Hauntingly Beautiful Infrared Photos of Life Arising Amongst the Rust of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

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Photographer Vladimir Migutin traveled to the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone to photograph what remained after the catastrophic nuclear plant disaster of 1986. What Migutin found when he arrived, however, was not a barren wasteland, but an amazing example of the power of nature as it flourished through and around the rusted metal of human-made items. Migutin captured this incredible duality in hauntingly beautiful infrared photos.

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.

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A post shared by Kolari Vision (@kolarivision) on

A post shared by Kolari Vision (@kolarivision) on

A post shared by Kolari Vision (@kolarivision) on

A post shared by Kolari Vision (@kolarivision) on

A post shared by Kolari Vision (@kolarivision) on

A post shared by Kolari Vision (@kolarivision) on

A post shared by Kolari Vision (@kolarivision) on

via My Modern Met

Lori Dorn
Lori Dorn

Lori is a Laughing Squid Contributing Editor based in New York City who has been writing blog posts for over a decade. She also enjoys making jewelry, playing guitar, taking photos and mixing craft cocktails.