Each month, we shine the spotlight on Bride Club ME vendor club members, allowing you, our reader, to get up close and personal with some of the best wedding vendors in town. Here, you can learn more about the people behind some of the businesses you may be using to make your wedding the day you’ve always dreamed of!

This week, we have the privilege of showcasing Azizah Crane of Azizah Crane Photography, a wedding photographer with a very unique style. Read on as we interview Azizah to discover more about her story and her distinctive style.

Enjoy! …

♡ How long has Azizah Crane Photography been established and what exactly do you do?

Azizah Crane Photography was born in 2014. I started by doing maternity, newborns and family photography, and I really enjoyed that journey. But, I wanted something more. I didn’t really know then what was ‘more’ meant, I just knew I was looking for more in my photography career. I then moved to just concentrating on portraits and boudoir, and that was fun.

In 2016, my mentor/trainer brought me in to 2nd shoot a wedding he was shooting. Now THAT was exhilarating! I loved the atmosphere on the day/s, the dresses, the colours, the emotions when everyone came together in the name of love, the décor and the energy that was bouncing off everyone bought me so much joy! Don’t get me wrong, I was on my feet for hours! I was climbing on chairs, I was on the floor and in the middle of the dance floor. So it was really tiring, but utterly worth it. So that was where my love of wedding photography started. 

♡ What inspired you to set up the business?

I was already the photographer of the family. My husband, Dave Crane, bumped into someone who ran a photography group and he pushed me to attend this course on learning how to use a camera properly. I attended the course and started shooting on MANUAL mode as I already had the DSLR but I was shooting all our family photos on AUTO mode only. HAHA!

♡ What do you love most about running your business?

I love the fact that I can work anytime, anywhere. I am a mother of a beautiful nearly 9 year old and her schedule is far fuller than mine. However, whenever I have a wedding to cover, I ensure that either my husband is home, or I hire a babysitter to mind her, or she goes on a sleepover.

♡ Do you have any exciting projects coming up?

I certainly do. While I love to shoot actual weddings, I have a new project for vendors in the wedding industry. Specially created for them, this project is perfect to showcase vendor’s work behind the scenes when they are in the process of creating that beautiful wedding day.

♡  Describe your unique style and approach to photography…

3 words – Dark, Moody and Emotional.

♡ Out of all of the weddings you’ve photographed, do you have a particular favourite? And if so, why?

Every wedding is different. But I do have one particular favourite where the Bride loved my style. I got to play with light, shadows and lots of emotions.

♡  We understand you photograph a lot of Indian weddings. What is your favourite element of an Indian wedding?

Hmmm…this is a tough question. There’s so many elements and traditions in an Indian wedding, and an Indian wedding itself can have loads of different variations. All of it is so meaningful and so emotional to everyone. So to answer your question, my favourite is the variations of colours they add to each element of the wedding as different colours have their own individual, special meaning.

♡ Tell us about the process you go through with the bride and groom, from the very first consultation to the wedding itself…

I’m still learning the perfect process to be honest…Then again, is there such thing? My basic process is once I receive an enquiry, I send across some important questions for the Bride & Groom to ponder on. This is then followed by a phone call or WhatsApp (as some people prefer that) and then I arrange a face-to-face consultation. Once we shake on the agreement, I send across the contract and invoice (which has been pre-agreed). I then send across a more detailed questionnaire. I always inform the couple I’m available to chat anytime with them in the run up to their big day. 

♡ What advice would you give to couples who are looking for a wedding photographer?

Sadly, nearly everyone I meet doesn’t invest properly in wedding photography, including myself 12 years ago. And I really, regret it. I didn’t realise the importance of each individual shot taken. So, please don’t make the same mistake I did. Put aside a decent budget for your wedding photographer as remember, photos last forever!

Here’s a few top tips:

♡ Check out their style. This is the most important thing. Do you prefer posed images or candid ones, or a mixture? What sort of edit do you like? Bright or dark?

♡ See how your personalties gel when you meet up with him/her before putting down the deposit. It’s really important that you feel comfortable with that one person or two people who will be your shadow on your big day. Do you like someone who’s commanding or someone who blends in? Ask him/her, do you give instructions on how to sit/stand or do you just stand and click?

♡ Read the contract carefully. Don’t be shy to negotiate. Ensure that it’s a win-win for you and your chosen photographer.

♡ Remember that quantity does not equate to quality. Ask yourself, would you like 500 photos of just blah or 300 photos of FABULOUS images?

♡ Do you have a favourite UAE wedding venue?

I’ve not had the opportunity to shoot at every wedding venue in this region. However, I believe it’s up to the photographer to be creative and make full use of any venue for the Bride and Groom’s benefit in order to create the most beautiful images possible. 

♡ What budgets do you cater for?

Medium range.

♡ Lastly, why did you choose to list with www.brideclubme.com?

I love that BCME is a one-stop-shop for all future Brides and Grooms to be. BCME is the pioneer of this brilliant concept. One thing which stands out is that they have created an effective process whereby they allocate which client would suit which vendor in a ‘match-making’ kind of style. Like Tinder, but for clients to vendors! All I have to do now is close the deal.

Thanks, Azizah! For more information about Azizah Crane Photography, click on her Bride Club ME vendor listing, or head straight to his website.