CNN paid tribute to the weather-beaten fishermen of the island of Paros through the work of Austrian photographer Christian Stemper. For five years, the Austrian has documented the lives of the men who care about nothing more than the sea and fish.

He told CNN that “you can’t just turn up as a tourist and start taking their pictures.” When he first began in 2010 he had to get to know every harbor. “Each one has its own family – not quite a mafia – but you need to meet the boss. And if he tells them to have their photo taken, they go,” he said.