My Visit to Chernobyl and Pripyat

[rezenclowd3]

More like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Shadow of Chernobyl....

Seeing this is very saddening. How little we realize we don't know the more we think we know...

 

[pep.pep]

really great photos. depressing place, for sure.

also, reminds me of the mission from COD: Modern Warfare.

what kind of camera were you using?

 

[stridemat]

Great pictures with a lot of atmosphere. Impressive.

 

[chaosbunny]

For a moment there I thought they were screenshots from STALKER . Great pics. Really well done.

Me too!

I've played through all three STALKER games and the locations look familiar. They really captured the area quite good in these games.

Awesome pictures, good use of HDR. Must have been an interesting experience to have been there.

 

[SchneiderMan]

Wow. Just wow..

It looked so familiar to me and then I realized I played the 3rd party maps on COD 4.

 

[mgartner0622]

Amazing photos! I'd love the opportunity to see something like that, truly a once in a lifetime chance for most people.
Makes me wonder what my house would look like if I left it alone for 30 years...

 

[SchneiderMan]

Amazing photos! I'd love the opportunity to see something like that, truly a once in a lifetime chance for most people.
Makes me wonder what my house would look like if i left it alone for 30 years...

I wouldn't take such a risk. You gotta think in time, something bad will happen if you get that close. The reactor is still active under the decaying sarcophagus.

 

[Krovem]

Really nice photos! Nice job. Im from Khakiv, Ukraine.

 

[standingquiet]

Matt,
Many photos across the web and some of yours show buildings with few windows. Did you happen to take note of of that and did it look as if the windows were removed or smashed?
The dolls definitely add affect to the pictures. There were thousands of people on clean up teams removing articles for destruction or segregation. Were there a lot of personal effects still present?

We were not aloud in the homes and tower blocks so i could not tell you if there were personal effects left. I've visited alot of abandoned places and there was alot of stuff still around but i could tell things had been stripped.

Many windows were smashed and some just opened i didn't notice if any had been removed.

We were told in the 90's when there were no security present alot of stuff was stolen. Stuff is still stolen today our bus driver stole a sewage cover and sold it on the way back to Kiev.

Wow, those photos are well taken, and really allow you to think about the effect this disaster had. I'd also love to see more of your photography.

All my photography can be viewed here - http://www.flickr.com/photos/30941421@N06/sets/

 

[standingquiet]

really great photos. depressing place, for sure.

also, reminds me of the mission from COD: Modern Warfare.

what kind of camera were you using?

Panasonic GF1 with a Panasonic 7-14mm Wide Angle Lens

I wouldn't take such a risk. You gotta think in time, something bad will happen if you get that close. The reactor is still active under the decaying sarcophagus.

It is perfectly safe, the readings outside Reactor4 was 0.700 microroentgens, people work there maintaining the sarcophagus and creating the new one. People even work and life in Chernobyl now, Pripyat is the only place still not lived in. The say you are exposed to more radiation on a transatlantic flight than you are 8 hours in Pripyat.

Amazing photos! I'd love the opportunity to see something like that, truly a once in a lifetime chance for most people.
Makes me wonder what my house would look like if i left it alone for 30 years...

I will be returning hopefully this year or next i want more time as there was so much we missed. Plus i would like to visit Belarus and the children's hospitals that look after the Chernobyl children.

 

[bruinsrme]

I had the pleasure and experience of playing hockey and listening to their stories of the incident. Horrifying to say the least. Families were separated by age and sent to different places. The three players all suffered from mild radiation exposure and were undergoing treatment.

Thanks for sharing your experience.

 

[scoobydiesel]

Such amazing and scary photos, I love this type of stuff but its just sad to know the events that caused it. Enjoyed the video as well.
I would love to go but i do think i would be a bit too nervous to actually take the trip.

 

[wordoflife]

It is perfectly safe, the readings outside Reactor4 was 0.700 microroentgens, people work there maintaining the sarcophagus and creating the new one. People even work and life in Chernobyl now, Pripyat is the only place still not lived in. The say you are exposed to more radiation on a transatlantic flight than you are 8 hours in Pripyat.

Some say its perfectly safe to go there, and some say not. Hopefully what you say is true. It would be pretty cool to go there.
And I thought it was illegal to go there? I guess not anymore?

 

[SPEEDwithJJ]

Some say its perfectly safe to go there, and some say not. Hopefully what you say is true. It would be pretty cool to go there.
And I thought it was illegal to go there? I guess not anymore?

I don't think it is totally illegal to go there.

I've been keeping a close eye on the news of the Japan earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster & about a week or so after the first tsunami hit the east coast of Japan in March, I came across a video on MSN.com that features a story about what is happening now in Chernobyl & it seemed like there are now even companies that make money giving tourists a guided tour of the disaster area. Check out the following video:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42159001#42159001

 

[wordoflife]

I don't think it is illegal to go there.

I've been keeping a close eye on the news of the Japan earthquake/tsunami/nuclear disaster & about a week or so after the first tsunami hit the east coast of Japan in March, I came across a video on MSN.com that features a story about what is happening now in Chernobyl & it seemed like there are now even companies that make money giving tourists a guided tour of the disaster area. Check out the following video:

http://www.bing.com/videos/watch/vi...site-msn.com&FROM=LKVR5&GT1=LKVR5&FORM=LKVR18

Thanks, I'll check it out.


I found a before picture of the pool. It's really sad to see how this place has changed.

 

[SPEEDwithJJ]

Thanks, I'll check it out.

Hey man, you might want to take note of the updated link in my post. For some odd reason, the previous link that I posted doesn't seem to work.

 

[standingquiet]

Some say its perfectly safe to go there, and some say not. Hopefully what you say is true. It would be pretty cool to go there.
And I thought it was illegal to go there? I guess not anymore?

It is perfectly legal as long as you get permission from the Ukrainian Government.

You have to book with a official tour. You have to go through 3 check points which check the paper work and your passports.

You have to go through radiation detectors when you leave the last check point

The tour company we used was http://www.tourkiev.com/

 

[kbright1892]

Very cool pictures. I hope to go someday myself. I just need the money and free time.

 

[SchneiderMan]

Russians be crazy lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yry8oH__sM&feature=player_embedded#at=440

These guys love radiation hahaha.

 

[runlsd]

Powerful images. Thanks for sharing.

 

[misohoni]

radiation?

Do you checked for radiation after you left?

 

[GoKyu]

Amazing images, really powerful.

Thanks for sharing

 

[standingquiet]

Russians be crazy lol http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-yry8oH__sM&feature=player_embedded#at=440

These guys love radiation hahaha.

That's who i done my tour with Solo East, Sergei is the boss and Yuri is a guide, Yuri was also the guide that took Josh Gates and Destination truth around Pripyat. We had a guide called Dennis who was pretty cool.

My hospital pictures are from that hospital, they didnt tell us to stay out the basement though! We started going down there but i thought it was a bad idea, glad i stayed out now!

Here's Sergei briefing us