In late 1956, Kosti Ruohomaa renegotiated his contract with Black Star, giving up a weekly salary for freedom to work on personal projects without the pressure of New York deadlines. The first proposal to the agency during this later phase of his career was a January crossing to Monhegan Island to photograph scenes from their winter lobster fishery. He traveled to Monhegan on the mailboat, LAURA B, a few days after Christmas and he stayed with brothers Douglas and Harry Odom who owned the island’s general store. The photographs Kosti made on this trip first appeared in the Maine Coast Fisherman and then the National Fisherman. In the February, 1959 issue of National Geographic, Ruohomaa’s photo essay “Maine’s Lobster Island Monhegan” was published. In a letter to his friend and fellow photographer Jim Moore, Kosti described his feelings about Monhegan. “In the summer it is a bit too idealistically beautiful; in the winter it has guts and drama and doesn’t wear such a pretty face. Anyway, it has the kind of meat my camera likes.”