This Murmansk fisherman has snagged a vast social-media following by photographing fearsome creatures of the deep.
Roman Fedortsov is one of Russia's biggest Instagram stars. But he's unlikely to be recognized in public, or seen on land much at all. The veteran seafarer is currently bobbing somewhere in the Barents Sea on a three-month trawling expedition.
Fedortsov and his crewmates work netting shrimp and other familiar seafoods, but it's the weird, sometimes nightmarish bycatches that occasionally end up in his haul that have captured the attention of landlubbers around the world.
A viperfish. The sickle-like teeth of the predator curve around the outside of its head when its mouth is closed.
A jet-black anglerfish, which lurks, nearly invisible, in the gloom of the deep except for its glowing "lure" that it uses to attract prey.
A startled-looking sea anemone
Fedortsov told RFE/RL his Instagram account, which now has more than 620,000 followers, started to take off in December 2016 after a news outlet in his hometown of Murmansk published an article with a handful of his photographs. The response was, he says, "an explosion" of interest in exactly what fascinated him -- the little-understood creatures that lurk in the black depths of the ocean.
A juvenile goblin shark. The sharks grow up to 4 meters long and are unique for their jaws, which lunge forward dramatically when the shark is attacking.
While at sea, Fedortsov works shifts of six hours on duty, followed by six hours to relax. It's during that downtime the skillful amateur photographer uses his iPhone to document some of the creatures that end up in his nets.
The formidable dentistry of a wolffish. The species can grow to 1.5 meters and uses its shark-like teeth to crunch through shellfish, crabs, and other armored creatures of the deep.
Fedortsov also writes sometimes extensive captions that explain everything from the fish he photographs to advice on what to look for when buying tasty shrimp.
A sea spider. The arthropods have been recorded skittering across the sea floor as much as 7 kilometers beneath the surface.
A "gorgon's head," which has hundreds of tiny limbs that Fedortsov describes as "constantly writhing,...resembling living snakes."
A stoplight loosejaw after being hauled from its habitat more than 500 meters beneath the surface. The creature is named for glowing red and green patches near its eyes that resemble traffic lights when flicking on and off in the gloomy ocean depths. Its lower jaw (at left in this photo) is unusual for having no "floor," enabling it to snap shut with mousetrap speed.
Fedortsov says he and his crew throw deep-sea bycatch like this back, but he admits the creatures "almost always die" due to the vast changes in pressure from being hauled up from hundreds of meters beneath the surface.
Frilled shark. The rarely seen sharks swim with an eel-like ripple and prey largely on squid, which they snag with scores of trident-shaped teeth.
In 2017 the Russian used his social-media following to draw attention to what he calls some "stupid bastards" who recorded themselves tormenting a shark off the coast of the United States. "We fish to eat, not to mock. So I decided to distribute the video to find these sick people," Fedortsov says. Three Florida men were later identified and charged with aggravated animal cruelty.
The view of another Russian fishing trawler snapped by Fedortsov somewhere in the northern seas.
Fedortsov says while his life at sea might look exciting when viewed through his Instagram feed, that is in part because he tries to find "the unusual in ordinary things." Some images show a glimpse of what is clearly a tough and dangerous job.
Fedortsov's crewmates work to haul in a net.
The Russian says his Instagram fame hasn't made much difference in his life, and he still needs to earn his living the hard way, out on the open sea for months at a time while his wife and young son await his return.
A gangsterish line-up of wolffish
"Now I am not making use of my fame. Do you know what I look like? No! It's only a hobby," Fedortsov says. "I like to share photos of marine life with people. Especially with those who live far from the sea."