Hi fellow Steemians! My name is Ivan Mikolji and I’m a river explorer and audio visual artist. I've been making videos on YouTube since 2005. I live in Venezuela and work in the jungles of the Amazon. I humbly introduce myself and my life’s work.

I have done over 100 scientific research expeditions with no sponsors. The gear, money and time come out of my pocket. I am actually always looking for people or organizations who can sponsor my expeditions and because I have not found any, I use the money I get from writing articles, selling my artwork, stock video footage and self-produced documentaries to fund them myself. Most of the images I take are given out for free for non-profit scientific educational material which includes books, scientific reprints, etc. I also give out free images or video footage to organizations that are working in benefit of a species, environment, or habitat. I am hoping fellow Steemians get value from my work and help my journey as well.

My scientific research and art is not restricted to the wild. I also work in man-made “environments” like labs, museums and aquariums with controlled lighting but they usually come about from an ecological notion, a wellbeing message for the environment. The artistic photographs I took of a lionfish (above), for example, were taken of the first lionfish captured live in Venezuelan waters. Lionfish are an invasive species originally from the Indo-Pacific. A few years ago they were introduced into the Atlantic Ocean and since then have been spreading nonstop by lack of natural predators. These fish are threatening the local fish species, so I took the time to photograph this specimen to orientate people on how destructive it can be to introduce non-native species into the wild.

Another image that I love a lot is “Altum Angelfish Pterophyllum altum DSC08862” (above) this particular species of fish is partially extinct in its natural habitat due to harvesting by tropical fish collectors, pollution, and habitat loss. I have witnessed these fish being captured until they are depleted in certain streams in the Amazon. So, there is a story behind that image as well, it is not just another picture of a fish.

There is always an ecological awareness to my work. I am always trying to educate and leave a message about a better world for everyone and future generations. This all sounds like an overused washed out cliché but it is not. I really believe that a positive and optimistic intake of natural knowledge is the key to instill conservation awareness.

Once I am back from my expeditions and I go through the images I wonder, “Does art imitate life, or life imitate art?”

I classify my images as more than cool nature photography; they are the link between science and art.

I am so excited to have found the Steemit community. I am new at this and would love any help I can get. Please let me know what you think of my cause, and if you’re so inclined, follow me, subscribe to my youtube channel, support me on Patreon, Facebook, whatever. Every little bit helps!

I want to hear what most interested you about my post and what you'd like to see/hear from me in future posts. I also want to hear from fellow conservationists around the world.