I took a trip to Chernobyl's exclusion zone and photographed it in infrared

We always hear praises of the might of Mother Nature, how it renders useless mans’ creations, and bears life above the ruins. Well, it’s something that is always felt, but never on such a huge scale. This place IS the place for these contrasts. It’s pretty hard to describe the overall atmosphere I experienced during this trip. Despite the events of 1986, the ruins, and the rust, I didn’t have grim feelings while traveling there. On the contrary, it felt like I was in a “kind of” paradise on a different planet.

Thirty years after the fallout, while men still stay away, the forests, the animals, the plants, everything is thriving, revived by nature.

These images were shot during a 2-day trip in Chernobyl’s exclusion zone, with a full spectrum camera, and a 590nm infrared filter from Kolari Vision.

The Nuclear power plant sarcophagus, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Simon – a human-friendly fox, whom often approaches groups in the exclusion zone, asking for food

Bumper cars in Pripyat’s amusement park

The monumental trail with the evacuated villages’ names on either side

A trolleybus in one of Chernobyl’s scrapyards

The Bucket (machine part) that was used to clean the roof of the failed reactor after the fallout, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

The ghost town of Pripyat, Ukraine

A lake within the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

The iconic 26 meter tall Ferris wheel in Pripyat’s amusement park

The rotting grand piano in the concert hall of the abandoned town of Pripyat

“Duga” radar system, used as part of the Soviet anti-ballistic missile early-warning network.
Shot from the bottom, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Abandoned farm in Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Butterflies and flowers in the forest, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

Pripyat Sports hall, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

The Azure Swimming Pool in Pripyat, Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

About the Author

Vladimir Migutin is a photographer specialising in infrared and full spectrum photography. You can see more of his work on the Kolari Vision website. This article was also published here and shared with permission.

Florent Gross

Looks like infrared and x-rays don’t have the same wavelength
Keaton Foley

So cool
David Lorenzo

Amazing photos.
Francis J Keller

I shoot infrared….a lot, shot IR film…..now a converted D70 nikon…..these images are amazing…….
- Jyi Offer
  
  I have a spare d70 and d80
  Did you convert yourself?
Anthony Beander

So beautifully eerie and ethereal, I love them
Duncan Dimanche

I would not want to set foot close to Chernobyl… for obvious reason but those images are stunning !
- Daniel Shortt
  
  it’s safer than most think. You go for a short period, and guides know where is safe and when to leave.
Vladi Mi

Thank You :)

It’s safer than most think…
Indeed, there are some areas that aren’t recommended to visit at all (like the tunnels of death in Pripyat’, where lot of items that were used by firefighters during the fallout are still scattered on the floor), but in overall, the average radiation level is pretty close to what we get on a 10,000 meters high flight, maybe a bit higher.

If you pay attention to what the radiation meter is showing, avoid doing silly things – like touching radioactive stuff or drinking water from the streams, then this trip would to be a pretty safe one.

You can see the full album (55 photos) by using the following link:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10213995699433980.1073741870.1455460634&type=1&l=5aa94346e1