Chernobyl FAQ

Why on earth did you go to Chernobyl?

As a photographer, my main object of interest are places where man-made order collides with natural chaos: Abandoned factories, houses, military installations, hospitals, and other human structures that have been left to die. The activity of visiting and documenting such places is known as urban exploration of abandonments. It combines elements of archeology, art and extreme sports with a strong interest in architecture and industrial history.

Back in the 19th century, families used to photograph their dead loved ones (NSFW) shortly before burying them and keep the photos as memento mori; in a way, urban explorers take similar post-mortem photographs, albeit of buildings and structures, not people.

Chernobyl and Prypiat are, from an urban exploration point of view is a unique location for several reasons:

1. The former inhabitants of the surrounding cities left the area over night, leaving most of their houses as they were;
2. A 19 kilometer exclusion zone has been erected around the power plant, letting only authorized persons entering the area;
3. Nobody is allowed to live in the area (with some exceptions) for the next couple of hundred years.

All in all, Prypiat and Chernobyl are ghost towns whose existence documents one of the most significant man-made disasters in history. It’s also an urban explorer’s dream come true; and with appropriate safety precautions not that dangerous as you might think.

Wasn’t that a really dangerous thing to do? What about the radiation?

The short answer: I took a calculated risk. The radiation is not that high anymore (90% of it disappeared during the first year after the accident), and I took safety precautions. The radiation dose I received during the trip was half the amount you get when getting your teeth x-rayed at the dentist. Flying to Kiev will expose you to more radiation than the trip itself.

The long answer: See the “Radiation” blog post.

I want to go to Chernobyl myself. What do I need to do?

The more interest Chernobyl generates, the easier it gets to go there. There are two options:

1. What most people do: Book one of the many Chernobyl bus tour through a Kiev travel agent. Wikitravel has a list of available agencies, otherwise just google for it.
2. What we did: Organize a guided tour through the Chernobyl InterInform agency. Knowledge of Russian is highly recommended.

Can you just go into the zone?

No, you can’t, and you shouldn’t. To visit the zone of exclusion, you need a permit and an official guide. Going there by yourself is really dangerous, and you won’t make it passed the many security checkpoints.

What about that woman who drove through the zone on her bike?

That’s an urban legend. Elena Filatova’s account of her riding through the zone was an elaborate art project – she booked a tour like everyone else (still, her account is a fantastic read, and I congratulate her for it!).

Are the strong colors in your pictures real?

No, they are not. All my Chernobyl pictures are shot in High Dynamic Range (HDR), which increases contrast and saturation.

Why did you shoot in HDR?

The choice for HDR was a deliberate one – I wanted to contrast the desolate surroundings in the zone with unusually rich and alien colors. My collection of 450 HDR Chernobyl pictures is probably the biggest on the internet, and they are all licensed under Creative Commons.

No, seriously, why HDR?! HDR is terrible! You will burn in hell for using HDR! [and other HDR flames]

Don’t like it? You’re in the minority. There are enough non-HDR Chernobyl pictures on the internet. I’m sure you’ll find something you like.