Putra Muhamad Akbar was born in Surabaya on 25 September 1993. He started learning photography when he was studying at Institut Ilmu Sosial dan Ilmu Politik Jakarta, where he was a member of Kaphac 32 Photography, a student activity unit. His career in journalism started in 2016 as a photojournalist at a local newspaper in Bogor. He currently works for Harian Republika. To Abay, as he is often called, photojournalism is one way to learn about life through the individuals who become his photo subjects.