RANIA MATAR on Portraiture, Trust and the Stories We Carry
Camera Shake Photography Podcast
What does it take to make a portrait that reveals more than a face? In episode 335 of the Camera Shake Podcast, Rania
Matar joins Kersten Luts for an in-depth conversation about portraiture, trust, and the people and stories behind her
photographs.
Rania reflects on her journey from architecture to photography, her experiences between Lebanon and the United States,
and why women, identity, memory and belonging have become central to her work. We explore her project and book
Where Do I Go?, and the difficult choices facing people whose sense of home is shaped by displacement and uncertainty.
We discuss the privilege of being invited into another person's life, earning trust, giving portrait subjects a voice, and
protecting the meaning of an image long after it has been made. Rania explains why she sometimes puts the camera
down during a shoot, how her subjects help shape the pictures, and why stepping away from an edit can reveal a
photograph she initially overlooked.
She also shares the moving story of reconnecting with Lynn in 2024, eighteen years after photographing her as a child.
Through this and other remarkable portraits, the conversation explores what changes with time, what a photograph
remembers, and how an artist can find humanity and beauty without losing sight of difficult realities.
Subscribe to Camera Shake for more in-depth conversations about photography, filmmaking and creative life. Explore our
other photographer interviews for inspiration and ideas that will stay with you long after the episode ends.
What stories do you hope your photographs will carry?
#RaniaMatar #PortraitPhotography #PhotographyPodcast #CameraShakePodcast
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THIS WEEK’S LINKS:
CONNECT WITH RANIA MATAR
Website: https://raniamatar.com/
Where Do I Go? book: https://raniamatar.com/books/where-do-i-go/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/raniamatar/
Paris Photo signings (Grand Palais, Paris):
Friday 13 November 2026, 4:30 pm (Paris time) - Galerie Tanit, booth B42
Saturday 14 November 2026, 3:00 pm (Paris time) - KAPH Books, booth L13
Events: https://raniamatar.com/about/talks-workshops/
JOIN THE CAMERA SHAKE COMMUNITY for the latest news and some behind the scenes insights:
https://www.camerashakepodcast.com
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