
Andrew Biraj is known for his work in Bangladesh, as he primarily takes photos displaying the everyday hardships of the citizens in this impoverished country.  The photograph (Young Girl Jumping on Waste) pictures a young girl jumping from one pile of waste to another in Dhaka, the largest city in Bangladesh.  The waste is remnants from a luxury leather goods factory across the street.  Ironically, the working conditions and wages in Bangladesh do not allow for citizens to own the luxury goods they create; instead they produce the goods in terrible conditions and send them to richer countries.  The factories in Dhaka are terrible for the environment and have little to no regulations and commit acts like not testing wastewater that contains animal flesh and sulfuric acid. The young girl pictured is a child of a factory worker and Andrew Biraj uses her as the subject of a sad but hopeful photograph. The Young Girl Jumping on Waste is depicting a terrible situation, with a child making the best of her situation.

Biraj pictures a young girl who is attempting to make fun out of a pile of garbage.  She is the subject of an image that shocks the audience. The shock could come anywhere from the absence of parents to the lack of proper clothing. The little girl is playing in the capital city waiting for her parent or parents to get off work, and instead of being with a babysitter, she is roaming the streets playing in the remnants of leather 

production.  After looking at the pile closely, one can see a wooden stick protruding from the pile of waste, showing that it is unsafe to be jumping on these piles that seem to just be soft waste. The little girl was not provided with a shirt but does not seem to make a problem out of it which tells us that she seems content with her situation.  The girl has ribs that are visible to which is most likely the result of a lack of food at home, as Bangladesh is an impoverished country in which all its citizens have trouble providing for themselves and their families. The little girl is not given the proper treatment to grow up but still enjoys her time while her parent is at the factory.

       The background of Biraj’s picture sets the scene and contains many factors that suggests this is not a child-friendly environment, or even an environment suitable for anyone to live. The first thing that is noticed about the background is the smog emitted from local factories.  Smog is detrimental to the environment, and more importantly, to the livelihood of the city’s inhabitants.  The angle that this photo was taken at is crucial to the setting because it shows how the smog is affecting the city.  The angle is also important because it shows a rundown hut along with two rundown buildings. The orientation is another important aspect because it captures the whole story.  It shows the two piles and the background.  The background helps show the inequality that the world has set, with the terrible things being done in order to produce unnecessary products for richer countries such as America.   The massive amounts of smog in the skyline covers the buildings and makes them unclear.  There is a tire at the base of the waste pile on the right, which may prove that only the top layer is the waste from the 

factory for luxury goods. The layers under that may contain different, possibly disgusting trash from other factories in the area.  The background of this picture shows the undesirable living conditions for a child to be living their life.

Andrew Biraj successfully appeals to the emotions of the audience by designing the photo in a way that makes the reader feel depressed and optimistic.  Biraj takes this picture to show the audience that even when times are tough there always a way to make it better.  They see a kid who is lonely and deprived but still enjoying it, as if he was a more privileged kid jumping from bed to bed. The way Biraj appeals to the reader’s emotions is by making the first impact influential.  After one quick look at the picture, the audience sees a child who is playing in a dangerous pile of garbage.  The first glance shows the smog and is very significant in setting an unsafe mood right from the beginning and this design is what makes this picture so breathtaking. Through the design and the first details noticed, Biraj is able to create an image that immediately makes the reader feel for the little girl, and the rest of the citizens of Bangladesh.

Biraj makes many decisions about his photograph that contribute to the overall effect of the photograph.  Biraj uses a young child who is deprived of the basic necessities as his subject in order to draw attention to his photograph. The child seems to be carefree, and does not seem to notice the circumstances.  The viewer gets two separate emotions when looking at this photograph, sad and hopeful.  At first glance, sad arises because they see the conditions that the boy is living in.  But hopeful because the young child seems to be enjoying himself.  Andrew Biraj’s photograph of a child playing in hazardous waste is able to show both the hard time in Bangladesh, and that things can always be better.
