# The Petrol Pump Attendants



## Chris of Arabia (Aug 3, 2008)

A short (at the moment) series of petrol pump attendants I've met when fuelling up the car. These are all foreign workers in Saudi Arabia. The idea behind this it to give as many of these largely anonymous people an enduring face on flickr. They themselves may never see these, but the shots prove their presence in the world. I'll add more as I get them.

#1






#2





#3





#4





#5


----------



## Kazoo (Aug 3, 2008)

Really like this idea Chris, made me wonder if I always see the people that I come across day-to-day. The last shot has me wondering if he had to leave his family behind for work, and how often he gets to see them.


----------



## SandShots (Aug 3, 2008)

cool pix.. would of been a good idea of catching them pumping gas on a big rigg.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Aug 3, 2008)

Kazoo said:


> Really like this idea Chris, made me wonder if I always see the people that I come across day-to-day. The last shot has me wondering if he had to leave his family behind for work, and how often he gets to see them.



Most of the expat workers from the Indian sub-continent get to go home very infrequently. There are a couple of Indian programmers in my office who get a paid leave once a year (they have the benefit of being able to bring their wives with them though), others only get back to their homes once every 2 years, some are worse and only get home once every four years. The chances are that these guys are at the ****ty end of that particular stick. Their pay rates are scary beyond belief, yet it's worth their while compared with what's on offer in places like Bangladesh or Sri Lanka.


----------



## Antarctican (Aug 3, 2008)

Nice series. The third is my fave...I like seeing the pump with the Arabic writing (and cheap price!) in the background, and the local currency in his hand.


----------



## kundalini (Aug 3, 2008)

Chris of Arabia said:


> (they have the benefit of being able to bring their wives with them though)


 Yet, one must question if this is actually a benefit.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Aug 3, 2008)

For the employee, probably, for the wife...


----------



## Antarctican (Aug 3, 2008)

I'd missed your intro to this thread. Love the thought of giving these workers a 'face'/presence. Good on ya, Chris.


----------



## Meysha (Aug 3, 2008)

Cool idea!
Love number 3. The composition is great.

I too found myself looking for the petrol price... hehe but I couldn't figure it out.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Aug 3, 2008)

#4, top left. I just paid 32 Riyals for 53.4 litres of fuel. About £4.26


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Aug 5, 2008)

A couple more from my usual stop this evening...

#6





#7





52 Riyals worth this time - needle was on the stop


----------



## Roger (Aug 6, 2008)

good idea and good shots....my fave is the guy with designer sunnies and the shamagh. I'm documenting the construction of a gas station next to my apartment....they knocked the old one down. With gas at 1.54 Euro it must be profitable to build new ones!


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Aug 6, 2008)

Thanks for all the compliments. They were all done with a Panasonic FX33 P&S. It now lives in the space under the car CD player - easy access every time I fill up and rather less intimidating for the guys I'm getting shots of.


----------



## Sw1tchFX (Aug 7, 2008)

Good idea, but the dead center composition kills it for me. IMO, theo nly one that tells the story is #3. Go wide and in the face.


----------



## Line of Best Fit (Aug 8, 2008)

#3. It really stands out for me.

Wicked job.


----------



## LaFoto (Aug 8, 2008)

Chris, I really like your idea of a series of photos for or at least of these men!
They sure deserve to also be having a face in this world.
In a way, I share Sw1tchFX's impression, though, that only one really tells the story, i.e. 3, where we can see the money in his hands. Often hands are cut off "mid-hand", as it were.
Nevertheless, I believe that people who have somehow got used to their sad fate of actually being "invisible" to the world, might feel a little spooked by a camera and by someone who wants to take their photo. Spooked and thrilled at the same time, maybe, but I believe they are not all willing to pose for very long, so these photos have to be taken quickly... am I right about this?


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Aug 8, 2008)

I'm aware of the 'central' issue here, but as Corinna says, you get very, very little time to try and take the shot. 

There would no chance of doing this with the 350D, much less if I had the flash on it to provide the fill-in that's really needed due to the exceptionally bright backgrounds. Also because I'm sat in the drivers seat, most of them end up being taken twisted round and pointed behind you, whilst viewing the screen at around a 45 degree angle - composition does end up being a little hit and miss, but it's something I'll work on with these as time goes by.

As far as the life that these guys lead goes, they might be earning as little as $100.00 a month and are scarily subservient to anyone who might represent an authority figure (like a customer). I actually feel rather guilty at times about taking these shots, because I know they won't object, though I do always ask them as best I can given the inevitable language difficulties. On the positive side, whoever pours the petrol gets a tip from me without fail and always before I ask whether I can take the shot.

Finally, I take the point about going wider so I can tell the story better. I was actually leaning towards going in tighter so I can get the faces of the guys better, but that would lead them to perhaps become even more anonymous (who are they, what do they do, why take the photo). One of the reasons I picked the FX33 (great little camera BTW) was that it had a wider than normal lens for a P&S - I'll try and make better use of it.


----------



## DRoberts (Aug 11, 2008)

I wonder if I could get my gas station to put in a couch and chair. Nice shots, but as stated above would like to see them pumping gas or performing some type of activity.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Sep 26, 2008)

A few more. This is my regular fill-up, so you may well see these guys quite often. I'm sure they think "Oh no! It's that idiot with the camera again". It's Ramadan here at the moment, so I'm sure they're interested in nothing more than their Iftar meal.

#8








#9





#10


----------



## Lyncca (Sep 26, 2008)

Kazoo said:


> The last shot has me wondering if he had to leave his family behind for work, and how often he gets to see them.


 
When I was in Abu Dhabi, many of the men were from other countries and had to leave their families behind. Many only went home once a year to see their wives and children. I spoke to quite a few people and you could see the pain in some of their eyes, and others just prefered it that way...

I myself can't imagine. I barely lasted 3 weeks!

Nice shots Chris


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Oct 14, 2008)

A couple more taken this morning. The close ups of the guy who was pumping the petrol were completely gash, so they're not going to put in an appearance.

#11







#12


----------



## Ls3D (Oct 14, 2008)

I like how this guy is holding his cash like a gangsta!  Yet no bling..

-Shea


----------



## SrBiscuit (Oct 14, 2008)

i love the first one with the "chanel" shades.

i like this series.


----------



## elemental (Oct 15, 2008)

Ls3D said:


> I like how this guy is holding his cash like a gangsta!  Yet no bling..
> 
> -Shea



I think this one is amazing and really stands out. Keep shooting- especially when the shots are quick, sometimes you never knoe ehat you'll get. Very interesting series.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Oct 15, 2008)

There are a couple of things I need to do with this I think. Firstly I need to print off some copies of 1, 2, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, & 12 and drop them off at my local fill up point for the guys - a bit of a thank you for putting up with me, and something that they could send back to their families or something. Next is to fill up at some different places, change the backdrop, different people etc. Finally, I shall perhaps start getting out of the car and getting some new angles whilst the tank is getting topped up. Don't be surprised if you end up seeing rather more of a blue Dodge Durango of my acquaintance.


----------



## bwccom (Oct 15, 2008)

I like these shots, especially the ones that show a lot of space. I think it's very interesting to capture a familiar setting (the gas pump/station) that is actually in an unfamiliar place to us western members. It make you think about the similarities across cultures and the subtle differences.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Oct 22, 2008)

One more taken this evening...

#13


----------



## bwccom (Nov 12, 2008)

I like this one too, very candid. It's funny how foreign gas stations are so intriguing for me to look at.


----------



## Ls3D (Nov 12, 2008)

What just one more,...  I was waiting for your next series..

-S


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Nov 25, 2008)

#14 - captured last Wednesday morning on the way to Bahrain for the golf competition. This is the first one in morning light I think, same place as #3 & #13.


----------



## danman281 (Nov 27, 2008)

I like the third one


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Dec 4, 2008)

Another couple from this morning. Used a bit of fill in flash for a change to try and balance out the lighting.

#15




#16


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Dec 16, 2008)

#17


----------



## stsinner (Dec 16, 2008)

Excuse my ignorance, but what's the the dude wearing a scarf?  I thought only women wore scarves over their face.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Dec 16, 2008)

It's only to keep the sand and dust out. I can't remember specifically, but the chance are that it was a windy day and whipping lots of stuff up - and in the middle of the desert, there is lots and lots of it to be whipped. We tend to think of it as being some sort of national head dress, but it's actually a very practical garment to prevent sunburn and keep the crap out of your mouth, ears, nose and eyes.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Jan 14, 2009)

Due to a slightly unintended detour, our subject today comes to you from the Dammam highway running east out of Riyadh.


----------



## stsinner (Jan 14, 2009)

Chris of Arabia said:


> It's only to keep the sand and dust out. I can't remember specifically, but the chance are that it was a windy day and whipping lots of stuff up - and in the middle of the desert, there is lots and lots of it to be whipped. We tend to think of it as being some sort of national head dress, but it's actually a very practical garment to prevent sunburn and keep the crap out of your mouth, ears, nose and eyes.



In Iraq, we got some monster dust storms..  That stuff was magical-it would get inside your rolled sleeping bag somehow..  We'd come back to our tent at night, unroll our sleeping bags on our cots, and there would be fine dust inside..  Drove us crazy!!  But nobody ever wrapped a scarf around their head.  I don't mean that in a negative way, but just funny how no American would ever wrap a scarf around their head, except as a costume.  I just don't think the though would ever occur to us.  In many ways, we're not very practical.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Jan 22, 2009)

Today's guest appears courtesy of a trip to the supermarket. He's been seen before, but today I discovered he's from the Kerala region of India


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Jan 30, 2009)

A few shots from a weekend trip across the causeway to Bahrain.

#20 - "Redbeard"

East bound on the highway towards Dammam, we met Zachariah from Kerala in India. Nice chap and excellent English






#xxxx

Probably not petrol pump attendants, but you never know. Either way, these guys were in front of us on the corniche in central Manama, Bahrain. Given that we were moving at a crawl, it seemed an ideal opportunity to pop off a quick shot. Apologies for the poor image quality, I really must get that windscreen cleaned.





#21

Finally a couple from the West bound Dammam highway on the way back to Riyadh. That's a 50 Riyal note in his hand, worth about $13.00 or £9.00.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Feb 1, 2009)

I seem to be buying an awful lot of petrol of late. 

We met Nurula (I'm guessing at the spelling) as Petrol Attendant #14. On today's visit, I've established that he's from Bangladesh and has been in Saudi Arabia for the last 15 years (6 more than me). As he's only a little down the road from here, I'll see what else I can find out about him when I next visit.

#22





#23


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Mar 2, 2009)

#24





This is Nurula's (in background) companion in crime just down the road from here. His name is Jamal and he's also from Bangladesh, though I wasn't able to find out how long he'd been working in Saudi Arabia. By some strange quick of coincidence, the word jamal or very similar is also the Arabic word for camel, the main souk for which is another couple of miles down the road - there's a set of photographs from there elsewhere in my collection. As you can see, the day I took this was very dusty - we've been having some cracking sandstorms here just recently, and this morning's was an absolute belter.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Apr 2, 2009)

Turns out this guy is from the Punjab in India. For the life of me I couldn't make out what his name was, try as I might.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Apr 8, 2009)

Been buying more than my usual amount of petrol just recently. This is Ahmed, another Indian from Kerala. He's been in Saudi for about 12 years now and only gets to go back home once every two years - not a prospect I'd relish, but if it got me out of doing Christmas, then maybe I'd consider it.

#26


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Apr 14, 2009)

I went to a different petrol station yesterday, just across the road from our new HQ building (but not actually where I work) in the centre of Riyadh not far from the Ministry of the Interior. This is Shaalam from Bangladesh and he has been in Saudi for 2 years now - chances are that with the frequency I'm visiting HQ now, we may be seeing him again.


----------



## Fraggo (Apr 14, 2009)

> In Iraq, we got some monster dust storms.. That stuff was magical-it would get inside your rolled sleeping bag somehow.. We'd come back to our tent at night, unroll our sleeping bags on our cots, and there would be fine dust inside.. Drove us crazy!! But nobody ever wrapped a scarf around their head. I don't mean that in a negative way, but just funny how no American would ever wrap a scarf around their head, except as a costume. I just don't think the though would ever occur to us. In many ways, we're not very practical.


 
I remember using them all the time when i was in Iraq, we would usually support the local markets to get them too. And wear them on patrols through the cities. 

Great series too btw, I'm still tring to pick a favorite.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Apr 17, 2009)

Went on a trip across to Bahrain this weekend. These are from the Dammam Highway.

#28 East Bound






#29 West Bound


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Apr 21, 2009)

This is Mahmoud from Madras in India. He told me he's now been in Saudi for 10 or 11 years.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Apr 27, 2009)

#31






#32


----------



## Chris of Arabia (May 17, 2009)

I appear to have forgotten to post #33, which was taken on 3 May this year - I never got a name or any other details.

#33






From a little earlier today. I'm rather pleased with this one. I think the dull skies made for considerably better lighting than I usually get and you'd not really know that there is some fill-in flash going on. Maybe I'm biased, but this may be the best of the set so far.

#34





For those who are bored with this now, don't worry, I have an end point in mind....


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Jan 28, 2010)

Better late than never, they were actually taken last August, here are the last two to close the series - 36 is a good figure I think.

#35





#36





This set now represents around 13 months of effort and anyone's guess how much petrol. I am grateful to the guys for being so willing to cooperate and tolerate the idiot with the camera. Over the journey, only one person did not want to be photographed and his wishes were respected. To the rest, thank, it's been fun.


----------



## Antarctican (Jan 28, 2010)

It's been a fun series, Chris. I like the grin and stance of the guy in #36 (but has a camel been eating his shirt?)


----------



## Mark Twain (Jan 29, 2010)

They never tyre of airing their views when under pressure, filling people in, or chatting up a gallon the forecourt. They wax lyrical about what else diesel in the shop and still have motor mouth about.


----------



## mom2eight (Jan 29, 2010)

What a great series Chris.  Where are you originally from?


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Jan 29, 2010)

The UK, I was born in Stoke-on-Trent, but haven't lived there since I was 17, which was a little over 3 decades ago. Been here in Riyadh for the last decade.


----------



## jackieclayton (Jan 29, 2010)

this is a nice idea, I didn't read all your posts but the intro thread was very thoughtful.  Question, are you allowed to pump your own gas or is it like New Jersey where its against the law?  (random question i know... just curious)


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Jan 29, 2010)

You don't pump your own gas out here, no idea whether it's against the law or not, it's the sort of job that your average Saudi motorist would consider beneath them, but there's plenty of cheap labour out here that will do it for you though.


----------



## bhphotography (Jan 29, 2010)

Interesting series. The attendants don't look overly happy though.


----------



## c.cloudwalker (Jan 29, 2010)

Chris of Arabia said:


> For the employee, probably, for the wife...



My mom went there with my father and she loved it. Yes, it was a bit weird for her but she is a curious woman and she got to see quite a few things.

I'm sure it helps that she is from a different generation, though. 

I, on the other hand, could not get a visa to visit them.


----------



## Chris of Arabia (Jan 29, 2010)

Given the life they must lead, I can well imagine they don't have the happiest of lives, in this instance though, most of what's coming across from them is probably more to do with being asked to pose for the camera. There is a tendency for them to stand absolutely bolt upright as if they were being lined up for a mug shot - all they'd need is a card with a number on it. There was very little chance of explaining to them that I'd prefer them to carry on as if I wasn't there.

Here is a final collected set of all the images, and the main reason why I stopped at 36.





It's available in much larger sizes over at flickr.


----------

