Working Life

This construction worker’s Covid19 mask doubles as his work-site dust protection mask, (supposedly.) He’s become so used to wearing it that he even leaves it on during smoke breaks.

This young man began his career apprenticing at his uncle’s shoe factory, doing everything from unloading trucks to stacking boxes to sweeping floors. Now he is a full-time, full-pay tool and die maker, creating steel molds for the plastic soles that will be poured and cured in another area of the plant.

This may not have been the job of his dreams growing up, but he is now beginning to think he might one day even become a foreman on the factory floor, and maybe, eventually, when he has kids of his own, he’ll bring them here to teach them everything he knows.

In Bangladesh very little goes to waste. Everything is reused and recycled many times over. This is a common recycling depot in the southern part of Dhaka city where tin cans and glass bottles and materials of all types are manually sorted and then quickly handed off to the next group of workers to sort even further and move down the line.

Without all this manual, independent labour, there would not be enough work for everyone. This recycling process may seem inefficient, but it’s practical and sustainable.

Unfortunately, many Armenians still smoke way too many cigarettes in a day, and, unfortunately, even though this is a very nice man, he’s not helping any.

There are lots of barbershops in Sheki, but not like this one. This man continues to run his business from an old, stand-alone, steel box building that usually considered an easy-assembly structure for remote locations or tight quarters. But there’s something about the way he’s fixed up his space that makes for the perfect place for a shave and a haircut. (And for only 2 dollars.) If you’re interested, he’s on Mirza Fatali Axundov Street, just past Aliahmed Sweets.

This man’s drink stand is known to everyone in Baku as “Sərin Sular” (“Cool Waters”), and is located in one of the few remaining old neighbourhoods in Azerbaijan’s capital city. He knows it’s just a matter of time before the buildings around him are all taken down and replaced with new ones, and his drink stand along with them. But until then, he’s keeping the place as well stocked and spotless as it was when he first opened it. As far as he’s concerned, the neighbourhood has been good to him, and he’ll serve it until the end.

This man runs a small hardware store along what is usually a bustling Istanbul street. In the pandemic winter of 2020, like the rest of us, he worked hard to keep his business afloat and had even taken to displaying his goods right out on the sidewalk. This is where he would stand day in and day out, wearing his mask and winter coat, just like this, on the lookout for his next customer.

These are not the same grey coveralls his great-grandfather used to wear when he opened this metalwork shop a hundred years ago, but it feels like them.

This man has set up shop at the end of the street near a cluster of houseware and lighting stores. He himself is offering a wide variety of items for sale, from sausage grinders to pipe wrenches to plumbing repair fixtures for your bathroom sink and toilet. If you need something specific that he doesn’t have, he will find it for you by tomorrow.

He lives in the Georgian city of Batumi on the eastern shores of the Black Sea. It is one of the most popular tourist destinations in all of Georgia and people come here from all around to enjoy the beautiful Black Sea shores and friendly Georgian hospitality. And for this man, he is just trying to enjoy his retirement, but like most seniors in the country he still needs to work to supplement his pension and support himself. Today has been another long, hard day of hoping for a sale. He’s tired now. Tomorrow will be better.

This man has parked his old UAZ Bukhanka off-road van just outside the bus station parking lot and has set up this auto parts and repair shop for other owners of these beloved Russian-made vehicles. He sets up shop here every day. Parked beside him is a man who sells rusty old wrenches from the hood of his Lada 1600, and a couple of other guys who also run repair shops from their vehicles, one of whom even has an air compressor in the back seat in case your tires are running flat.

Here in the Republic of Georgia, and especially right here in this small city of Akhaltsikhe, these old Russian vehicles can last forever if you know how to look after them. And if you don’t, these guys are your best friends.

Dhobi Ghat in Mumbai is the world’s largest outdoor laundry facility where the Dhobi cast of men and women wash clothes for many of the businesses in the city. This photograph was taken at the end of a long, hard workday. It is often the case that entire families work here at Dhobi Ghat, and for many, it is also where they live.

This man owns a small instrument repair shop just up the street from the Hindu temple. When he’s is not fixing harmoniums or giving lessons, his shop provide a peaceful sanctuary for anyone looking to take a break from their busy day.

This man works at the fish market attached to the Arica docks. He'll fillet the daily catch for you right out of the water and prepare a simple ceviche to tie you over till dinner. His fish stall feels more like home than a place of business, and if you're interested, he'll walk you through the memories in every single photo that hangs on the walls around him. You will learn that family, fútbol and fish are three constants that have sustained him ever since he was a young boy and that continue to inspire and fulfill him to this day. You can hear it in his voice. These are the loves of his life.

Naan bread is as popular in Bangladesh as it is in northern India and is traditionally baked in tandoori ovens. This potter-craftsman works by himself in his small warehouse making these large tandoori ovens for the Dhaka city restaurants in his neighbourhood.

He builds up the clay in layers until the oven walls are thick and smooth. When making naan, the flattened dough is pressed against the inside walls of the hot oven where it cooks into naan bread in less than thirty seconds. The clay of the oven is said to enhance the naan’s flavour.

Corrugated, fiberglass panels line the roof of this west-end Dhaka flour mill. The panels are thin and translucent enough to act as skylights, casting a crisp, futuristic light throughout the day for these mill workers to work by.