HI I'M Akzhana, THE GIRL BEHIND THE LENS

/ak-ZA-nah/, like Roxana, without the R.

I got my first camera in grade 10 and had no idea what I was doing. What I understood immediately was the feeling behind it: that pull toward preserving things before they change. Before the way things feel right now becomes the way things used to be.

I taught myself by photographing everything around me. Somewhere along the way, I stopped thinking about the camera and started paying attention to the people in the frame.

That’s still the part I care about most.

Hi, I am akzhana

inspired by

Film grain and old magazines. The look on someone's face in an airport arrivals hall. Art galleries. Late night conversations that go somewhere real. The 90s. Nature.

I believe photographs are the closest thing we have to a time machine.

They can return us to a room, a voice, the way someone reached for your hand before the ceremony began.

That is what draws me to weddings. While you are living the day, I am watching the edges of it, the people you love, the glances across the room, and the moments you never knew happened. Years from now, I want your gallery to bring you back to the beginning of this chapter.

Slow morning, nowhere to be and my husband and fur babies nearby

Ideal day off:

Salted Chilli Mocha from Routine Coffee. IYKYK

My coffee order:

Stormy Tofino is my happy place

My kind of getaway:

Oliver + the rest of the zoo

My house is run by:

Probably true crime. Crime Junkie fan here. Or MCR

In my headphones:

Training for the Berlin Marathon

I'm currently:

Get to Know Me

LOVE NOTES

/ NEXT

Akzhana made us feel at ease in front of the camera right away and gave us the guidance we needed without making anything feel regimented. We could focus on each other, get caught up in the moment, and have fun.
Our photographs truly represent us. The whole experience felt more like a date night than a photo shoot.

S&A

[Akzhana] was absolutely the perfect presence on the day, directing us when needed while still capturing all of our special candid moments. Our photos look like we're straight out of a fairytale, which is exactly how the day felt.

T&L

Akzhana is fantastic and was a huge help in making my proposal a perfect occasion. She gave ideas for where to do the proposal, sent maps of the areas with good proposal spots circled, and even sent example photos of each of the locations. The plan went perfectly and the pictures we got afterwards were amazing. I can't recommend her enough.

K&M

I FALL IN LOVE WITH EVERY WEDDING I PHOTOGRAPH.

I hope yours is next.

Tell me about the venue you fell in love with, the people at the heart of the day, and the moments you are already imagining. I would love to hear all of it.