“A couple of times a poisonous thorn pricked. Hand swelled”
Photos ugly fish praised the Russians for the whole world.
Once a simple fisherman in Murmansk novel Fedortsov began to spread in social networks photos of the fish caught in a trawl vessel where he works, and was the real star of Twitter and Instagram. Today, his tweets are read by almost 140 thousand people, and the photos look about 300 thousand. Under the posts are often more comments in English than in Russian. As it turned out, it’s all about perspective. “Ribbon.ru” talked with Roman about the difference between romance and work, profit from social networks, sharks, Grenadier, malacosta and fear of ordinary spiders.
“Ribbon.ru”: we are Pleased that you have found time to get in touch with us. It seems that this is not so simple. (We communicate by email and intermittently, because most of the time the novel is set in the sea.)
Fedortsov: Yes, at the end of the flight was a lot of work, the fish was caught “pants down”, and worked high in the North, there was no Internet. Now at home, today is the day of birth.
Happy birthday!
Thank you!
You were born in the North? Decided that we will be working on a fishing boat or thought to go to Moscow or abroad?
I was born in Murmansk. I think that subconsciously for the choice of profession was influenced by the fact that our family is connected with the sea. My grandfather went by the master of production on fishing boats, and his father — the senior assistant to the captain. At a time when it was necessary to choose a profession, in Murmansk there were two main universities: the merchant Navy and the pedagogical Institute. Mentality I’m not a scholar, so after finishing school he entered the engineering Department at Murmansk state Academy of fishing fleet. Then known as the merchant Navy.
You were ready for such popularity?
In popularity thanks to local news Agency “Severest”. They did an article about my “fantastic creatures”, which picked up very many large and well-known media around the world.
Was a shock, I must admit. I just didn’t think that in this age of the channels National Geographic and other educational programs people can surprise photo or halibut and Grenadier. Even if your life is not connected with the sea, or you live far away from him.
The role played by the correct angle at which I shot some representatives of the deep. Do 20-50 shots, coming up with the plot. And the fact that I am an ordinary sailor, not the researcher of depths, played a role.
Where do in the sea of the Internet to make posts?
Now all courts have Internet access. Through satellites. Weak, of course, but instant messaging missing. Sometimes the photo for 5-10 minutes to send.
At some point you have to translate the posts in English?
According to numerous requests from foreign readers had to duplicate captions in English. Although I’m not very good at it, so in difficult situations helps me husband. The foreign audience is very large. It’s great!
Somehow pumped your skill SMM, communication with the online audience?
Nothing pumped. Just post pictures, sometimes answering questions, sometimes asking yourself.
Social networks make a profit? How big, if not a secret?
There is no profit. Many people think that I earn here lot of money. This is not so. A couple of times to sell the photos to magazines and TV programs. And that’s all! Everyone wants free.
Or stupid steal. So you could say it’s just a hobby.
There are in fact fake pages which are stealing your content. How to fight with them?
As far as I know, Instagram has at least three accounts that are impersonating me. Wrote in support, Instagram — they can’t see “the offense”. I sent them the originals and their data, but to no avail. He spat, tired.
About this I love the support Twitter. There was a fake account — removed in just a day.
About sharks, the bites, the malice of colleagues and the future
In the caption to one photo where you want to see something of the marine and arachnids, you wrote that by beating his fear of spiders. It is difficult to imagine that the person who takes up such marine reptiles in General can be afraid of something.
Spiders are really very much afraid. Even those that are harmless. But sea spiders have found a common language.
You sometimes these monsters hold in your hands. Never bite? This is not dangerous?
A couple of times biting, irritation a couple of times got a couple of times a poisonous thorn pricked. Hand was swollen. But alive. In Northern seas it is only necessary to be afraid of stings. When I was working off the coast of Africa — there have to be more careful with the poison in the spines and mucus of fish.
In General, where you feel safe — at sea or on land?
Quieter, of course, at home, with family. And the sea, the sea is work. The same work as everyone else.
Another photo that I don’t even know how to describe. Roman, what is this?! Like… I don’t know… plumbous of “Rick and Morty”. Watched this film?
The photo just sea anemones that are attached to the shell of sea snail. The main thing — the view! The cartoon did not look, but often heard about it in the comments to your photos.
But mainly look at the ship and how it occurs? How else would while away the hours?
In flight look what you take with you. Hard disks and flash drives are for everyone. Also on Board there is a grid, NAS, that is, the server for storing data at the file level. Throws all there for all to see.
And the time after the watch goes by very fast. Showered, ate, and then I want sleep, I want a series in the next few days, and then sleep. If the commercial environment is good — after the watch directly to sleep.
Don’t feel sorry for big fishes, which are caught with nets, sharks, fish-LUN?
Always feel bad for the fish or mammals that catch in the trawl and are not processed. But this so-called accidental catch is an integral part of fishing with trawl.
What do you think about the future? Didn’t want to become a consultant or a scientist? Have a solid background you have, I think, is. You have seen that not every ichthyologist saw with my own eyes.
In fact all fish, which I photographed, known and disseminated. The exception is the frilled shark and black manacost. The first very rarely and, they say, lived in the era of the dinosaurs, the second dwells very deeply.
At University, we, of course, were aquatic science, but to be honest, knowledge is very superficial. Frankly, I would be very interested in photographing different members of the deep.
And to have your own show on YouTube thought?
YouTube disappears. There is such a thing as a trade secret. To remove the vessel is prohibited.
What makes you hold this job? Here risk and the chill and the dampness and discomfort. Why stay? Not because of subscribers. Or now because of them?
Discover the romance of the people went to sea under sail. Now it’s just a job. Of course, at the beach, I wouldn’t earn. Therefore, suffer isolation from family, lack of sleep and pitching.
Subscribers are waiting for new interesting and unusual marine life. I want them to be fun, but, unfortunately, it does not always work. We’re a commercial ship, not research. But I try to present a conventional from an unusual angle.