Photo By Idee_Explores 

The Raven

Photo by @idee-montijo | Kilimanjaro National Park, 2013. I really like how the natural light picks up an iridescent blue in the raven's black feathers. We all bear a beautiful light, even in our darkest features.

Live that expedition life with Idee Explores - Idee is an expedition photographer documenting discovery and field science with a focus on conservation and sustainability. Find her portfolios here.

Happy "Two"sday 2/22/22 to you!✌️😎

What’s the Difference Between Adventure and Exploration?

An increasingly controversial question: In today’s world of travel-blogging and adventure sports, how can we define true exploration?

It’s a frigid winter’s eve at Norway’s Finse 1222 Lodge, high above the tree line overlooking Hardangerjøkulen glacier. The rustic lodge is accessible only by train or dogsled, and in its library huddled before a blazing fireplace, a group of road-worn explorers discuss past and future expedition challenges while sampling spirits they’ve collected from around the globe.

Centuries ahead of Shackleton and Amundsen, early explorers began taking to land and sea. The late Sen. John Glenn once said at an Explorers Club Annual Dinner, “Explorers push dragons from the map.” — they uncover and discover the mysteries of our oceans, space, earth, and humankind. Though today’s satellite imagery of Earth is void of dragons, we still have a lot to explore. So, let’s first understand, “What’s exploration?”

Cenote survey during a 2015 expedition in Mexico’s Yucatan State. Image by Idee Montijo © 2021

The late Jim Fowler, wildlife champion and explorer extraordinaire of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom fame, once described exploration as the pursuit of information that advances the greater body of knowledge on mankind, space, oceans, and the Earth. How explorers undertake that pursuit varies from expedition to expedition, but the common thread is a hope of ‘discovery’ or the real possibility of making a contribution to our greater body of knowledge.

Bob Ballard, ocean explorer and National Geographic Explorer-At-Large, provided the world with a first glimpse of the legendary ocean liner Titanic since its unexpected demise in 1912. But in an NPR interview, Ballard describes what he considers his most important contribution to science, stating, “ …The hydrothermal vents, for example, I would think was my greatest discovery. We knew where Titanic was, but we never knew about these new life forms, and we didn’t know they were there.” It’s all about the data.

While adventure can be one element of many expeditions, it differs from exploration in that explorationinvolves a pursuit of data that increases our larger body of knowledge while adventureis a personal experience that can provide individual growth.

It is only in adventure that some people succeed in knowing themselves — in finding themselves. ~ André Gide, winner Nobel Prize in Literature, 1947

An important aspect of the human experience, adventure helps people become more confident in their personal capabilities, to broaden their own knowledge of the world, and advance personal skills. Psychology’s Self-Determination Theory (SDT) is a theory that explains human motivation and personality with respect to inherent growth trends and natural psychological needs. Researchers in the 1980s proposed that we have three basic and universal psychological needs that promote intrinsic motivation: autonomy, competence, and relatedness. Adventure addresses all three of these needs. For example, autonomy can be gained through accomplishing new tasks like navigation where one has a freedom to choose their course, competence is earned through successful interaction with one’s environment through activities like building a shelter, and relatedness is the desire to belong to a group of others with similar experiences.

Whether pushing dragons from the map like those explorers gathered on a Norwegian mountaintop or seeking personal growth and development by blogging about one’s whitewater rafting trip, we benefit when driven by curiosity to engage with the world around us in exploration and adventure.

Get inspired with expedition portfolios at IdeeExplores.com and on Instagram (at)idee_explores.

Portrait of a Primate

Image by @idee-montijo. Tanzania, Africa.

My image collections are full of primate facial expressions, and this expression of what I perceive as calm and curiosity is among my favorites.

What do you see in this expression?

Feel free to visit featured collections at Idee Explores and field videos on my new "Idee Montijo" YouTube channel! 🐒

@idee-montijo introduces you to Gary the resident Goliath Grouper & Friends living at a popular shipwreck site off Florida's southeast coastline! Goliath Groupers are massive fish that have a curious nature!

Music by Dlondlobala Njalo (Soul Drummer Mix) Ladysmith Black Mambazo | Joseph Shabalala

Have you ever felt lost in the darkness, like you’re stumbling over rocks and sinking to unknown depths? In our darkest moments we need a light to show us the way. It doesn’t matter if the light is provided by someone else or if one finds their own light and rescues themself from the darkness. 

Image by @idee_explores (IG)

My teary-eyed gratitude to popular mural artist Goodloe Byron for his original painting of my recently dearly departed Jack Russell Terrier, Tiki. Its whimsical energy brings me a smile at his memory. 🐾

My view from the helicopter looking back on majestic Manhattan with Lady Liberty standing firm on her small island in the foreground. 🚁

🌊🐢 **Turtle Power: Our Armor-Clad Allies** 🐢🌊

As the sun casts its golden rays upon the earth, let us not forget the silent voyagers of the blue - our ancient friends, the turtles. This World Turtle Day, let's dive deep into the importance of these magnificent creatures and their role in the tapestry of life.

Turtles, with their bony carapaces and wise eyes, have been navigating the waters and lands long before us. They are the custodians of marine health, the gardeners of our seabeds, and the storytellers of our planet's history.

Yet, they face threats from all fronts - from plastic pollution to habitat destruction. It's our duty to shield them as they have the earth, ensuring their tales continue for eons to come.

Join us in celebrating World Turtle Day by learning, sharing, and taking action. Let's create ripples of change that will turn into waves of conservation for our shelled companions.

📚 Learn about their plight.

🔄 Share their stories.

🛠 Take action to protect their habitats.

Together, we can ensure that turtles continue to thrive, not just survive. Let's make every day a World Turtle Day.

Slow the World: Water.falls

A video clip series to sooth your soul. By exploration photographer Idee Montijo.

A deep plunging waterfall hidden away in the wilderness of New England slows down for a time. Watch the drops and streams leisurely drape over the jagged rock face. Draw in a full breath. The finest mist coats and cools your skin as your ears fill with soothing water sounds.

I invite you to experience the Idee Explores video portfolios on Vimeo and YouTube.