Talented young Derry photographer has lens set on exciting New York career
A talented young Derry photographer has taken a bite out of the Big Apple after the prestigious New York Magazine spotted her work and asked her to work with them.
Megan Doherty (23), from Culmore, was offered work by the American publication ‘out of the blue’ after her outstanding work was scouted by one of their photo editors, who told her they were ‘big fans’ of her edgy style.
Megan (pictured), who is in her third and final year at the Belfast College of Art studying photography, told how she came to grace the pages of the illustrious New York.
“I was contacted by New York Magazine completely out of the blue,” she said.
“I received an email from one of their photo editors, saying that they were big fans of my work and asked me if I’d be interested in working for them.
“The idea was to document the style of the young people in Derry, so naturally I photographed my friends and the people that surround me.”
New York introduced Megan’s work, saying: ‘Derry, Londonderry: Whatever you call it, this Northern Irish city's younger generation has a distinct neo-'90s style.
“We asked photographer Megan Doherty to shoot a group of Derry artists, musicians, and actors in their natural habitats.
“Hanging out by the train tracks, clowning around by the river, or simply pausing in the midst of a crowd, they showcase a color-saturated update on grunge and rave culture: neon windbreakers, technicolor hair, yellow-orange faux fur.”
Megan, a past pupil of Thornhill College, studied Art Foundation at the North West Regional College for a year before completing a year of Film and English at Queen’s University, Belfast.
It was then she went on to follow her passion and went to the Belfast College of Art. She describes her style as ‘hazy, vibrant and cinematic’.
“I had always been interested in art however was never sure of which direction I wanted to take,” she said.
“I would create scenes and photograph them in order to paint them; however, this was until I realised I enjoyed inventing the scene more so than recreating it on paper.”
Megan said she now hopes to pursue her dreams and her career stateside.
“I’ve plans to move to New York once summer ends to pursue photography further,” she said.
“I’m looking forward to working with a whole new string of people in such a vast city.”
She concluded: “I’m excited for what’s to come.’
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