Lara Paiva, Grade 12 student, won first place in the Festival 2019-20 Brasília Photo Show. She competed in the Neo Prize category for participants under 18 years old.
Brasília Photo Show is an international photography contest for professional and amateur photographers. Photographers compete in twenty different categories, each with a theme and specific guidelines - taking into consideration, for example, what equipment they used (a drone, phone, or digital camera).
In 2018, twelve-thousand people submitted their work. Local and foreign photographers had their photos published and posted on social media generating over twenty-one million views.
With her digital camera in hand, Lara submitted two photos, one called “Vôo” and the other called “Pôr do Sol na Rua” - two distinct yet outstanding moments. The first one is a butterfly taking flight in Brasília’s Jardim Botânico, and the other is a street-view sunset in Ribeirão Preto, São Paulo.
Lara won first place for her photo entitled “Vôo.” She will receive a certificate in recognition of her talent, the official Brasília Photo Show 2019/20 book, and a digital camera or a smartphone with a powerful camera.
Why did you choose these two photos for the contest? What do they mean to you? I chose these two photos because they bring me good memories. The picture of the butterfly evokes tranquility and simplicity, while the picture of the sunset depicts a busy and overcrowded street. Now I realize that, in some ways, they are opposites - one is quite personal and the other throws you in the middle of the action. I also like them a lot because they both make use of my favorite resources in photography: playing with light, creating lens flares, etc.
Do you plan on pursuing a career in photography? Like many teenagers my age, I don't know exactly what I want to do as a career after college. I am very interested in communications, which in some ways involves journalism - which in turn also includes photography. But regardless, I know I'll always have photography as my favorite hobby and my go-to refuge from the stresses of everyday life.
Do you believe studying at School of the Nations helped you in any way earning this achievement? I certainly believe studying at Nations helped me in this achievement. It was my Arts teacher, Ms. Diana Bracarense, who encouraged me to join the contest! She even helped me choose the photos. School of the Nations gives me opportunities to earn volunteer hours photographing some internal events. I think we have a great sense of community, and many of my friends are very supportive of my photography.