
Do you ever feel like your life is piling up with problems and you just want to run away? In this powerful photo by Andrew Biraj, a girl is jumping across waste in the capital of Bangladesh. At first glance of this image, I was confused as to what was going on, debating whether the girl was giving the viewer a joyful, childish, emotion or an anxious one. After closely examining this seemingly simple image, I noticed the main message the photographer is, in my eyes, attempting to portray. Researching the background history of this photo also gave me the conclusion that the girl in the photo is running away from something; she is trying to get away from the town she is left in. Elements such as the chaos surrounding the focal point (the girl in the middle), the general setting of the photo, and the colors the Biraj uses, helps display the message he is aiming to get the viewer to realize. After learning the history of this image, I also developed a better understanding of why Biraj captured this image the way he did. 

As for the historical background, this photo was taken in a tannery in a slum area of Bangladesh, where the artist, Andrew Biraj was raised himself. It may look as though the girl is playing on a pile of garbage that is not valuable in the least bit, when in actuality it is the production site of leather goods, which are sold around the world. Biraj includes the young girl in this photograph because it is likely that she herself could have been a factory worker making these clothes, as many children are in this poor town called Harzaribagh. Children working in these leather- producing factories are exposed to harmful chemicals and are at risk for injury. This photo is just one of an entire series showing the struggle the citizens of this area face.  

Andrew Biraj uses color to focus the viewer’s attention on the center of the photograph with the girl. He displays the girl in red shorts that stand out against the white leather garbage piles in the foreground and the smoky grey background. The neutral, smoggy colors the photographer chooses to use in the background and the foreground makes the viewer focus on the central element (the child) even more.

Biraj also uses the overall design of the photograph to portray a message to his viewers. For instance, the photo is set up in a generally symmetrical manner. The image displays two piles of garbage to the right and left, a factory in the backdrop, and a girl in the center.  However, Biraj captures just the right amount of chaos in the fact that the girl seems to be mid air, perhaps running away from something. By displaying this lean on the girl’s figure, it shows that there is something wrong and that the girl seems to be escaping from her problems in her town rather than just innocently playing around. 

The general setting Biraj uses also makes this image more powerful and moving for the viewer. The factory in the background with smoke displays the fact that the young girl photographed does not live in a safe place to be playing around. To add onto the poor quality of living displayed, there are piles of rags and garbage lying on either side of the girl show that this town is not somewhere safe for children, and it seems as though it is a town of poverty. By using a child in this photograph it draws a more emotional connection to the viewer, feeling sorry for this poor child who is living in these conditions. 

Andrew Biraj uses all of these elements within his photography to create a powerful image that has a deeper affect on the viewer rather than just an aesthetic appeal. By using a dramatic factory scene with a focus on the purity and innocence of a young girl trying to escape her problems in her hometown, the viewer has more of an emotional tie to the photo, thus making it a well-known picture. 