In Dhaka, a photographer captures street children with their dogs
Australian photographer Sam Edmonds noticed the unique relationships during a trip to Bangladesh.
On the streets of Dhaka, a group of homeless children and stray dogs are best friends. These ten boys live in Robindra Shorbod, a small public park in the city, along with ten stray dogs that they have informally adopted.
Early in 2013, Australian photographer Sam Edmonds found the boys and their pets during a trip to Bangladesh and decided to capture their unique relationship in a photo project titled Robindro Boys. His portraits, depicting one child with a dog each, have been exhibited in Australia and are now being shown in New York.
The boys, who are either orphans or have been separated from their families, struggle to survive by begging and selling plastic scrap, but they share all their food with their dogs.
“What I found remarkable about the children and the dogs is the incredible resilience they show to be able to survive like a family in one of the most densely populated cities in the world,” said Edmonds, who specialises in social documentary and conservation photography.
The children have given the dogs names like Tiger, Romeo, Jax, Michael and Bullet. “I found it incredible how both groups relied on one another for survival, fun, intimacy and family,” said Edmonds in an email interview. “Anyone living on the streets is hugely vulnerable to a number of dangers, and these kids and dogs are no exception.”
For the portraits, Edmonds set up minimalistic shots and asked the boys not to pose, but just walk into the frame with their dogs. “To me, both the street kids and the dogs represent the smallest and often most forgotten members of the metropolis,” he said.
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Early in 2013, Australian photographer Sam Edmonds found the boys and their pets during a trip to Bangladesh and decided to capture their unique relationship in a photo project titled Robindro Boys. His portraits, depicting one child with a dog each, have been exhibited in Australia and are now being shown in New York.
The boys, who are either orphans or have been separated from their families, struggle to survive by begging and selling plastic scrap, but they share all their food with their dogs.
“What I found remarkable about the children and the dogs is the incredible resilience they show to be able to survive like a family in one of the most densely populated cities in the world,” said Edmonds, who specialises in social documentary and conservation photography.
The children have given the dogs names like Tiger, Romeo, Jax, Michael and Bullet. “I found it incredible how both groups relied on one another for survival, fun, intimacy and family,” said Edmonds in an email interview. “Anyone living on the streets is hugely vulnerable to a number of dangers, and these kids and dogs are no exception.”
For the portraits, Edmonds set up minimalistic shots and asked the boys not to pose, but just walk into the frame with their dogs. “To me, both the street kids and the dogs represent the smallest and often most forgotten members of the metropolis,” he said.
