South Asians in the Southwest
In the last year, after launching HYFN, I've started to meet a lot more brown people. I met Negine early last year and think she has such a piercing yet quiet energy to her. On my last trip I spontaneously decided I wanted to shoot in the desert and it had to be with Negine.
I've always been interested in hearing about people's experiences and stories. And something I'm particularly interested in is getting to know the first and second generation brown community and hearing their version of what this shared experience is - ultimately understanding how we all experience, a little differently, being a brown immigrant in today's America.
I asked Negine to share something with me. This is what she said:
"One of my favorite phrases in Farsi is: نور چشم من (noor-e cheshm-e man). This translates as "Light of My Eyes". I've loved this saying ever since I was a child, especially when my grandmother or mom would say it to me. I love witnessing people exclaim it genuinely to the ones they care most for, as one only says it to someone that makes them shine. I use it as a reminder to keep doing the things that make me beam the brightest. I'm always on the hunt for what will make the fire in me burn the fiercest. And I'm gonna follow that light forever."
Now every time I visit Arizona (or any other place) I want to make a new connection and capture them with my camera.
