Self-taught photographer and videographer Abdelaziz Al Safadi, otherwise known as Instagrammer @withazoz, has been a busy guy both travelling and with high-level collabs that have seen him strutting his stuff for Prada. He talks to FACT about how he got started and his journey on the social media platform.

A little bit of background first – how old are you and, if not from Qatar, where are you from? And is photography (IG) your full-time job?
I was born in Doha with Palestinian roots. Creating digital content started off as a hobby and over the last two years has become a part-time job.

When did you first start taking pictures and what inspired you to do so?
I started taking pictures when I was around 12 years old, I have loved photography since I was a kid and I always believe that there’s a beauty in everything. You just need to find the right way to show it.

How did you go about learning the craft and moving into videography?
Technology is amazing, most of what I’ve learned about photography came from watching others shoot, coupled with teaching myself with Youtube videos too.

What led you to setting up WithAzoz? How long has your blog been running and how have you grown your following?
I’ve been working on WithAzoz throughout the last four years, it’s been a beautiful journey and progress with a lot of planning and I’m very happy that now I’m reaching all of my audience locally and internationally.

You’ve had some pretty high-profile collaborations with the likes of Visit Oman and The Ritz-Carlton, Doha. How did these come about? How did you feel about working with such iconic names?
Visit Oman was my most recent project and what an amazing experience it’s been. Working with the RitzCarlton, Doha marketing team was one of the highlights of the season.

And, with Prada, you are on the other side of the camera. Did you ever see yourself in the role of model? How does it feel to be the one in the pictures for a change?
Being selected to be dressed by Prada was really special, it’s something different yet exciting and I’m ready to do more.

Do you have any other big collabs coming up and what else can your followers expect from you in the future?
I will be working on several exciting projects over the next few months and really look forward to sharing them with everyone.
Recently, I was one of the first to be invited and did full coverage of MSC World Europa [the huge cruise ship that is currently operating as a hotel in Qatar for the World Cup]. It was a great opportunity and experience as well, I was surprised by the high level of standards and luxury, and the coverage went viral, all over Doha especially. The reel was super successful and gained so many views and great feedback. ✤