Adrienne Raquel’s Childhood Passion Led to Multi-Hyphenate Pursuits

Photographer Adrienne Raquel‘s work is a masterful blend of nostalgia and contemporary aesthetics, and her journey working in the fashion and entertainment industry is just as intriguing. Her passion budded as a child when she always enjoyed the arts and taking pictures of everything, including self-portraits from an Olympus digital camera her parents bought her. That initial interest evolved during her senior year in high school when she was selected as one of 12 students to be accepted into the studio art program at her school. Raquel’s upbringing played a significant role in shaping her artistic vision and she incorporates memories from her upbringing into her work, saying, “my library of visuals is very vast.” After moving to New York City, Raquel interned and worked at publications like XXL, Nylon, Refinery29, and InStyle, later working as a junior producer for a post-production company before becoming an art director for a few beauty brands. There she learned about the intricacies of retouching, lighting, and what makes a good photograph before going freelance, and after shooting names like Doja Cat, Lizzo, and Kelis the leap of faith has paid off. Raquel finds inspiration in legendary photographers and her contemporaries including Guy Bourdin, Nick Knight, Steven Meisel, David LaChapelle, Harley Weir, Renell Medrano, and more.

“I’ve definitely had those imposter moments, but I have to always remind myself, you would never be afforded an opportunity or given a chance if you weren’t ready.”

Characterized by bold colors, playful compositions, and a keen sense of nostalgia, Raquel’s attention to detail is evident especially in her early work focused on glamourized beauty. Color and light carry energetic properties for the artist, making them an essential part of her work. “I love the action of taking photos, but what I love the most is creating these sorts of fantasies with my type of work by the use of color in lighting.” Although Raquel’s career in photography has ranged in success, from covers of albums to magazines, she is not immune to imposter syndrome. However, she recognizes, embraces, and uses doubt to motivate herself to create something better, saying, “I’ve definitely had those imposter moments, but I have to always remind myself, you would never be afforded an opportunity, or given a chance if you weren’t ready.” It’s this mindset that has propelled her to new heights in her career, working with talents and creatives like Precious Lee, Patti Wilson, Gigi Hadid, and leading brands like Elle U.S, V Magazine,GQ Magazine, and YSL Beauty.

As a black woman, Adrienne believes it is her duty to photograph black women in elegant, regal moments that break down existing walls and barriers. In 2021, she held her first-ever exhibit, “Onyx,” for Fotografiska New York. Her inspiration came from her aunt’s birthday celebration at Atlanta strip club, Onyx, paying attention to how dancers maneuvered around the space, commanded attention, and interacted with one another. Raquel said, “the next day, I told my family, when I make it, I want to go back to the club and document it because I found it to be that interesting.” And so she did; the series aimed to showcase dancers’ strength and femininity, juxtaposing preconceived notions about dancers who work at strip clubs. Raquel has since been venturing out into new territories, like capturing more men through her lens like actor Michael B. Jordan for the Rolling Stone March 2023 cover and working with Don Toliver for his Lovesick album. Most recently, she has been creative directing for singer Chloe Bailey, helping ahead of her upcoming album release. Raquel is particularly excited about her transition into film, saying, “I’m eager to venture outside of the photography world and dive a bit more into directing. I think my unique aesthetic and skill at capturing stills would translate well to the world of moving images.” Based on Raquel’s Onyx Fotografiska exhibition, an upcoming book will be available for purchase in April in Europe and the US in May. Describing the feeling of releasing her first body of printed work, Raquel explains, “It’s a tangible artifact of my work, which is so exciting.” Fans of her work can look forward to even more glossy visuals and inspiring projects as she ventures into new mediums.