My name is Mitch Korolev. I am an environmental scientist and a photographer.

My interest in photography began as a way for me to reconnect with nature. While most of my professional career takes place outside, I am forced to look at the landscapes I study in stark, objective terms. Will this forest survive climate change? How many greenhouse gases will thawing permafrost emit? What killed this tree? I find it difficult to stop asking these sorts of questions, even when I am outside for my own enjoyment. Photography is a tool that helps me look at the world with fresh eyes and a happier perspective. When I am behind a camera, I lose track of future worries and can live purely in the moment.

I would call myself a nature photographer. I focus primarily on landscapes and abstracts, but I like wildlife, too, when I can find the patience for it. I would also call myself a research photographer or conservation photographer.

The longer I stay in the research world, the more I believe scientists need alternative methods outside of the prototypical research paper to communicate their findings. The general public isn’t interested in long, dense pages of text laden with PhD-level terminology, and yet many findings exist only in this format. A long-term goal of mine is to leverage my science and photography backgrounds to create a bridge that helps showcase our natural environments (and how they are changing) in an engaging and personable way. Our best bet for successful climate mitigation and adaption is for people, unlikely to be scientists themselves, to make decisions based on the best available science. It wouldn’t hurt to make it easier for them to access and connect with that information.

I currently shoot on a Nikon Z6iii with focal ranges from 14 mm all the way to 600 mm. I do not use generative AI at any stage of my creative process.

Outside of photography, I am pursuing a Master’s of Natural Resources Stewardship at Colorado State University and conducting forest health surveys throughout Western Colorado and Yellowstone National Park.