Rania and Murtaza | Scarborough Bluffs

I am SUPER excited to share this blog! Rania is one of the sweetest people I’ve ever met and is very close to my heart. I just adore and respect her. We have a very special freindship and you can usually find us eating at different restaurants trying various cuisines. I was so honoured to be chosen to photograph her special day. Rania and Murtaza are definitely a match made in Heaven. It was quite obvious that the two of them respect and love each other very much. They travelled through raw nature for this photoshoot and overcame all the obstacles while laughing and looking out for each other.

There was so much laughter and joy between Rania and Murtaza during this shoot. They genuinely enjoy being in each other’s presence. They truly are best friends and soul mates.

The Scarborough Bluffs is my favourite place to photograph. R&M also have some sentimental memories there, so we made a quick decision to do the photoshoot there. I tend to choose locations that my couple’s have a connection with. It makes the photos that much more meaningful.

I led the couple through a pretty intense hike to the sandbank. It came to my surprise that because of the high tide rise, there was no sandbank left. The path came to a sudden halt after all that walking. There was no sandbank to be found. I panicked a little bit because my vision for this photoshoot was now obsolete.

I masked my panic, composed myself and surrendered to the surroundings. The photo shoot was a lot different than my original vision, but I utilised the surroundings, and the juxtaposition of the atmosphere worked very well with their outfits.

This shoot turned into the craziest photography adventure I have ever been on with a couple. I have been through a lot of photography adventures, but to this day, this one tops them all.

After taking a few photos, it started to rain. I happened to have had a clear umbrella with me the whole time. I always carry “just in case” items with me. A lot of my friends laugh at me for this, but this day proved that my items come to use. I covered my camera with my scarf and started taking photos of them under the umbrella. The rain started to downpour. Still, in good spirits, Murtaza ran to the car to bring it closer to us. The rain was turning the ground into very thick mud. Rania was in about 5-inch heels and was getting stuck in the mud as we started to run. She was going to sink or snap and ankle, so I took off my own shoes and put them on her feet. She kept telling me she was ok, but I didn’t want any snapped ankles as she was walking down the aisle so I sacrificed my shoes. I was running barefoot in the mud and rocks while holding her dress in one hand, shoes in and camera and bag in the other.

That was a first for me! Despite all the chaos of not having a sandbank, a downpour of rain and running barefoot in the freezing cold mud and rocks, these images turned out beautifully and I’m super happy about them! I’m so happy to finally share these images!

The ceremony and reception were held at Al Huda Islamic Centre in Scarborough with close friends and family. It was a perfect event decorated with beautiful soft coloured flowers and they were surrounded by smiles and laughter from everyone there. It was an honour to witness this religious celebration. Congratulations Rania and Murtaza!

Rania met up with me about a week later after this phtooshoot and she actually bought me my first pair of rainboots as a gift 🙂 They are purple Hunter boots. That was the most suitable thank you gift I’ve ever received.