I was studying abroad in Germany in 2008, and I took a weekend trip to Paris with a couple of university friends. At the time, I had a Canon digital point and shoot that I had been carrying around with me for years to document my adventures in quick snapshots. But it was this shot that made me consider photography as an art. It was a turning point. I remember looking at the image on the camera screen as I stood there in the Louvre plaza. Playing around with the camera features, I actually shot the image in black and white, and the contrast of the monochrome and textures captivated me. Then my friends got my attention and motioned me to get in line for La Louvre. It was as though I was being summoned to enter the portal of the realm of creativity, to dive deeper into understanding reality through art. There in La Louvre I saw some of the world's most treasured art. From that day on, I began to see photography as an art, and I have been pursuing it ever since.