From mood and motivation to meditation and mindfulness: the letter 'M' stands for many different aspects of photography. To mark the 70th anniversary of the legendary Leica M System, we invited photographers worldwide to showcase what 'M' means to them. The M is M: What’s Your M Moment? competition drew fantastic entries from across the globe, each interpreting the essence of Leica’s commitment to quality and innovation in the world of photography, in their very own way.

Among the countless submissions, Megan Doherty's work stood out for its distinctive visual poetry and cinematic quality: the Northern Irish photographer has a unique ability to find extraordinary beauty in ordinary moments. Now, with her prize – a Leica M11-P – she stands at an exciting crossroads as she transitions from analogue to digital photography. This shift promises to open up new creative possibilities while maintaining the intimate and cinematic quality that defines her work. In this interview, she discusses her artistic approach, her influences, and shares her vision for two ambitious upcoming projects with her new Leica camera.

Leica: What initially drew you to photography as a medium for storytelling?

Megan Doherty: Photography allowed me to project the world in my head onto the landscape before me. I was able to bring daydreams and threads of narratives to life by recreating my visions and capturing them within a still frame. Photography essentially became my tool for escape.

Leica: Could you tell us about your typical shooting process? How do you approach a scene or subject when creating your images?

Megan Doherty: When shooting personal work, I’ll typically come up with an idea and create a mood-board that I can share with the model or models, in order to communicate the vision. Once on location, I’ll direct the subject to best capture the initial idea. However, the shooting process is in principle very much collaborative, and I like to give my subjects the freedom to follow their own instincts and experiment within the space. I feel this allows the photographs to move beyond staged and become authentic and documented images.

Leica: Your photographs have a distinctly cinematic quality. Which photographers or film-makers have influenced your work?

Megan Doherty: Nan Goldin, Corinne Day, Wong Kar-wai, Sofia Coppola, Sean Baker, Wim Wenders – just to name a few.

Leica: Could you share your thoughts on focal length preferences and how they shape your narrative style?

Megan Doherty: I tend to shoot with a 50mm lens as it feels more intimate. I naturally move closer to the subject, as it’s a tighter frame and it also creates a beautiful, shallow depth of field.

Leica: Your work explores themes of isolation and unity, and the search for the beauty in the mundane. How do you see these themes developing in your future projects?

Megan Doherty: I’ll continue to seek out quiet and pensive moments in my work, as well as chaotic and playful ones, where each feel poetic and reflect the human experience. I feel I’ll continue to use photography to romanticise both the joyful and melancholy moments in life, as well as everything in between.

Leica: You won a Leica M11-P in the M is M photo competition. What projects will you be tackling with the camera in the future?

Megan Doherty: I’m about to undergo shooting a new series that focuses on the creatives in my home town, Derry. I’ll be documenting a wide range of people (musicians, writers, artists), however I’ll be doing so in their own environments – be it their homes, backstage at a show, a night out, etc. The aim is to show these characters in a real and authentic light, and capture images full of personality and intimacy.

I’ve also been working on a self-portrait project in my free time – I play a fictional character with a fabricated backstory, which is visually communicated through a mix of photography, text and mixed media, and I’m looking forward to using the M11-P to shoot this series.

Leica: How do you think the transition from analogue to digital photography might influence your work and creative approach?

Megan Doherty: Shooting on film forces you to slow down and anticipate certain moments, whereas shooting digital will allow the freedom to capture endless spur-of-the-moment situations, thus allowing for a larger body of work to choose from when it comes to editing. I believe the images will feel more documented than staged due to the snapshot nature of shooting digital.