PHOTO CONFESSIONAL: Rania Matar
Samira, Jnah, Beirut, Lebanon, 2021
IF YOU WEREn’T A PHOTOGRAPHER, WHAT OTHER PROFESSION WOULD YOU PICK?
Hard to think of myself other than a photographer now. I was trained as an architect and then organically became a photographer, so photography found me and swept me off my feet, but architecture was my first love.
Maya K., Tallet El Khayat, Beirut, Lebanon, 2023
WHAT HAS BEEN THE MOST CRUCIAL DECISION YOU HAVE MADE IN YOUR CAREER’s DEVELOPMENT?
Maybe gradually and organically shifting from architecture to photography. It was a natural transition due to my personal life but also my sense of identity that propelled me to tell my story through my photography.
AT WHAT POINT DID YOU FEEL YOU WERE A PHOTOGRAPHER, AND WHAT MADE YOU THINK THAT WAY?
As I mentioned above, it was gradual. I was a mother of 4, and an architect and I started taking photography workshops to photograph the beautiful fleeting moments of the magical world of my children when they were little. Then September 11 happened, and I felt that I needed to address my sense of identity as an Arab American in the US at that point, especially as the rhetoric of “them vs. us” had become so prevalent here. I started doing work based in Lebanon and in the Middle East to focus on our shared humanity. The work started receiving attention, and I never looked back.
Tara (In the Flowers), Bekaatat Kanaan, Lebanon, 2022
HOW IMPORTANT IS RESEARCH IN YOUR WORK?
My work usually tends to start more instinctually and organically, as it is often autobiographical. It is inspired by my daughters as they are growing up and my role as a mother, but also as a Lebanese/Palestinian/American. It often starts as a response to something happening in my life or in the world and it turns into a project. Research plays a role as the projects develop but is not usually my starting point
IS THERE A PHOTOGRAPHER/ARTIST WHO IS A CONSTANT REFERENCE FOR YOU?
I am inspired by many artists so no one in particular and it often changes with time as my work develops. I love the work of Sally Mann – she inspired me when I was photographing my children. Her images of her family helped me fall in love with photography and the craft. I also love the portraits of Judith Joy Ross and Rineke Dijkstra, among others. I admire Alessandra Sanguinetti’s commitment to follow her young models through the years as they were growing up.
WHAT WOULD YOU NOT WANT TO PHOTOGRAPH?
I would photograph anything that inspires me.
Maryam (the Swing Set), Ramlet Al Bayda, Beirut, Lebanon, 2020
WHAT EQUIPMENT DO YOU USE, AND WHAT IMPORTANCE DO YOU GIVE TO TECHNIQUE?
I only use one camera and one lens. Nothing else. A tripod only when necessary. I like to work intimately with people, and I like to be able to move around so I don’t like to clutter myself with equipment. I use a rangefinder medium format camera (film until recently and now digital) with one lens – the equivalent to a 35mm lens.
WHAT IS THE STARTING POINT OF YOUR CREATIVE PROCESS?
My kids growing up, the situation in my home country (Lebanon), a combination of both. My photography helps me deal with transitions, changes, and sadly tragedies.
Mariam (With the Nails), Kfarkila, Lebanon, 2022
HOW DO YOU DEFINE YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY WITH A # TAG ?
#collaborative #intimate #sharedhumanity
Maya A. (In the Red Pool), Jiyeh, Lebanon, 2024
HOW DO YOU DEAL WITH REJECTION?
Rejection is part of the process. One eventually learns to be thick-skinned – one has to! You give yourself the space to be upset for a bit and then you have to move on.
Alae (and the Rose), Aley, Lebanon, 2024
HOW DO YOU THINK YOU HAVE ACCOMPLISHED SUCH SUCCESS?
I don’t know how one defines success honestly. The goalpost keeps shifting. For me as long as I stay inspired, feel passionate about my work and stay creative, I feel that this is success. If people can relate and respond to the work, it is a huge added bonus.
Chermine, Hamra, Beirut, Lebanon, 2022
HOW DO YOU APPROACH STRANGERS IN YOUR PROJECTS OR TO INCLUDE IN YOUR PROJECTS?
On the street, via Instagram, anywhere really... I put a call on Instagram before my trips to Lebanon. We then schedule a time to chat to discuss the possible collaboration and we go from there. If you approach people with respect, and not take anything for granted, the success rate of a positive response and collaboration increases substantially. And when you make people enjoy the process, they connect you to their friends, etc. And the cycle keeps growing.
Aya (Dancing), Beirut, Lebanon, 2022
(wall art by Nab)
iS IT COMMON FOR YOU TO QUESTION YOURSELF OR YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY?
Of course. All the time!
Aya, Gemmayze, Beirut, Lebanon, 2022
WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO YOU TO BE A WOMAN PHOTOGRAPHER? HOW HAS IT AFFECTED YOUR PROJECTS? AND YOUR APPROACH TO THE ART WORLD/ PHOTO-BOOK WORLD?
As a woman, I have had unique and intimate access to women, and I am interested in women's representation in my work, especially women from the Arab World. I collaborated with them intimately and we built a trust that might not have been as attainable if I were a man.
I feel that it is a good time to be a woman in the art world as more museums and publications are now interested in making up for a previously male-dominated industry and include more female voices. I just curated an exhibition at the Middle East Institute Art Gallery in Washington DC that includes the work of 10 women photographers from The Arab World and Iran.
louder than hearts: women photographers from the arab wolrd and iran
Farah (and Her Burnt Car), Abey, Lebanon, 2019
WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO A NEW PHOTOGRAPHER WHO IS JUST STARTING OUT?
Make work that is personal to you. Stay passionate about your work. Make it because you care and because it means something to you – and not because you think someone else will like it. As Diane Arbus said: “The more specific you are, the more general it'll be.”
I love that. You do something very personal and if you do it well, it will resonate with others.
ABOUT rania matar
Born in Lebanon, Matar moved to the U.S. in 1984. As a Lebanese-born Palestinian/American artist and mother, her cross-cultural background shapes her photography. Matar’s work has been widely exhibited, including at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, LACMA, and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Her pieces are part of major museum collections.
She received awards like the 2018 Guggenheim Fellowship and 2011 Griffin Museum Legacy Award and was a finalist for the 2023 Oskar Barnack Award. Matar has published four books, with an upcoming release in 2026, 50 Years Later: Where Do I Go?
PORTRAIT BY Helena Goessens
