IMAGESofFISHERMEN.COM

When Carolina Blaad, the press contact at the Sjöhistoriska Maritime Museum did an interview with me (in Swedish), she asked me to describe how it was to be on board the boats. Well, I answered:

“I wanted to see how it was for the fishermen to work and live on a fishing boat. I found it fascinating, like a hidden world — unknown by us living on land. But after being with them for a while, the thought struck me that they really love what they are doing and can hardly be without it even if conditions are very tough for many of them and often involves a lot of hard work…”

AUDIO: Click here to hear Carolina Blaad’s interview…

SLIDE SHOW: Click here to view photos…

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Finally I have had time to scan and upload Fishing News International’s review ‘Atlantic fishing in pictures’ by Tom Seaman from their March 2007 issue. He writes: “What makes the book so ceaselessly fascinating is that, to get the magnificent range of images and insights into different facets of life on a fishing boat, Maria Olsen has clearly got some dirt under her nails and got close to her subject matter.” Hmmm…

I was pleased to see the Norwegian current affairs magazine Ny Tid bring a richly illustrated 5-page feature with photos showcasing IMAGES OF FISHERMEN. As you can see if you click on the image, the article stresses the fact that the book seeks to highlight the hard work behind every catch.

I’M NOT A HUGE fan of coffee-table books. (…) For this book, I may make a rare exception. Images of Fishermen is a blend of modern-day North Atlantic ride-along, history lesson and industry update. Photographer Maria Olsen does not simply offer a catalog of fishing beauty shots. Sure, there are a few, but the meat is in the stills of the crew on deck attaching the trawl sonar, processing cod, mending nets. Olsen immersed herself in her subject, and she got close enough to reveal its reality as well its beauty.

National Fisherman

FROM TIME TO TIME books arrive at our office doorstep that make us sit up and pay real attention. (…) Images of Fishermen … has made the hairs on the back of our neck stand up from the visual feast that is featured within this beautifully crafted book. (…) Very few books accurately record the hard work that goes into bringing you the freshest of seafood to your supermarket shelf. Very few books accurately evoke admiration and respect of fishermen’s harsh work environments. This is however one such book! Ultimately this is one of those books that is so enjoyable, informative and captivating that you’ll find yourself browsing through its pages over and over again.

Marine Times Newspaper

[THIS IS A] stunning collection of images from trips on board … trawlers, gillnetters and longliners … [The photographer] manages to tell the story of each trip — from cod longlining to demersal twin rig trawling — through high quality colour shots of fishermen at work (…) When taking shots of the crews at work Maria Olsen really throws the camera around, playing with unconventional angles and framing that gives a palpable sense of the chaos and drama of living and working on a fishing vessel.

Fishing News

IMAGES OF FISHERMEN: The North Atlantic features scores of full color pictures taken on board fishing boats in Faroe, Iceland, Greenland, and Shetland, each a different kind of boat. As a glimpse into the life on board the fishing boats, this book really is unique and photographer Maria Olsen has done the skippers and crews proud… A gorgeous book to dip into and browse through — it’s a book where the pictures really do tell the story.

Click here to hear radio sequence…

BBC Radio Scotland — Mary Blance
(The Shetland Books Programme)

THIS BOOK HIGHLIGHTS and brings to life the arduous work behind every catch of fish and its long road to the retail display. A very informative book on several fisheries in the North Atlantic with concise text and excellent photos. One might say the photos are almost too good, bearing in mind that the weather out there is not always as beautiful as pictured here. But these pictures create an atmosphere and in some magic way make the reader identify with the labor at sea… The book will give the reader a comprehensive insight into commercial fisheries.

Joergen Niclasen, 1998-2003 Minister of Fisheries and Maritime Affairs, Faroe Islands

THIS IS AN EXCELLENT book for anyone interested in the North Atlantic and those people who make a living from fishing these waters. The photographs are first rate — they tell the story of what it is to be a fisherman in the North Atlantic today. This book will delight readers… It will also be an education for those who live in the cities of Europe, who have ever wondered how the fish they buy from the supermarket or eat in a restaurant ever gets there in the first place.

John Goodlad, former long-time Chief Executive of Shetland Fishermen’s Association

NORTH ATLANTIC fishermen have, through centuries, refined their catch technologies, and their efforts have had profound impact on the economies of their communities. Read the rest of this entry »