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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Four: The Workplace -- essence of a culture > Restaurant worker, Istanbul, Turkey, 2009
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15-OCT-2009

Restaurant worker, Istanbul, Turkey, 2009

I saw this woman at work in the window of a restaurant, preparing some kind of local favorite. I made several images of her at work, but much preferred the thoughtfulness reflected in this photograph. She has just moved a slice on to the black tray – her hand is still in motion. The other hand is completely relaxed. Head covered, and wearing a company jacket, she appears to very far away at the moment. The last slice is out of sight and out of mind.

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Phil Douglis08-Nov-2009 19:11
Glad you like it, Ali. I would imagine that subject matter such as this is quite common in your own country (Iran), which would remove any "exotic" factor for you. You are right -- it is a combination of the woman's mood and the atmosphere in which she works that makes this image expressive. Thanks for this comment.
Ali Majdfar08-Nov-2009 10:36
Fantastic capture; combination of the woman and atmosphere gives a lovely mood to the picture. ~V
Phil Douglis04-Nov-2009 23:02
Thanks, Celia, for summing up so eloquently the story I am telling here. And yes, she sits before the restaurant's guests and prepares their food. Her work is also displayed to hundreds of people passing by that window. She is a master of her craft, and it is on display for all to see, even if she may be wishing she were somewhere else at this moment.
Cecilia Lim04-Nov-2009 22:50
This image tells me how familiar she is with her job that she could work on auto-pilot and be some place else at the same time. Her body language hints that she probably does this day in, day out and is very numbing to her mind. She yearns for stimulation, an escape, even if its momentary, with her mind. Your portrayal of this woman makes me empathize with her work boredom...

I find this an incongruous image too because she seems to be sitting down at the table alongside the restaurant guests and cooking in the open in front of them. Normally chefs are out of sight, out of mind...
Phil Douglis04-Nov-2009 22:41
Thanks, Iris. It was "the rote nature of her work" that struck me and motivated me to make this image as I did. And you are correct about the nature of the workplace -- it offers a microcosmic look at a culture. That is why I spend so much time photographing people at work as I travel.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)04-Nov-2009 21:38
The workplace, indeed, gives us insight into a culture. As demonstrated in this image, it gives us information about the work environment, the worker, the dress, and, in this case, the local food. The fact that she is deep in thought, seemingly not paying attention to her job, attests to the rote nature of her work. I'll bet the food comes out perfectly even though she seems so far away.......perhaps it's just those far away thoughts that get her through her day. Wonderful image, Phil.
Phil Douglis03-Nov-2009 21:15
Thanks, Jim -I can't tell if you are referring here to her glance or mine, but in any event, I thank you.
jlm03-Nov-2009 19:42
Very well seen. superb glance
Phil Douglis03-Nov-2009 17:15
Thanks, Marek. In a shot such as this, so much depends on our ability to recognize potential meaning. She was just a person who happened to doing her job within a window. But when she stopped doing it for a moment and that look came into her eyes, the shot was there for me, and I was fortunate to be able to make it.
Marek Wilczura03-Nov-2009 13:02
great shot, Phil
Phil Douglis03-Nov-2009 04:06
Well said, Nancy. Observing someone lost in thought is indeed an intimate experience, yet she sits in a big glass window on a busy Istanbul street.
Nancy Good03-Nov-2009 03:43
This is a wonderful candid, Phil ... so full of intimacy in such a public setting.
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