Hesti Rika was born in Yogyakarta in 1991. She has known photography since 2009 when she started her Bachelor’s degree at Institut Seni Indonesia (ISI) or the Indonesian Institute for Fine Arts, Yogyakarta. She actively participates in many photography exhibitions, one of which is Jogja Tumbuh. After moving to Jakarta, Hesti started her career as a professional photographer for Batik Air. Her strong passion for journalism has brought her to CNNIndonsia.com in 2017. Issues related to identity have become her main focus as a photojournalist.