg hunt to a spinning carnival ride! There were kids smiling from ear to ear everywhere I turned. What a fun way to celebrate Easter! |
| They had carnival games at every corner...only every single player won a prize. Love it! |
| You can't have fun in Charlotte without at least SOME reference to Nascar. ;) |
| Possibly the scariest moment of the day. I thought it would be "smart" to get in the inflatable obstacle course to get a better angle, but these kids were having a very serious race! It only took me a few seconds to get the shot and get out the way, but I was clutching onto my camera for dear life the whole time. |
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UNITE Charlotte is an event held yearly with the purpose of bringing together all denominations and believers for a night of prayer and worship. The vision for UNITE is so beautiful. My home church in Charlotte, Freedom House Church was heavily involved in the planning and execution of this city-changing night and I was honored to be asked to photograph it.
Just before the whirlwind started, I gathered up the worship band for a quick group shot. There are so many churches represented in these photos! Our very own Andre Gonzalez and Clint Pugh represented our church. Several local worship leaders came together with a united purpose of leading the worship for what proved to be a powerful night. |
| The people on the right are laughing at me because I laid down on the road. Anything for the shot, right? Right. |
| Just moments before the curtains opened... |
| ...and we're live! Jesse Fisher opened up the night with a powerful prayer. This guy is also an amazing rapper! |
| The theme for the night was "Salvation for our City". This subject is so close to my heart. You can tell it was meaningful to the people who attended as well. |
| Each worship leader was able to lead at least one song during the night. Pastor Andre did an amazing job with one of the songs he wrote. |
| One of my favorite shots from the night. |
| Pastor Troy Maxwell rocked the house with a prayer in between worship sets. |
| One of my favorite things about going through this selection of photos was seeing how genuine everyone's expression was. God's love is real!!! |
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In the last few months, the members of Freedom House Church (my home church in Charlotte NC) have raised $52,000 for two local charities. Crisis Assistance and Urban Outreaches are two ministries that are making a huge difference in the city of Charlotte. I felt so honored to be asked to photograph the big moment when we handed these two outreaches the checks that would in turn change thousands of lives.
When people decide to do things like this, they expect to help people. To change other people's lives. I'm pretty sure that was the heart of the people at Freedom House. What they don't realize, though, is that it usually changes their own lives as well. I was not expecting to feel what I felt when I stepped onto the grounds of Urban Outreaches. I expected to step into a dull office and photograph a person receiving a check. Instead, we toured the grounds. They have a soccer field, a garden with free fruits and veggies for anyone who wants them, and even an artists' studio used as addiction therapy. Seeing all of this made it very real for me. These are real people with real needs. What an honor to be able to help them in this small way. |
| Pastor Troy and Penny Maxwell interviewed some of the staff so that we could show video to the church that next Sunday morning. |
| As you can see, the staff were very passionate about their mission. |
| We didn't tell them how much the checks were for before we handed them over. I LOVE their reactions. |
| This little girl was working in the clothing drive at Crisis Assistance. It was adorable how diligent and focused she was! While looking through my images, I saw this one and thought after looking at this little girl there can be no excuses made for volunteering. If she can do it and IS doing it, how can we make excuses not to? |
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Andre and April Gonzalez are the praise and worship leaders at Freedom House Church (www.freedomhousechurch.org) here in Charlotte NC. They just had a beautiful baby boy on Valentine's Day! His name is Jaxon and he has stolen my heart. I had the honor of taking pictures before and after the delivery. Here are just a few of the images from the delivery room after baby Jaxon arrived. April and Andre, there are many more images to come! I love you guys!
Andre was very emotional throughout the experience. It is such a beautiful thing to see a father SO in love with his family. |
| April's first time holding her beautiful baby boy. April handled things like a pro, by the way. This was her first pregnancy and everyone told her that she would have him late, but she was 2 weeks early. That would throw off the average person, but April is such a strong woman! |
| Baby Jaxon is just chillin while daddy Andre texts everyone on the planet that they just had their baby! Thank goodness for text messages! |
| I just love his little toes! Jaxon was 6 pounds, 10 ounces and both his feet fit in my hand. |
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