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Lost in the past


Lost in the past
Photo Information
Copyright: Olga Shpak (Delfin) Gold Star Critiquer/Silver Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 94 W: 28 N: 163] (1281)
Genre: Places
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-07-01
Categories: Ruins
Camera: NikonD70, 28-105mm AF Nikkor 1:3.5-4.5 D
Exposure: f/16, 1/160 seconds
More Photo Info: [view]
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): Places that inspire a story 2... [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2007-09-16 3:44
Viewed: 927
Favorites: 1 [view]
Points: 18
[Note Guidelines] Photographer's Note
Shumshu island.
The northernmost of Kuril Islands (the chain of islands between Kamchatka peninsula and Japan).
On the photo: abandoned village Baikovo.
This island, about 30km long, now is a home to only several people that live on 2 light houses.
in the past, here, there used to be a proper village, an airfield with airport building..
what is left now is, besides 2 lighthouses, ruins of villages and the airport, a couple of Japaneese monuments (photo to be posted), Japanese and American airplanes left from August 1945, bunch of bullets and rocket cartriges and other rusted metal.. oh, yes: we were told there are 3 bears living on the island.
But some 60 years ago, Shumshu was a military Japaneese fortress. In 1945 there were 14000 soldiers there. They had 60 tanks, hundreds of bunkers, aviation, a very developed underground network of roads and hangars. Taking Shumshu was the major task in Kuril operation in August 1945.
After the war, a Japaneese village Kataoka was renamed by Russians to Baikovo (on my photo). It was heavily damaged by tsunami in 1952 (together with the town of Severo-Kurilsk on neighbor Paramushir island that can be seen through the fog). After tsunami, some people still stayed there, because Shumshu airfield was used for passenger flights to Severo-Kurilsk. In mid 1990s one plane crashed, and the airport was closed. This is when Baikovo died.

No post-processing except frame and resize.
Witam, fleopold, hgupta, rjb874, Dpbours, lestans, drynhwyl has marked this note useful
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Discussions
ThreadThread Starter Messages Updated
To Dpbours: journo approachDelfin 2 09-23 18:57
To lestans: Kuril Islands natureDelfin 3 09-19 02:36
To batalay: MarsDelfin 4 09-17 13:19
To rjb874: KurilsDelfin 1 09-16 23:15
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Critiques [Translate]

  • Great 
  • Witam Silver Star Critiquer [C: 15 W: 0 N: 6] (69)
  • [2007-09-16 3:53]

I would have cropped off the bottom to just below the rusted barrel. It would emphasize it more, and drive home the point of abandonment. The photo really fits your note. The fog making it even more desolate.

Hello Olga!
An excellent status quo - documentation of this abandoned village. Well done.
Greetings from Austria!

Olga,

This is a beautiful composition. It looks like and old, abandonesd shipping village. I liked the rusty broken huts amidst lush green grass.
Good work.

Hemant

  • Great 
  • batalay Gold Star Critiquer/Gold Star Workshop Editor/Gold Note Writer [C: 3424 W: 198 N: 4729] (14244)
  • [2007-09-16 11:20]
  • [2] [+]

Hello Olga,

It is a pleasure to find your growing collection, and indeed you have some compelling photographs "hanging" in your gallery. I hope periodically to visit and find out more of the exotic corners of Russia and other corners of the world that you visit. I've been in Moscow and St. Petersburg both in Russia; and in Sevastopol, Yalta and Odessa in the Ukraine (mostly on cruises where I was giving lectures). But the Kuril Islands and Katchatka are so far from my world, that they may as well be on Mars. The area seems like a rather bucolic area but with a rugged climate.

Warm regards from Virginia, USA

Bulent

It is so very very rare to see pictures of the Kurile islands! This one is a great effort, of a part of the world I wish more people could learn about. I have heard of Kunashir, Irtrup and similar islands, but never Shumshu ... so I learned something new today. Really, well done Olga. I'm impressed!

Olga, wow what an impressive shot, looks like you are at the edge of the world. I really don't know what else to add, the shot is executed perfectly and the note is grippng. Great capture.

Greg

Hi Olga,

Just wonderful to see which places you end up!! Great note to it as well. Like the detail of the 3 bears.
No Tsunami reconstruction efforts here in '52... Times have changed. 'A plane crashed and the airport was closed. This is when Baikovo died.' What a power in that sentence. Just imagine that these days... Great journalistic approach to this one! Love to see places like this. Great!

Greetings,
Dennis

Hi Olga!
nice picture of a lonely place, very interesting for its history. I suppose that it must be interesting also for nature.
Thank you for sharing it
Livia

Hi Olga:

Very beautiful shot and very interesting but sad note. You certainly did your research on that one, and the note and this picture are perfect examples of "learning about the world through photography." The village alone gives a feeling of desolation and loneliness, but when you combine it with that beautiful and haunting landscape, your shot really tells a sad story very effectively. Wonderful work.

Clark

Thankyou for such an interesting account of the recent history of this island. I frequently look at photos on TrekEarth and wish there was just a little commentary to add to our knowledge. Your contribution is excellent. Thanks

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