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Phil Douglis | all galleries >> Galleries >> Gallery Sixty Seven: The art of salesmanship – more than a job > Waiting, Tunis, Tunisia, 2008
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06-NOV-2008

Waiting, Tunis, Tunisia, 2008

Three salesmen await their customers at a souk in the Tunis medina. Two of them fight boredom by readying merchandise or reading the news, while one seems alone with his thoughts. In the souks of Tunis, shops such as this one carry items for local consumption, rather than goods for tourists. I use a 24mm wideangle lens to spread the scene, apportioning a separate segment of the image to each of the three salesmen.

Leica D-Lux 4
1/40s f/2.0 at 5.1mm iso80 full exif

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Phil Douglis18-Jan-2009 06:25
Some will see a shop. Others will see three men lost in their own thoughts or work. But you see much more here, Celia -- you see the universe of commerce itself, the manner in which merchandise is manufactured, organized, and sold here. And in seeing it this way, you see Tunisia itself, in microcosm. Thanks so much for bringing such a perceptive approach to this image, as always.
Cecilia Lim17-Jan-2009 19:54
Hi Phil,
I see an interesting separation of worlds here. Even though the souk is often a crazy jumble of merchandize and people, the street has been divided into little cubes within which a specialized type of product is being sold. Each of these cubes has taken on a life of its own trying to be distinct from the next. The salesmen too have fallen into a world and rhythm of their own, separate from another - one keeps up with the news, one is lost in his thoughts and the other in the back does a stock-take. I especially love the way you've used a straight frontal viewpoint to simplify the visual division of the space and subjects. It communicates the segregation very effectively and in this, you imply that in the mass of chaotic commercialism, there is still order, distinction and individualism in their struggles of everyday life in this souk. I love the punchy colours too that come in all hues - they speak of a mass market trying to appeal to each varied individual. A lovely and very thought provoking image Phil!
Phil Douglis01-Dec-2008 18:16
We make similar points in both of our images, Charu -- salespeople are human, have human needs and interests, and they are making good use of their down time here.
Guest 01-Dec-2008 17:00
interesting image, Phil - it is always nice to see aggressive salespeople take a break and beat boredom by doing other things. I had something like this from London Covent garden market -http://www.pbase.com/charukesi/image/83137397
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