Chernobyl, Would You Go

I would.

Yes. Sounds fantastic and bizar. The holy grail of abandonment.

Not particularly marketable mind you, but none of my abandoned images are for the most part.

I am drawn to these sites though.

if there was no radioactivity and there were no raccoons with 8 arms and laser vision, and there were no attackers or the threat of buildings falling on me, yeah. i like the abandoned stuff. in a short while it all looks so terrible.

i was looking up my mothers home town. she lived in an area that hotels and such and she knew the names. so i started looking them up. and almost every one of them is gone, even large ones. and i was able to find many on flickr, full of weeds inside and such. and it really made me want to kind of break in and get pictures of that stuff. those places are neat. and haunting when you see playgrounds with trees in the middle, and just all that neat stuff.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

I would.

There is a show called "River Monsters" where a guy travels the world catching big fish. He went to Chernobyl on the rumors of monster mutant fish. There were big fish in the cooling lakes but they were Wells catfish, a species that gets big in a lot of places. None of them had feet or three eyes!

Had a prof who'd had the chance to go sometime in the late 90s early 2000s. Seeing as how it's in Ukraine, these days 30 year old radiation may be the least of your concerns.

Yes. I've had a dream since childhood to become the superhero The Toxic Avenger. So yes.

--Roz Abellera

People that go in for limited periods of time are relatively safe so I'd love to go. As you say, it's not very marketable for art sales though.

I believe I would, but since I'd want to do some through research first, I could not say for certain prior to that.

Abandoned places are something of a favorite subject.

I don't want to go alone :-) let me know when you are leaving :-)

Funny how people see the same things so differently. I certainly get the appeal of abandoned buildings and all ... romance, mystery, tragedy, hopes and lives dashed and all that. But wow ...

That 60 minutes show was on my tv too ... and the only thing going thru my mind was ... these people must be nutz.

Ahhhh ...(glancing up at previous comments) ... present company excepted, of course.

heh

Yes, I saw a special they did on Netflix a while back. IIf I had the opportunity, I would definitely go and shoot there.

No way.

Not enough nopes in the world!

They tell you not to set anything on the ground, don't touch anything, wear long pants/closed shoes. Oh, but it's perfectly safe; now just pay your entrance fee and have a great day.

It depends on many factors. If I was young with a family or planning to start a family then no, I wouldn't go. I would also do more research before making a final decision to go in...and use a disposable camera.

Of course, a long range mini drone camera would be more sensible:)

In a heartbeat. But Fukishima, that's a whole other story....

It's quite safe if you follow the rules regarding the amount of time you spend in particular areas. There's a lot of wildlife there now. And some fascinating photo-ops of hastily abandoned buildings fallen into ruins, but of course they're no secret and photographers are flocking there.

No - no desire - I'd rather go slogging through a swamp.

In a heartbeat.

I have been exposed to plenty of radiation courtesy of the U.S. Taxpayer... DU exposure, so what's a little more at Chernobyl?

Cheaper to go to Detroit and shoot those abandoned buildings. Hardly any radiation there too!

Rich

Traveling to Chernobyl isn't on any list I've ever made or dreamed about. Still isn't.


Dan Turner
Dan Turner's Seven Keys to Selling Art Online

I'm not sure I'd go unless I was already in the area, given it's not really my type of photography, but I'd certainly have no concerns about the radiation. Given you live in the US, you will get about 3-5 times more radiation exposure per hour by flying across the Atlantic to get there than you will per hour visiting the city of Pripyat, which is where almost all of the good abandoned building photos are taken (with the exception of a very small number of places which have a higher exposure, but on average you'll still likely get less exposure than you received on the flight over). By far your most likely chance of bodily harm is by part of one of the buildings falling on you -- they're all in very bad shape.

The plant itself has a higher level of background radiation, but still almost certainly less than you'd experience undergoing a number of pretty routine medical procedures, such as a CT scan of your chest.

Incidentally, there are still about 200 people who continue to live in the exclusion zone.

Abandoned buildings in Detroit have far more dangers than mere radiation.

Same reason I didn't shoot them in Philly.

Not for the coming 240,000 years, counting retroactively :-), including Fukushima.

August

JC,

I hear the housing is inexpensive. The food warm and everything is well heated.

I'd suggest bring a lead jacket.

I think on those trips the dentists visits are discounted, minus the X-ray costs.

Dave

Okay, I just glanced at my bucket list... nope, no where on there does it say to go to Chernobyl.

Now Area 51... that place I would really like to have the key to all gates and doors....


There is some serious history there. If you ever got to Vegas, go visit the The National Atomic Testing Museum. They have some really cool displays there and there is one of the guys there that can tell you all the stories about Area 51. He is one of the scientist that used to work on some of the stuff there. He is one of the guys that runs the museum now.

If you go JC, it would be funny if when you come back all of sudden your avatar changed to a glowing green color. lol

Nope. I can get cancer for free here. No need to go to Chernobyl for that.
And, I already had my fair share of Chernobyl fallout because the first time we were informed about the Chernobyl meltdown, which started on April 26, 1986, was a week AFTER it happened. At that time it was way too late for protection.

For those who decided to go Chernobil, I recommend to buy ticket one way only.
X-ray examination is free but body charge is guaranteed.

No, I tend to stay away from places that looks like its hiding zombies.

On a more interesting note, HeavyMetalJesus just followed me on Twitter.

Dave

I'd go in a heartbeat. On the other hand, watch the film, "Chernobyl Diaries."

i play computer games and there was a scene based in radioactive chernobyl and that was enough for me - eerie to wonder around deserted homes, parks, playgrounds. Mind you to photograph it... the radiation that remains.. the social desolation.. the injuries, diseases and mutations no doubt under study... the reality... there must be scope for serious documentary... Actually the radioactive cloud blew over London, much of the cesium did actualy land in placces.. what are their long term safety plans for securing the radiation at Chernobil? who knows... much now has sunk many cms below the surface, plants and ground water are radioactive, the clean up involved half a million people, the costs are hundreds of billions. Did you know it was all an accident at Chenyobil? They decided to test out an emergency drill at the power plant, however they had forgottem to actualy plumb it all in, it over heated an BANG! Much of the cesium and strontium has half lives of the 30 years or so, so give it a thousand years probably undetectable, the plutonium might need half a million years though....

Jason sounds like he knows something they are not telling us!! Murray appears to be throwing up a big caution sign with the "Chernobyl Diaries!" Visit and when you get home notice that the soles of your shoes feel strangely warm, ten years later your feet fall off!! lol

I think along the lines of Jason, a horrific wasteland and not something I would want to see. Everyone is different though, I can understand wanting to go, as long as it is safe it would probably be a profound experience.

JC, this place is still radioactive, full of misery and negative energies. I wouldn't advise you such trip. And...Im Russian, so I know what Im telling.
Maybe abandoned places are exciting but this one is out of ordinary. As previously said - ticket one way. If you do want that experience - so go ahead.

A few years ago I was in Kiev visiting my friends. Chernobyl was on our wish list, but we canceled it. Not for security, you go with guide and they take all needed safety measures ( of course this is not a rich country, and they understand safety differently as us). Driving car on the streets of Kiev can be even more dangerous. But we canceled because of our friends, for them Chernobyl is not an entertainment park, they still daily see consequences. But Kiev is an amazing city, the best time is May to avoid hot days with a lot of smog.

I saw the horror movie. Although I don't think it was filmed there.

The world has other abandoned sites that at least don't glow in the dark. I'd rather go to North Brother Island off of NYC. Site of an abandoned hospital.

Yes I would!

Having worked in the Nuclear field I would advise against it, sure there are "Natural" radiation fields all around us "beach sand" for instance, but exposing yourself to what remains high levels is asking for trouble.

The area itself isn't the safest at the moment, and will probably get worse before it gets better.

Nope! Too many other beautiful places that I want to see!! (And, plenty of them have abandoned buildings, if that's what I'm craving!!!)

Doubtful, but I totally understand the appeal in this form of exploration. I've shot at abandoned buildings and neighborhoods in Detroit several times, including the former Packard Plant. We went out early mornings, hoping not to run into people. It was sketchy, both fascinating and sad, and I am so glad I did it.

I would indeed

@ Priya, I've wanted to do that (I live about 40 miles north of the city), but I would want to hire an armed body guard to do it.

I would NOT go to Chernobyl. I have enough trouble with the methyl ethyl ketone the chemical plant in Sarnia keeps dumping in my drinking water (I live across the river from Canada). I'm doomed to glow in the dark as it is. I don't want to glow in the dark and have strange protrusions coming out of my head.

It sounds like the area is going for dollars and not too concerned about the people even encouraging the tourist industry. Like Jenny Rainbow said not a rich area, radioactivity and misery.

Maybe getting a day pass to three mile island would be cheaper than going all the way to the Ukraine?

@ Mary, that makes sense. If you do go, I'd recommend early morning when it is pretty deserted and you can also stay in your car and just photograph out of your window. There is plenty to see without getting out at all. Don't get me wrong, it was still pretty darn sketchy and if you get into trouble you're on your own.

Detroit scares me and I ain't scared of nothing. (Well, maybe Bedford Stye.)

Chernobyl though is a buy now pay later kind of deal.

3 Mile doesn't have a deserted city by it. Harrisburg still has people, right?

JC if they started tours in Detroit for photographing the abandoned factories, they could make a fortune (and maybe get the city out of bankruptcy).

The downtown area and the area around the art museum are very safe, much more than they used to be. I go to the DIA by myself with no fear at all. It's just the blighted areas where you don't want your car to break down...

But the Chernobyl dangers are, in my uninformed opinion, much more insidious and scary.

I love everything that is post-apocalyptic, dark, gloomy, depressive etc. This place has it all. I would love to stay there for a couple of days, check every corner, at the different times (dawn,night etc.)... I might be glowing a bit after a while but still!

and this would be the music I would play while walking in there :)

http://youtu.be/nW3DTCIO5Zs

Full albums, if someone love that kind of music (one of the best of its kind)
http://youtu.be/EUeAOUkUVO0

Nope -- too many 'tourists' have been there, done that. The novelty is gone; only the bad vibes remain.

Those, I can experience much closer to home.

@Tgchan -- Thanks for the Fallout links! :-)

Sure why not... I have wanted to do that for years. Nothing quite like abandoned stuff... especially that type of landscape and situation :)

http://www.weather.com/travel/news/abandoned-malls-seph-lawless-photos-20140408

this isn't as interesting as Chernobyl but its has its merits.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

People live in Heroshima and Nagasaki. You can visit Trinity. There is uncontroled radioactive material all over the Navajo Rez. Millions of people eat fish harvested from the Pacific every week. A morning at one site isn't going to do substantial harm unless you somehow get stuck with something sharm and dont get it out.

JC,

Ah, if you do decide to go, can I have ANY of the camera gear you don't take...........?

Rich