You must be tired of hearing that images tell stories and are worth a thousand words. But as we can't get enough of the world of photography here, let's close Memórias ao Quadrado , our 1st Photography Contest, with a flourish!

You may have seen a little of Memórias ao Quadrado ECOM's Instagram The competition was designed to awaken and foster the passion of young photographers from the Federal District. One of the initiatives to achieve this goal was the publication of the winning photos in the second edition of ECOM Magazine.

Among a total of 151 photos in honor of our little square, also known as the Federal Capital, four photos were selected as winners by our jury - two from High School and two from Higher Education. In addition, two photos were popular in the popular vote and guaranteed prizes for two more participants.

We had the honor of chatting a little with four winners 🤩 We talked about the experience of participating in Memórias ao Quadrado and each one's relationship with photography. Read the full conversation below: 

Where did your interest in photography come from?

• Ana Clara, 17 years old (1st Place High School): My interest in photography arose when I got my first cell phone and I fell in love with photographing places, nature and moments that I wanted to keep for my life, at that time I went to an exhibition of a photography contest at Park Shopping and I was enchanted by the photos I saw and became even more motivated to take photos.

• Letícia Macedo Barbosa, 18 years old (2nd Place High School): I always liked taking photos because it made me feel good, I decided to buy a simple camera to take better photos and that's where my love for photography only increased.

• Júlia Xavier, 25 years old (1st Place Higher Education): I believe that photography came into my life, in a very natural way. I've always been very passionate about recording, so much so that I have selfies (which weren't even known as that at the time), from when I was around 8 years old. When I was 14, my father gave me a semi-professional camera and I used it to record everyday life, mainly of school and classmates.

• Júlia Zakarewicz, 26 years old (2nd place Higher Education): When I was 15 years old, my aunt and uncle worked as photographers, so I looked up to them and started wanting to study and try photography. Since then, I identify with that song by Adriana Calcanhoto “I see everything framed”

How did you feel when you saw you were one of the winners?

• Ana Clara (1st Place High School): I was shocked and couldn't believe it, I asked my parents to read the email to make sure I hadn't read it wrong. Afterwards I was very happy! This was, without a doubt, one of my greatest achievements to date.

• Letícia Macedo Barbosa (2nd Place High School): I was surprised, very happy and excited, as it was the first time I felt that my work was recognized, it showed me that I am doing the right thing.

• Júlia Xavier (1st Place Higher Education): Extremely moved. Photography has always been included in my life, but, unfortunately, it was never a priority. I always had a lot of doubts about whether or not I should invest in a career. Winning this competition gives me some certainty about this.

• Júlia Zakarewicz (2nd place Higher Education): I was very very very happy!!!

Was it difficult to choose the photo for the contest?

• Ana Clara (1st Place High School): It was kind of difficult, yes! I took a lot of photos on the Esplanade and had to choose between ten options that I really liked. In the end, I ended up choosing the photo of the Cathedral because I used the polaroid and it was the photo that best matched the theme of the competition.

• Letícia Macedo Barbosa (2nd Place High School): It was a difficult decision to choose the photo for the competition but I ended up choosing the one that I liked, the one that I had a special affection for when I saw it.

• Júlia Xavier (1st Place Higher Education): Not particularly. I recently moved and started taking a new route to get home, this includes taking a bus from the Plano Piloto Bus Station at around 9:30 pm, a time close to the curfew recently introduced due to the pandemic scenario. Because of this, I began to see how much the pandemic also affected that location, which has always been a busy point in Brasília's intersections. Seeing it so empty scared me, but it generated this photographic awakening with portraits of the pandemic that are saved on my cell phone. The photo taken was one of the first and it conveyed much of what I have seen. It reproduces not only a place that takes Brasília back to its roots, but also to the moment in which we are living. So, I had no doubts when sending it.

• Júlia Zakarewicz (2nd place Higher Education): No, when I saw the theme I already knew what the photo would be.

What does photography mean to you?

• Ana Clara (1st Place High School): For me, photography is an art form that records moments of our lives. It's one of my favorite hobbies, I love the process! From taking the photos to editing them. And I love it even more, after a while, seeing them again to remember those moments.

• Letícia Macedo Barbosa (2nd Place High School): Photography means a lot to me, as I carry with me a duty to be able to capture the most beautiful things in the world, be it the beauty of a person or a place, I can record moments, feelings , customs…

• Júlia Xavier (1st Place Higher Education): Photography is a stop in time. It's an instant that doesn't come back. It is the memory of something that we may or may not want to live again, but sometimes it is not even possible to make that choice. But you know that the photograph will be there, to give you all the feelings that that moment allows you to feel.

• Júlia Zakarewicz (2nd place Higher Education): Possibility of somehow immortalizing the moment.

Did you see how Brasília and photography are a perfect pair?! Tell us in the comments what you thought of the story of the Memórias ao Quadrado winners 😉📷