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Writer's pictureUpside Squad

The Power of Portraits: Mou Aysha

” With empathy, compassion and love we can change the world for better as artists “

Our world is like a book with millions of characters, and those characters each have their own story. Some stories make a breakthrough while the others get lost in the dust. It is our job as human beings to acknowledge the lost stories; to give them a platform of their own. In this fast-moving world, Mou Aysha is one amongst many kindred souls trying to pave a better path for humanity.


Bangladeshi photographer Mou Aysha is a humanitarian photographer who uses her skills to raise awareness about the dilemma of street children in her country. Aysha captures gripping portraits of children in Dhaka and Bangladeshi countryside, giving the world a chance to see the beauty of their souls.



The brilliant, Mou Aysha graduated with a Masters in Applied English Linguistics from University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh. Even during and after her studies, she has always been following the photography courses at First Light Insititute of Photography. Currently, she is employed as the administrator of this non-profit institute but her love to bring a change in the world has got her involved in social and humanitarian projects of First Light Institute.


With a strong following of 41,000 supporters on Instagram, Aysha’s passion for photography started at a very young age. Since childhood, Aysha has been fascinated with people and their faces. She grew up in the northern part of Bangladesh and from a very young age, she saw a lot of people and their children from the island. Their burnt skin, red eyes, and scarred faces raised curiosity in young Aysha’s mind. One of the main reason that drove Aysha to become a photographer was to capture those faces and bring more light on them. She wanted to share their grasping story; their life journey with people.


Photography has always been more of a passion rather than a profession for her. She spends most of her time producing an extensive series of portraits highlighting the marginalized people living on the outskirts of society. Natural smiles, emotions and people’s stories developed a sense of affection within Aysha. For her, every individual that she meets is like a new experience. All those experiences strengthen Aysha’s journey towards being a passionate disciple of photography.


Every single portrait that Aysha captures holds a huge story.

Being a humanitarian photographer, Aysha doesn’t just go to places and takes photos. Before every photo, she spends a good amount of time with the people; understanding their course of life. Aysha tries to make sure that her presence is accepted by the people. Even though it takes time to make them comfortable, in the end, Aysha values the time she got to spend with the people.


Mou Aysha’s work shines among many as her work reflects a soulful mood and deep human connection. Apart from the uncomplicated composition, Aysha photographs people who are incredibly beautiful and brave. She states that these peripheral groups of people go through a very difficult time but still manage to smile. They enjoy the little pleasures of life regardless of their hardships. Aysha wants her supporters to learn the valuable lesson that anything is possible with perseverance.



Apart from clicking exquisite collection of portraits, Aysha loves to go through other photographer’s work and find inspiration. If Aysha had to choose one of her utmost favorite photographers it would be GMB Akash. Akash is her mentor since she joined First Light Institute. She is a huge fan of his expertise and work but what impresses Aysha most is that he goes beyond photographs and chooses to help the people he photographed in his humanitarian activities.


Other than photography, Aysha has other passions too. She is a huge bookworm and you can find her cozied up in a corner reading her heart out. Her favorite photography books include Survivors by GMB Akash, The Iconic Photographs by Steve Mccurry and The Suffering Light by Alex Webb. Travel is one thing that Aysha would like to do more. She would love to visit South Asian countries like Nepal, India, Sri Lanka, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam.




Being an administrator for the First Light Institute, Aysha has been able to venture in social work. She always wanted to do something huge for people. Through First Light Insitute, Aysha participated in setting up schools with free education, distributing new clothes or sandals to street children, feeding the children good meals and much more.


In the coming five years, Aysha wants to publish a book with the best portraits she has taken. She would also like to do good for the people she photographed.


Mou Aysha is a commendable woman who wants to spread love, positivity, and compassion all around the world. She wants to encourage people to live their dreams despite all the hardships. Human beings like Aysha are the ones who will make this world a better place to live in after all love is the meaning of our existence.



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