Lynn Zahreddine is a young photographer from Beirut, Lebanon. She moved to Italy to study economics and management for arts, culture and communication at the Bocconi university in Milan.
Lynn says that photography is her passion: she can see the world from her point of view by filtering it through her camera. She discovered the many shapes photography can have and analyzes many genres and nuances.
With her images Lynn presents and discusses very important themes such as activism, but she also has experience in contemporary portrait photography, sports photography and landscapes.
Lynn has always had a passion for photography, she enjoyed taking pictures from her mom’s phone and capturing moments she would always remember. Growing up she realized that she wanted to photograph something that was closely connected to her life such as sport. She had been a swimmer for twelve years but then she had to stop practicing this discipline due to back problems. When Lynn takes pictures of athletes who are swimming in a competition or just training, she feels like she can go back to those years when she was a swimmer. She can enjoy the same feelings and emotions: everything is brought back by her camera.
“Through photography I mainly capture the Lebanon I want”
Lynn is experimenting with another important field of photography that is ACTIVISM photography.
You documented a protest in Lebanon, which is also your home country, what was it about? In your opinion, can photography give voice to a country like Lebanon that is often not mentioned in the news even if it is a very important and culturally rich country?
Activism photography is another thing directly connected to me. The current situation in Lebanon is something that forces people to leave the country. My generation grew up with this kind of problem even if we’re not guilty of anything and even if we don't know and don’t really understand the source of Civil War. It’s something you have to accept without explanation. In November 2019 many young people, who are part of my generation, organized a peace walk in which I took part. We were angry because there are issues that our government doesn’t address such as clean water, electricity or basic rights that people should have. Through photography I mainly capture the Lebanon I want, the Lebanon where there is no sectarianism and where people don’t blindly follow their leaders. Above all, I want to show the united Lebanon of my generation, a country where there is a lot of diversity between older and younger generations. Through my pictures I wanted to show this diversity that we must “promote” to create a united Lebanon.
“It is my voice but also the voice of my generation”
Lynn feels that photography is like her extension, it’s the path towards her but also that it starts from her because it is the way she tries to communicate what she sees but also what she feels.
Do you think that through images you can give voice to a country like yours?
Lebanon is a small country. It can happen that sometimes the news doesn’t reach other countries, so I feel that the photos I took convey not only what I wanted but also what my friends wanted, what people in my age group wanted. It is my voice but also the voice of my generation.
For me it was really important to take part in those protests and of course I always had my camera with me because I recognize the importance of spreading those pictures. I knew those pictures convey a really significant message.
With her camera, Lynn feels complete because she can “convey” things that she can’t express so strongly in words.
“Lebanon is more than a country. It is a message of freedom and an example of pluralism for East and West” -Pope John Paul II
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