Sharon McMenemy Khan (published as Lorimer)

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I've made the digital front page on three continents as a photojournalist for CNBC and MSN City Guides. Her work is city and event based. She has covered London Fashion Week, Wimbledon and protests.

Photographs from the collection of Sharon McMenemy Khan (professional name: Lorimer).

I enjoy taking photographs. My favourite photographs as an amateur are the streets of Alsace, France (a picture postcard shot) and, a grey-blue shot of the landscape in Skye, a small island off the coast of Scotland, UK.

When I moved to New York in the 90s, my mother bought me a small digital Minolta. The photographs I took of New York were exciting and revealed that I had talent.

I like reflections, and I took this amazing photograph of a store in Soho called Jan de Luz. I printed this picture on canvas, and it has always taken pride of place on every apartment wall we've had.

In London, I started my photojournalism career by shooting Oktoberfest in Munich, Germany. There's a great picture of a Clydesdale dressed in his Bavarian livery. He's looking straight at the camera and emoted his tolerance of my behaviour, but clear not his enjoyment of it. 

I then started shooting businesses and the streets of London for CNBC. I'd walk around the city enjoyed the process of looking at the architecture, and trying to find the angle that created a vibrant and engaging photograph. In this part of my journey, I thought about the audience as a part of the process. Without the audience, what is the photograph? I integrated reflections and wider angles to create depth of meaning and reveal cultural identity in the photographs.
 
I like downtime! You'll see me mosey, and if you don't, I'm stressing.

Events are great, but photographing events takes concentration and focus. Connecting with the surrounding people isn't possible.

Your creativity and your ability to move take precedence over people.

Photography needs speed when you want to capture motion or a moment. 

Constant vigilance determines how good the image is when you photograph sports or street art. The more you photograph, the more it becomes obvious that you need to be in the moment and on to shoot. People don't stay still, moments and events are fleeting, and you can't return and capture the same idea later.

This means you need to be confident in your work and most importantly,  be able to let go and enjoy being with others when you aren't working.

Cameras frame shots; you don't see the world around you in the same way. When you're moving, or the world is moving, you see it frame by frame and click when you see that perfect shot. You can anticipate this if you know what's happening, but sometimes you need to just keep shooting.
 
The best photographs always jump off the page (or your screen). I love to get energy in the shot. This is the hardest part of photographing, but also the most joy inducing. When you capture someone's essence, they beam with joy.
 
It's great to be curious. Every great photographer needs curiosity.

Learning more about the history of the people and places informs your shots with a point of view. When you capture a place, your impressions of its identity can be seen in the photograph. When you capture a city, you feel sympathetic with it and the people who built it.  
 
The independent public art scene adds context to a city. Independent artists choose how and what they express. In the footsteps of one of my favourite street photographers, Bill Cunningham, a New York icon, I enjoy cycling and photographing. I've started shooting small videos while cycling and this has enabled me to capture lots of #streetart. The tunnels and old railway paths in Edinburgh are a vibrant source of commissioned murals and independent street art.

Covering protests in London and Switzerland connects my photography with uprisings and expressions of angst and rage. I like real expression of what people are feeling, and capturing movements and history is humbling and purposeful.

I enjoy the artists in Edinburgh, inspired by masters like Matisse. In our relationship with others, we find the way forward.

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