Corey Arnold April 22, 2008

Corey Arnold is a photographer and Alaskan crab fisherman. During October, January, and February you will find him working and photographing aboard the f/v Rollo in the Bering Sea. You may have spotted him aboard the Rollo during season two of the Discovery Channel’s Deadliest Catch. Now he keeps his things in Portland, Oregon – my hometown – after spending the last five years commuting from Oslo, Norway. Corey graduated with a BFA in Photography from the Academy of Art College, San Francisco. In 2005 he received a grant from the American-Scandinavian Foundation to photograph fisherman and whalers in Northern Norway, a project that continues to this day. Recent interviews and/or photo features can be found in publications such as Artweek, Outside, Italian Rolling Stone, Juxtapoz, Adbusters, Norway, Popular Photography and Men’s Journal, etc. Corey has been nominated for the Aperature West book prize for 2007.

About the Photograph:

“This photo was taken during my first King Crab season in the Bering Sea, Alaska. I’ve been a deckhand on the F/V Rollo for six years now, working and taking pictures along the way. What I predicted would be a two year career as a crab fisherman has extended itself indefinitely and turned my photo project into a lifelong pursuit of fishing culture around the globe. In this photo, my crew-mates are waiting for the go ahead from the captain to set a baited pot. We are running “in the ditch” which means broadside to the 20-25 foot seas. During these conditions, a smoker can usually only make it halfway through his smoke before it drowns in the rain. I use duct tape, two gallon ziplocs and a good lens hood and filter to keep my camera alive in the torrential downpour of seawater. So far the cameras have survived the water but several lenses have been broken by the violent motion of the boat.”