Night fishermen
The work presented is a meeting with fishermen and an invitation to come aboard their boat for a night of fishing.
Many of the inhabitants of the island of Marmara (Turkey) earn their living from fishing in the Marmara Sea.
My frequent visits to the island have enabled me to get to know them and, above all, to share in their daily lives as they prepare for the fishing season.
Walking around the port, I met a fisherman who was ready to go out to sea with his colleagues. After a short chat, he agreed to let me come on board.
So it was an autumn night when I set out on a very choppy sea. I managed to make myself forgotten so that I could photograph these men until the early hours of the morning.
It was an unforgettable experience. For one night, I shared in their hard work, their unflagging endurance and determination to bring fish back to port, a product that is essential to the island’s daily life.
It made me realise how important the sea is to human beings, how fragile this world is, and how tough this job is.
The imperative was to go out whatever the weather, even if it meant coming back almost empty.
