Cardinal Sigitas TamkevičiusLithuanian Cardinal, Former Soviet Prisoner of Conscience & Champion of Religious Freedom

Meet Nicholas La | Winner of Shoot the Cover: Conde Nast Traveler

Name: Meet Nicholas La | Winner of Shoot the Cover: Conde Nast Traveler
Uploaded: 2016-10-25T08:22:46+00:00
Duration: 1 min 51 s
Channel: Cardinal Sigitas Tamkevičius
Description: In this interview excerpt, Nicholas La shares his emotional reaction to winning the Shoot the Cover contest and traveling to Paris for the first time. He…

25 Oct 2016 · 2 min

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1:51

In this interview excerpt, Nicholas La shares his emotional reaction to winning the Shoot the Cover contest and traveling to Paris for the first time. He recounts how his passion for photography began in 2010 after his grandmother’s death, driven by a desire to preserve memories in a childhood surrounded by gang activity and loss. Despite entering many contests without success, the win feels "mind‑blowing" and validates his lifelong commitment to photography. He reflects on the challenges of exploring a major city like Paris, noting that locals can guide him to hidden spots beyond the typical tourist images, allowing him to capture fresh perspectives. Nicholas describes the experience as a fun learning journey and expresses a philosophy of living fully, committing to photography as his chosen path.

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My reaction, oh man, I was kind of felt like I was dreaming. This is my first time in Paris. I got into photography Back in 2010 when my grandmother passed. I was really close to her and I wish I had more moments and like, just more memories of her. And also because I was growing up in like a gang activity type of area and a lot of my friends were getting in trouble, a lot of them were getting killed. So I wanted something to just capture more memories. And the moment that I bought my camera, started taking pictures. I realized like, this is what I wanted to do for the rest of my life. So I kind of stuck with it. I didn't really understand if it was real or not. Just because I entered so many contests in the past and never won anything. It's like to find out that I won something that I really wanted to do, it's pretty mind blowing. I only have a certain amount of days here, and for myself to wander around, I would probably need at least a week or so just to find spots. And because they are from here, they know spots that most tourists don't go to. It cuts the time in half. You see Paris all the time in the photos. It's one of the major cities in the world, so you see the same shots over and over. And being able to come here with fresh eyes enables me to try to get different shots that I haven't seen online. Overall, it's a fun learning experience and a journey that I want to just keep riding until I figure out what I want to do. Only I have one life to live, so why not do it the best you can?