Abhinay “Abi” Parre rang in his first American New Year on the day he arrived. As the clock struck midnight on Jan. 1, 2023, his plane touched down from Hyderabad, but his journey with photography was just taking flight.
Abi’s photography journey began two years ago in India while hiking with his friends. Drawn first to nature for inspiration, he explored landscapes through his lens, snapping shots of lake views and flying birds. One time while photographing a snake, he was almost bitten by another one lurking close by.
Abi received a photography certificate from a school in India. Upon arriving in America, he embarked on a new photography path. He slowly began drawing inspiration from faces on the street.
“I love capturing their feelings and freezing moments and memories in time,” Abi said. “I like to show it to people so they can feel that emotion, too.”
When Abi comes across particularly interesting individuals, he stops and asks to take their portrait. After photographing them, he asks his subjects questions like “What makes you happy in life?”
“I take my camera everywhere with me,” Abi said. “You never know when you are gonna get a good photo.”
For The Journal’s special edition, Abi captures the faces of Webster’s international students and asks them a question that strikes at the heart of who we are, where we came from and where we are going.
Through His lens
“I am missing my home a lot. My home means culture, tradition and food. Home means everything to me.”
– Manoj Ghimire, Nepal
“My home means family and community. I miss my country food and speaking my language so that you get shared experiences in your language. I like Webster, I like the campus events and I met a lot of people from different backgrounds here. That’s what I like about Webster I never expected to have friends from different countries. Looking forward to having more beautiful experiences at Webster.”
– Maxwell Korletey, Ghana
“My home means my mom to me. Whenever I used to return from school, she used to cook delicious food for me and taught me so many things in life. I miss the nature and mountains, they are beautiful in my country.”
– Dipika Giri, Nepal
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