An important industrial centre during Soviet times, today Rustavi’s industrial area is much more akin to a ghost town. I don’t remember where I heard about this strange, eerie place, but a friend and I decided to visit it the other day.
My Phantom 3 was playing up, so I got myself a Phantom 4 before I left Bulgaria a few months back. I didn't want to kick myself for not having a drone at all. Georgia provides some amazing opportunities for drone photography, so I'm very happy about my decision.
I was told that very few of the 90 factories that originally provided work for thousands of people are working today. One of them does metal recycling. Yes, that's a mountain of scrap metal you see. Amazing what angles are possible with the drone. I'd have to climb up the scrap metal if I wanted to get a similar shot without the drone.
“There’s something strangely magical about these smoke-belching giants, especially when they can be shown from above.”
Although there's certainly a story to be told about Rustavi, its factories and its people for now my interest was purely visual. There's something strangely magical about these smoke-belching giants, especially when they can be shown from above.
As the day drew to an end the landscape was drained of lively colours and became dark. Green lights came on inside of the factories and everything started to look like a post-apocalyptical scene from Mad Max.
I prefer to live in places where buildings exist in harmony with nature, but I am fascinated by this conflict, these hideous smoking factories amidst the vast, sometimes mountainous landscapes of Georgia. I'll explore this idea in a little more detail in the coming days.
