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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Twenty Four: The Workplace -- essence of a culture > Asleep, Jaffa, Israel, 2011
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17-NOV-2011

Asleep, Jaffa, Israel, 2011

This huge store is just one of many in Jaffa’s flea market district.
The aisles were empty, and this shopkeeper has fallen sound asleep. He is so relaxed that his heel is slipping out of one of his shoes. I turned my 24mm wideangle lens vertically to stress an aisle that never seems to end. It is lined with richly colored clothing and jewelry, and topped with a translucent blue ceiling, which contrasts to the crimson floor. There were no customers here that I could see, allowing him to quietly lower his head and slumber.

Panasonic Lumix DMC-LX5
1/80s f/2.0 at 5.1mm iso400 full exif

other sizes: small medium large original auto
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Phil Douglis09-Feb-2012 22:55
I made this image to not only express the economic impact on Israeli tourism, but also on the nature of retail sales in general. Between every sale, there can often be a long period of patient waiting, or as in this case, a brief nap.
Iris Maybloom (irislm)06-Feb-2012 04:34
All that "stuff" and no buyers. Sleep is certainly a way to escape this grim reality, as you so vividly express in this photo.
Phil Douglis17-Dec-2011 04:17
You are right about the economy -- tourism is down all over the Middle East. I also made this image in the middle of November, not exactly the nicest time of year in Israel. It rained during two of the three days we spent in that country on this cruise. You are right, Carol -- the sleeping shopkeeper and the empty store certainly tells the story of this particular workplace on this particular afternoon.
Carol E Sandgren16-Dec-2011 23:37
It is sad to see no one shopping at the store here. Bad economy hits and affects everyone everywhere it seems. And the sleeping shopkeeper seems to enhance that feeling of no business here.
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