Racquel Kamera Boss Photography

By Terry L. Watson Photos Provided by Kamera Boss Photography

Racquel Charles reflects on when she was only a seventh grader. That is around the time when her interest in photography revealed itself. “I can remember taking a disposable camera to school for career day. I wanted to take photos. Almost every year after that, my parents bought me digital cameras, but I didn’t keep up with them, of course. Once I made it to high school, I would take pictures of all my classmates and post them online,” she says.

Racquel’s senior year in high school occurred at Paseo Academy of Fine and Performing Arts in Kansas City. She shares how her friend and artist, Marichelle, introduced her to the art teacher, as they both recognized Racquel’s budding potential. “I started building my portfolio soon after that, just from photos I took on my phone. Shortly after graduating high school, I had my first daughter Kendal, and put photography on the back burner. I decided to try the nursing field and ended up going to college and getting my Medical Assistant and Associates degree. My passion for photography never left, and soon my boyfriend bought my first DSLR Canon Camera as a Christmas present in 2015. I was a little intimidated with using the camera at first but soon got the hang of it,” she shares.

In 2017, Racquel gave birth to her 2nd daughter Kammy. By the time her first birthday arrived, she’d made up her mind that photography would be her career choice, and the rest is history.

She eventually left her job in nursing. This was around the same time the country was dealing with the Covid pandemic in 2020. She set her sights on succeeding in photography but lost a little confidence in herself and soon returned back to work. She jumped into photography with laser-sharp focus and tried some things to make it work this time.

“I worked on scheduling my clients accordingly, so I wouldn’t have to run around all day. I would rent studios for half days to get more clients in one place. I would have at least 3-5 weekly shoots, so I felt I was doing great for myself. In 2022, I began to get bookings out of state and eventually became a traveling photographer and created my website. Everyone loved it,” she says.

Things were improving for Racque. Her website was up, and she had developed a more efficient way to communicate with her clients. Now she needed a studio.

“I had been looking for a studio to move into all of 2022. I was at a point where my clients and myself deserved a place to call home. I only had a little success, as I was even going to settle for a shared space. I gave the studio search one more try before I planned my 30th birthday trip to Jamaica. I said a nice long intentional prayer and went on my search. Amazingly, this time was different, as I got a callback. I got approved for the space. I ended up canceling my 30th birthday trip to Jamaica and celebrated my 30th birthday at my studio. Since then, I have made some changes and additions; This is my dream studio.”

Today, Racquel is the owner and face of Kamera Boss Photography. She offers various shoot options such as maternity, weddings, headshots, family photos, boudoirs, graduation photos, creative photos, and birthday shoots. Her ability to create lifelong memories is what she loves most about being a photographer. “At some point in our lives, photos will be all we have, and I take so much pride in being able to create memories for families,” Racquel shares.

While her talent speaks for itself, Raquel has dealt with confidence issues. “When I’m feeling discouraged like I’m not doing enough, or I’m not where I’m supposed to be, I have to sit back and realize that I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be. I have to remind myself that I’ve come so far from renting studios and having to shoot outside. I am so very proud of myself,” she says.

There have been some ups and downs, yet Racquel says she wouldn’t change much about how things happened. She only points out, “I wish more people would have supported me more in the beginning instead of waiting till now. I needed every challenge that I faced. I needed to go through everything I did to appreciate where I am today.” h

As the future happens for Racquel, her plans are to become a celebrity personal photographer. Until that day, I will continue to offer beautiful photos to people in her city and other states.